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What to do if a GHB overdose occurs

Blue Lava

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 22, 2001
Messages
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"What to do if a GHB overdose occurs"
Wednesday January 29, 2003 11:45:03 PM -0800
http://www.erowid.org/
We must take care of our own.
Talk about what to do if a GHB overdose occurs
Since it's a more frequent occurrence that any of us would prefer...talking it through ahead of time can help those around you know what to do in case an overdose does happen.
Contact the events EMT, they are there for you.
Check their breathing.
Turn the individual on their side so if they vomit while unconscious
they won't choke.
If there is reason to think they are in danger, call help immediately. The most dangerous period is between 20 and 120 minutes after ingestion.
Try to find out what else they may have taken.
Always lean on the side of caution and safety.
Whenever someone becomes unconscious after taking a depressant, there is a risk of death. If someone begins vomiting and convulsing after taking GHB, the person should get medical attention immediately. If there is any question about someone's health, be safe. Do not be upset at others for calling doctors or ambulances if you find yourself waking up in a hospital, your friends and community have a right (and often a legal obligation) to call for help if someone's health is in danger.
It is very clear that GHB alone :
can interact very dangerously with alcohol
can cause unconsciousness
can cause vomiting
can suppress the gag reflex
can cause convulsions
may dangerously suppress breathing in some people
 
as someone who has waken up in the hospital due to the fact i g'd out hard i can say from expirence when in doubt call 911. it is not worth the chance that they might die. this is not a game. you do have to use your judgement when this is nessecary but if someone is having trouble breathing, vomiting or realsing bodily fluid, gas or the such it is always better to mae sure somone lives. i know someone who was at a party where someone died from an od on g and the ENTIRE party is being charged with manslaughter (this is in illinios by the way). be careful.
 
I just give 'em speed, works like a charm. A point rubbed into the gums give them 15 mins and they're back up, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. I know its not exactly responsible, I'd never recommend that anyone else do it, but its always worked for me.
[ 05 February 2003: Message edited by: killarava2day ]
 
/\/\/\
I discussed this route with a doctor of internal medicine familiar with club drugs. I said we'd always just give someone a bump of meth if they looked like they were going to G out. He strongly advised against this saying the two chemicals work on different systems of the body. So, even while all cranked out on meth you could still be facing many of the same G problems you had before the meth. He said death could still occur and now you have two chemicals in the bodies system to contend with. He said another problem with that method is the person may think they are okay once that epenephrine (sp) from the meth kicks in, and may end up drinking more GHB.
So, I still have some doubt about what this doctor told me, but it hass certainly made me question the wisdom of using meth to counteract GBL, or GHB.
 
please don't do the speed thing, giving someone another drug without trained professionals there can be very dangerous.
it is very simple
if in doubt call an ambulance
be honest with the paramedics about what has been taken and if possible give them a sample of the GHB ingested so that its strength can be tested. if you're worried about arrest, drop the bottle near the person and say 'oh look Mr Paramedic, i think that's what he's taken'
there is very little reason for people to die in this day and age
 
as someone who has gone through the expirence i'm really not sure on how much good giving the paramedics a sample of the g will do excpect get the person a posseion charge and the house your at searched. maybe blue lava can ask the doctor he talked to but most hospitals are unprepared to deal with g over dose. they won't be able to test the purity of the g in time to help the person. let alone know how much the person has taken. my doctor told me it was lucky that my friends told them i was on g because all my test came back negative that they were unable to test for ghb.
understand in "most" states it is not against the law to be on drugs. if it is the charges are minimal. what you should is first make sure the person has absolutly no drugs on them. check all their pockets socks, shoes and other hiding places. doctors do not call the cops unless they find the drugs, then they legal liabel to. then get the drugs out of the house, you never know if a cop will respond to the 911 call. get anyone who is to fucked up but does not need help out of the house. if you find yourself in a hospital bed with a cop questioning you know your rights. the cops will lie to you about how much trouble you are in to try to get you to roll on your friends.
when i was coming back in a hospital bed with the doctors workingon me. without reading me my rights a cop was questioning me try to get me to roll on my friends. telling me how much trouble i was in. i said back to him i'm really not up for this know can we do this later. to which he kept going. to the point i actually said to him i'm not saying anything to you untill i speak to a lawyer. ALL WELL THE DOCTORS WHERE WORKING ON ME. doctors where even looking at me like this guy's a fuckin ass. after that he looked at me andsaid fine don't help yourself the charges i'm going to hit you with if you don't help me are going to put you in jail for 2 years. after i almost started laughing i looked hiom right in the eye and said "well after the doctors relase me you can take me to jail because i'm not saying shit" after which i never saw him again. COPS SUCK.
 
As a matter of opinion, I'd be inclined to say giving the doctor a sample would likely be for naught. With things like GBL and GHB there haven't been any reports that I am aware of where an adulterant in the chemical caused death. GHB and GBL can and do kill all on there own. So, handing in a sample would likely be for naught. We know what the problem is in G cases and it's not an adulterant. However, something like X may be cut with PMA, or other adulterants which have been linked to death. So, maybe in this instance it would be worth proving a sample IF the hospital has a means of quickly testing for PMA. If they can't test it quickly then there is no point as the person is already dead, or on the road to recovery.
BTW - Had to go get the EMT's at a party this weekend for a DING DING DING you guessed it... a GHB overdose. When will people learn?
 
many thanks to blue lava & nursey for excellent advice.
i will make this a sticky thread when we change over :) it needs to be visible because it happens so often.
 
Originally posted by Blue Lava:
With things like GBL and GHB there haven't been any reports that I am aware of where an adulterant in the chemical caused death. GHB and GBL can and do kill all on there own.
Plzzzzzzzzzz tell me this is not true!!!
I've been in 4 or 5 G comas before, 3 or 4 because I could and the other cause I wanted to stay 'up'! Yes you might say this is reckless, but I'm sure I read somewhere (Sorry I don't have the source) that g coma's are safe as long as the person is warm and in the recovery position.
Also I thought they give it out to people who suffer from narcolopsy (spelt wrong) and they take enough to go into a coma so they can get some sleep at night and be ok through the day.
 
Originally posted by Gaz_hmmmm:

Plzzzzzzzzzz tell me this is not true!!!
I've been in 4 or 5 G comas before, 3 or 4 because I could and the other cause I wanted to stay 'up'! Yes you might say this is reckless, but I'm sure I read somewhere (Sorry I don't have the source) that g coma's are safe as long as the person is warm and in the recovery position.
Also I thought they give it out to people who suffer from narcolopsy (spelt wrong) and they take enough to go into a coma so they can get some sleep at night and be ok through the day.

I'm with you on this.....I've seen a Zillion G comas and everyone turned out fine.
Anyone I know who's been put in the ER for a g coma wakes up 3-4 hours later very pissed because they feel like a million bucks but have tubes and IVs all over them.
Relax peeps....If they're not puking and convulsing in thier sleep it's perfectly fine ;)
 
Thank you badjessejames!
Cause I might have ordered some gbl and will be maybe using it on sat' night. I'll probbaly be redosing all through the night if I sleep out and I don't fancy dying! ;)
 
You are correct that most people who pass out/go into a coma from GHB will come out of it. This, however, does not mean you cannot die from GHB. I have personally known someone who passed out on GHB and never returned. See also Samatha Reid who died from GHB and her family started a website to prevent it from happening to others www.ghbkills.com.
From Erowid:
It is very clear to us that GHB alone :
can interact very dangerously with alcohol
can cause unconsciousness
can cause vomiting You can choke on ur own puke.
can suppress the gag reflex
can cause convulsions
may dangerously suppress breathing in some people
Anything that supresses breathing can kill you. I'm not anti-GHB. But, this drug is being abused and is killing people. This is especially troubling for the dance community as these people pass out in the middle of a party. GHB has been solely responsible for the closure of a number of clubs across the US.
If you think GHB coma's are fun, it's only a matter of time until you die.
 
Originally posted by Blue Lava:

If you think GHB coma's are fun, it's only a matter of time until you die.

I love GHB....Have been taking it daily for almost two years....and don't mind nodding off into a GHB coma.....I am going to eventually die!
I don't buy it....the worst that's happened to me is I G'd out like a meathead standing up......at least I wasn't on the dance floor, I was in my kitchen.
Seriously watch your doses when you go out people, it makes responsible users look bad.
Also until you know your sensitivity to this chemical start real slow....It's not hard to figure out and once you do you're set.
 
here's another tip:
if they aren't breathing, gently rotate the head/open the mouth in order to open up the airways.
This tactic was indispensable to me when I was faced with THREE 1,4-butanediol overdoses in my own house (read about it here; my post is under the unregistered ID serotoninergic).
In hindsight, I should have called 311 (for a PRIVATE ambulance, so the cops theoretically don't come), but I was too afraid of the cops busting me and other people in the house.
 
badjessejames - it can kill you.
listen to the advice blue lava is giving. he speaks from first hand experience.
be safe everyone,
-seuss-
 
I've heard of one story where they gave the guy some meth to save him before he passed out in the hot tub from the GHB. YMMV.
 
Originally posted by deYFreeMon:
I've heard of one story where they gave the guy some meth to save him before he passed out in the hot tub from the GHB. YMMV.
DAYUM! I swear there has to be something about hot tubs and GHB. I've seen two people go koo-koo for coco puffs in a hot tub while high on G. G-holes are some really fucked up things to watch... thrashing about, moaning, talking to themselves. Sheesh. I bet it's the heat from the water speeding shit up, or something.
BTW - See what I said above about meth. My doctor, who is a drug user himself, does not recommend this.
Sweetpea if G is in your neighborhood get some. It's really not a bad drug. Very similar to alcohol and valium in it's effects and dangers. Just don't go overboard on the shit. Go slow. If you can't tell the difference between GBL and GHB by taste then go very slow. GBL, once ingested, converts to GHB. What this means is the effects will be delayed even longer than with GHB, often leading to a mis-dose. Drink some, don't feel shit, drink more, then wham!... it all hits you at once an hour, or so later.
 
Blue Lava.....
GBL converts to PURE GHB almost immediately upon hitting the stomache...It kicks in full force w/in 20 mins max.
The comedowns (If redosed) are known to be very harsh and withdrawl is absolute hell once addicted, when compared with GHB.
 
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