GHB: Deadly dangers of popular party drug
Related Articles
Lethal party drug GHB is also known as liquid Ecstasy and liquid X -- and is illegal to possess in Ireland and the US.
However, it is still legal in the UK and quite easy to make.
It is normally sold in bottles as a colourless liquid. But overdoses are common and can lead to convulsions and coma.
It was first developed as gamma hydroxybutrate (GHB) in France in the 1960s as an anaesthetic and later a growth hormone.
Used by bodybuilders to stimulate muscle growth, the drug crept on to the party scene in the 1990s.
Liquid Ecstasy first came to public attention nine years ago when it was being marketed as a new date rape drug.
It is most widely swallowed as a liquid but also comes in powder and capsule form.
A few drops of gamma hydroxybutate (GHB) slipped into a drink can cause unconsciousness within 20 minutes and victims will often have no memory of what has happened.
Low doses produce similar effects to alcohol while higher doses have been likened to Ecstasy.
Enthusiasts say it removes inhibitions much like Ecstasy but the biggest difference is that it slows you down until you eventually fall asleep.
It is chemically very different from Ecstasy, despite its nickname.
It produces a euphoric high, but dangerous side-effects include death, coma, seizure, respiratory distress, nausea, vomiting and an amnesiac side effect.
Those who experiment with the drug are generally hospitalised with its unstable side-effects and overdoses are common with users.
In the US, more than 60 people died from taking the drug between 1990 to 2000, prompting then president Bill Clinton to ban the substance and placed in the same category as cocaine and heroin.
cmcbride@herald.ie
- Caitlin McBride
