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What to do if a GHB overdose occurs

Gaz_hmmmm said:
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.


no, they do not give it to narcoleptics. it is illegal in the u.s.. not even for medical use. Ghb was used 10 years ago as a type of steroid. body builders would use it to "pump up" before a competition. it was in another form though. and i used to get it through companys that said it was for "Industrial cleaning" whether it was really a cleaner, i doubt it, you put the shit on certain plastics and it'll eat right through it! just imagine what it may be doing to your stomach!!
 
Yes, it is prescribed for narcolepsy. Its called Xyrem. It can be gotten through one pharmacy. During the trial period people were given large quantities to take home and follow the directions. there was not one negative incident, nor one case of addiction, period.

As far as what it does to your stomach, well...nothing.

The hydrochloric acid in your stomach will also eat right through pretty much anything. Coca Cola will dissove a nail within hours.

GHB was never used as a steroid. It relaeases growth hormone, wo it was thought that it could aid in burning fat. It does not really do that, however, and the prolactin levels rise enough to counter the rise in GH. However, GHB does protect the cell from radiation, hypoxia, and a host of other adverse conditions. It is more healthy than unhealthy when properly used.

Of course, health and safety have nothing to do with anything in the US. $$$ are the prime factor.
 
Overdosing friend

A very good friend of mine overdosed a number of times from GHB. It was very scary each time and I honestly didn't know what to do. Thank you for the wonderful info...now I'm more educated! :)
 
fozzy said:
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.


This is where a bit of Drug Culture Indoctrination is needed.

If you've called for EMT assistance, in between when you called and they come, or while you're calling, rifle through the person's pockets and pull out any drugs. In fact, if you're doing drugs where an OD might be a problem, the people who you're partying with should know where you keep your drugs so that they can do just this.

Of course, since you called the cops, you should also do a quick once-over of the place and get rid of any drugs or parephenalia. Any person living in said area should know just where his drugs are and have a good place to stash them out of the way -- a place that is not 'reasonable' to search.

If the paramedics really want a sample, have someone give it to them and say "this isn't mine and this isn't his, but it's what he took." I'd advise the person who gave the sample to the paramedics to bug out too, but...*shrugs* I'd personally stick to telling them "He took some [substance]," though, if you know for sure that's what happened. Always stick to this story as a default: someone gave you the drugs you took. You didn't buy them, you weren't holding any more -- someone just hooked you up right there, and, gee, you got so fucked up you forgot who they were. Unless your state has internal posession laws, and the cops are -really- bored, this should keep you from being fucked over. (IIRC, NJ still has Internal Posession laws on the books, and I'm not sure about other states.)

Anyway. This is part of the reason I won't do drugs like GHB -- these crises are just too damned common for comfort.
 
If an GHB overdose occurs, grab your ankles and head for the hills, b/c theres a good chance of death, better than with most drugs.

If you were having an opiate OD, a paramedic could just give you narcan, with G, theres nothing.
 
If an GHB overdose occurs, according to Cleaner Futures you should immediatly run away and dog the person who just OD'd. Where's the harm reduction in that? There is also NOT a good chance of death if a person who knows whats going on is around to monitor the persons breathing rate and put them in the recovery position.
 
pillin'n'pingin said:
If an GHB overdose occurs, according to Cleaner Futures you should immediatly run away and dog the person who just OD'd. Where's the harm reduction in that? There is also NOT a good chance of death if a person who knows whats going on is around to monitor the persons breathing rate and put them in the recovery position.

No, i'm saying, G is a really bad thing to OD from, again, with opiates you can simply be given narcan, heroinee-adrenoline, G-nothing
 
I have to agree with Blue Lavas cautious approach with GHB... GHB has definitely been associated with deaths, and probably has caused some on its own. We are writing a paper on GHB-associated deaths in Australasia, and have found at least 10. The Dutch have also published a series this year. As an emergency doc myself, I would far prefer to watch you wake up safely in my department than read about you dying in the morning papers. We know alot about the medical side of GHB, so don't be shy about asking- I may not be able to answer straight away, but I'll get to it (in the words of johnboy, I hate fockin stuff)
The sad reality is that as a profession, we err on the side of nerdiness, and alot of us make judgement calls about stuff we don't really know about. But having been a clandestine Blulighter for several years now, it's clear that both sides of the fence are guilty of that...;-)
;)
 
i need about 6 grams of "g" at once to induce sleep. tolerance, i guess. i lay off about 3 consecutive days out of the week so i don't get addicted to the point of withdrawls.
 
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does any know of a verified GHB OD on just G alone (no Et0H, Downers, Benzos, Opiates, E, K)?

maybe daily dosing 24-7 might do this?

back in the day i could buy 5l of GBL for 100USD at the local crooked chemical resellers- so that and 10USD worth of Na0H would make about 10,000 grams of NaGHB. (cheaper than nighttrain or cisco) by far.

GBL or 1-4-BD0 are a different story for me. Just a a little unreacted GBL in my G makes me feel like convulsions or seizures are near.

IIRC, GHB levels in the human body are elevated after death of ANY sort...and GBH is naturally present in the body.

i really tend to doubt the hilarry farias and samantha reid stories. i tend to suspect natural causes, denial from parents, and propaganda values behind these stories. (not to make light of the parents losses however).... think government sanctioned an spread urban legends here to enact the date rape drug law.

does anyone know of verified date rapes with G or K (besides the creepy Andrew Luster crimes and the "rape in a dali landscape"{sic} that was wriiten up by ron siegel md)?...if i were a teenage chick and came home late and rollin'-reeking like a distillery and stale body fluids, i would probably tell mom and dad i was date raped too.
 
There are numerous reports in the medical literature of overdoses from GHB alone, including deaths. Having said that, the majority have another substance on board.
It is unlikely that any other drugs would have been missed as GHB is far and away the hardest of recreational drugs to detect (maybe with exception of nitrous or amyl) and things like benzos and alcohol hang around for ages in comparison. You wouldn't do a tox screen for GHB and not the other drugs, and the medical impact of GHB is probably UNDER-represented because people haven't thought to screen for it in people who smell of alcohol. Finally the levels detected in overdose are usually 1 to 2 ordrs of magnitude greater than those fornd naturally in the body.
 
I agree fully that GHB is the prime example of government sponsored propoganda, for example offering parents of recently deceased children large sums of money to become official spokespersons for the cause. They are then coached with the "Facts" and information, about a cause. You will notice how many of these "parents of ____ victim" list just that as their career, they become paid PR team members for an anti-drug lobbying group, government affiliated or not.

Many people have discovered that spouting Bullshit and claiming being an expert to all who will listen about a given subject is enough to have people actually accept your "expert" status. Take Trinka Porrata, a retired narcotics officer who has made a personal mission of villifying GHB, Ecstacy and other Club Drugs.

My personal stance on GHB is that when used in moderation by an intelligent person who understands the risks and how to use safely, is a far less harmful substance than practically all others.

When used responsibly GHB can provide the euphoria of MDMA in social situations and a frequency more often expected from alcohol (I.E. Every weekend type use), without the associated harmful effects of either substance (hangover/brain damage/body damage).

You will notice as you learn more about drugs that the more "popular" less stigmatized drugs are the "beginner friendly" ones which provide a buffer against mistakes such as overdoses or overusage. Society condones those which intoxication can be easily detected and "being macho" by taking more than your friends is a challenge met at worst by a hangover.

Alcohol will punish its user for doubling the typical recreational dose with a pounding headache the following day, and a list of stupid things its user did the night before, and a collection of bruises and scars from those stupid things. Attempting to drink too excessively at a regular pace (all at once can be fatal) will generally lead to unconsciousness long before death as the user is unable to consume a lethal dose before unconsciousness occurs.

Marijuana will punish its user from taking too much by becoming too stoned to take any more and eventually passing out in a position where the person will wake up with a sore neck.

MDMA punishes its user from exceeding the recreational dose economically, as the user discovers that the euphoria does not scale anywhere near linearly to the amount of money/braincells/energy spent on the high.

The result is that these three drugs are most often popular amongst the uneducated drug users because they can compete in "dicksizing" contests where one tries to outconsume another.

The drugs which most uneducated users consider "hardcore" are those which can have much more extreme consequences to excessive usage. In the examples of cocaine, speed, GHB, ketamine and heroin, regular (everyday) usage causes horrible dependancies on the drugs. In the examples of most psychedelics excessive usage will cause distortions of thought. Using excessive dosages of any of the aforementioned drugs can also result in extreme results which are very unlikely to increase their popularity among those who know nothing of the circumstances other than "Jonny died of a GHB overdose".

The reality of the situation is this thread is full of confusion due to an overloading of the meaning of "overdose". This term is used in 2 separate meanings here, one where overdose means "a dose was used which is beyond the regular recreational usage range", and a second where overdose means "a dosage where death is likely given no emergency pallative care".

In the case of GHB, the results of an overdose in definition 1 are either obnoxious behavior or an unrousable sleep with breathing being shallow but of regular frequency, possible shivers but nothing which could cause the tounge to obstruct the airway, lasting around 4 hours. The results of an overdose of definition 2 will include profuse vomiting, large bodily movements, or complete absence of breath and movement.

The dosage range for an overdose of the first type is typically from 2.5g to 10g, while the second type of overdose is most likely to occur in the case of an extremely large dose, or GHB in combination with another CNS depressant, or an unknown dose.

The reason I give this information (which erowid also mentions BTW), is because if you know your friend has had 4g of GHB and is a regular user and he says "oh boy, Im going to G-out" and generally does not seem paniced about it and manages to make it to a place where it is somewhat socially acceptable for a person to sleep, like say a couch, then he is in no danger. Often recreational users of G find it their preferrable way to end a night of partying with a larger than usual dose to take a nap.

On the other hand, if you are at a party and somebody you meet has gone from coherant to so fucked up their head hits the floor ... hard... in 5 minutes, and you saw him take a big gulp of G of unknown purity within the last 10 minutes... this is an overdose in the 2nd sense. This person needs immediate medical attention.

A general note about CNS depressants affecting breathing and stopping the heart... well usually the heart stops as a result of the breathing stopping, due to not enough oxygen in the blood. The heart actually stops to conserve O2 for the brain. The point of me saying this is that although the EMTs don't have a "narcan for G", CPR can actually prevent the heart from stopping and maintain an adequate supply of O2 to the brain for quite a while, and a breathing machine and a 100% O2 mask can keep a person alive almost always if provided in time.

I've read many cases of EMTs not knowing what the hell to do in the case of a GHB overdose or dismissing the advice of the "druggy friends", and so they will usually end up administering the maximum dose of Narcan (very unpleasant even if not an opioid OD), and generally dicking around wasting time because they don't know what to do. I don't know what advice to give here as doctors are usually arrogant pricks who don't listen to medical advice from anybody but the pharm companies which wine them and dine them.

My only advice is that if you or anybody you know is the victim of a GHB overdose of definition #1 and wakes up in a hospital, demand repeatedly to be let go as soon as you are able to make it home safely. The doctors will do everything in their power to keep you there, but as one of my friends once learned, there is very little to be gained from days 2 and 3 in the hospital when there from a drug overdose which has been resolved other than a $10000+ bill.

I'd just like to add, if anybody can still find GHB within the US, you fuckers are sooo lucky, I haven't seen it here since April 2001, when GBL went List 1 (cry)...
 
Intriguing interpretation of clinical medicine, particularly the assumption that CPR is some form of benign first aid. If you are getting CPR under the age of 75, you are in deep shit.
I particularly like the idea about discharge against medical advice. It's true, as doctors we have nothing better to do with our time than to persuade ungrateful patients to stay against their wishes. 8( You toddle off home, because as consequence of your medical education ( oh sorry, that's right, you don't have one) you know when it's best for you to leave hospital... Of course you do... I mean, you're the one who thinks GHB and it's precursors are safe...
The technique of labelling the medical profession in the same category as Trinka Porrata is a debating 101 tactic known as 'Building a Straw man'. We don't agree with Porrata any more than you do; no facts are presented. The published medical evidence however is not part of some conspiracy; merely the observation that young people continue to die under the influence of GHB and its precursors, contrary to whatever is assumed to be the case by the G using community... who knows, your taste might even be the subject of another medical case report. Despite my pleasure in publication, even I hope not...:\
 
First, monitor the persons pulse rate and breathing. Most of the time, if they didnt mix ghb with other drugs or didnt take alot, there just in a deep stage of sleep, and they have to sleep it off.
 
i watched my friend suffer a gbl overdose and he was in a coma for one and a half days, by rights he shouldnt of woken up, we didnt know what to do at the time as ive heard so many tales of how un-dangerous these overdoses can be... so this advice is really good

cheers guys
 
fozzy said:
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.

holy fucking crap, i would shit my pants if that happened to me, that is so unfair, remind me to never move to illinois
 
From huge experience:
if a decent dose is 2,5ml GBL, then I've taken doses up to 10-15ml (mistakenly) and was fine.

Other than that:
make sure the person doesn't get hypothermia (blankets etc)
vomiting may occur, make sure the person doesn't choke on tongue/vomit
monitor heartbeat and breathing, if either is fainting call for ambulance immediately.

IMO GHB overdose is safer than alcohol overdose altough it may look quite scary (due to erratic breathing patterns, this is normal). The biggest problem is vomiting while unconscious, other than that the person will wake up after several hours with a major headache.
 
Just my own experiences from almost 3 years of doing GHB, GBL, and 1,4 BD (not together), and many friends... (we usually do it with E, but sometimes by itself for sleep.)

Have ONLY seen "g-coma" when someone took TOO MUCH (i.e., their first time, and they didn't have any idea of the potency, etc.) or when they mixed it with alcohol. And even then, they came out of it in 2-3 hrs almost completely sober. Had two friends put in the hospital when they passed out on G (their friends had no G experience and were scared shitless of any of the stuff, I was not there) and both woke up in the ER completely pissed off, with huge hospital bills, and police asking questions. They were fine, they were actually just sleeping. Were not puking, convulsing, anything.

I'm not saying G is not dangerous... just that it can and is used by many people safely. People just need to be VERY responsible with it. Know your source, measure doses correctly, and I personally always write down or remember when we all took it, so no one double-doses. Have not really had problems when we follow those rules.

It can be a great experience for some people, I would not take back my MDMA+G times for anything, really. Had some very fun times.
 
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