GHB(GAMMA-HYDROXYBUTYRIC ACID)

Carly Gartrell

WHAT IS GHB?

• GHB is a naturally occurring acid found in the central nervous system

• GHB is used to depress the central nervous system when taken in small doses

• It is a sodium salt known as sodium oxybate (Xyrem)

GHB IS ALSO KNOWN AS

• Liquid Ecstasy

• Georgia Home Boy

• G

• Grievous Bodily Harm

• Juice

• Mils

• Fantasy

WHAT DOES GHB LOOK LIKE?

• GHB is originally made in a powder form, it can be a tablet, capsule, powder or made into a liquid

EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

• GHB is a metabolite of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It exists naturally in the brain, but at much lower concentrations than those found when GHB is abused.

• GHB acts on at least two sites in the brain: the GABAB receptor and a specific

GHB binding site.

WAYS TO INGEST GHB

• Most often GHB is ingested orally in either liquid or powder form

• GHB can be ingested in tasteless forms most often added to liquid such as alcohol

• GHB can also be ground up and snorted

CAN GHB BE DETECTED IN A DRINK?

• Currently there is a way to test your drink to see if it is positive for GHB. There are paper strips that you can dip into a liquid and they will change color if the drink is positive for GHB. However this method currently takes 10 minutes to produce results

• In Singapore a group of scientists at the Department of Chemistry at National University of Singapore are testing new ways to test liquids for GHB. They have found a way to get a result immediately. Currently they only have a way to test liquid when poured into a test tube and mixed with a fluorescent compound which will turn to another color if positive for GHB.

• These scientists are currently working on a way to get this product into a dropper formula to be used for testing by putting drops into your drink and having it change colors if positive. They are still working on a way to change the color of darker colored liquids like cola.

RECREATIONAL USES FOR GHB

• GHB is known as a club drug

• In the club scene it is often used as a “date rape” drug

• Users use this drug to have the intoxicated feeling that you get from alcohol or ecstasy

• Body builders often use this to aid in muscle growth

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MEDICAL USES OF GHB

• GHB has been used to treat anxiety

• Narcolepsy

• Cataplexy

• Excessive daytime sleepiness

• GHB has been known to help with “slow wave sleep”

WHO USES GHB

• GHB is most common in college age adults

• You can find this drug easily in the club scene

• A study has shown that more single people use GHB than married people. In this study it was found that most of the single people interviewed were also homosexual.

• Rapists find this drug easy to drug their victims without having them remember what happened the next day

SHORT TERM EFFECTS OF GHB

• Euphoric feelings

• Increased Libido

• Drowsiness

• Dizziness and headache

• Tremors

• Decreased body temperature and blood pressure

• Nausea

• Diarrhea

• Memory lapses

LONG TERM EFFECTS OF GHB

• Depression

• Mood swings

• Dependence

• Impaired memory and judgment

• Slurred speech

• Vision problems

• Death

SIGNS OF OVERDOSE

• Unconsciousness

• Hallucinations

• Coma

• Death

WITHDRAWAL EFFECTS

• Seizures

• Anxiety

• Trouble sleeping

• Restlessness

• Withdrawal from GHB can even result in death

TREATMENT OPTIONS

• Very little is known about ways to treat GHB addiction. Because the drug leaves the body so quickly it has been difficult for scientists and doctors to come up with a way to treat GHB addiction although it is known to be highly addictive scientists are not sure why.

LEGAL STATUS AND PENALTIES FOR POSSESSION

• Legal Status

• In the United States, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and most of Europe GHB is considered to be illegal

• GHB is a schedule 1 drug and it is a felony to posses

• GHB is in the same class as heroin and marijuana

• Penalties for possession

• President Clinton signed the bill to make GHB a schedule 1 drug in 2000 with the exception of the FDA approving medical use in 2002. Before the bill was signed it was only regulated on a state level.

• Possessing GHB is a felony and can carry up to a 20 year prison sentence

INTERESTING FACTS

• GHB is odorless

• It has a salt like taste but is tasteless when added to liquid

• Mixing it with alcohol can be a deadly combination

• People can be slipped GHB without ever knowing and just feel drunk

• GHB can cause blackouts and have an amnesia effect

• Only small doses are required to feel the effects

• GHB is metabolized very quickly. It has a shelf life of only around 12 hours

• Emergency rooms do not have a way to test a person for GHB currently unless it was ingested fairly recently when the person arrives and then they are able to test the urine and blood.

• GHB disappears from the blood very quickly therefore a urine test is more likely to show GHB in the system

WAYS TO GET HELP IN UTAH

• Salt Lake

• Salt Lake County Behavioral Health Services

• 2001 South State StreetSuite S2300Salt Lake City,UT UTPhone:(801) 468-2009

WORKS CITED

• Tae-Young, Chang National University of Singapore

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid

• http://www.drugfree.org/drug-guide/ghb

• http://drug-effects.us/ghb-effects-short-long-term /

• http://www.drugabuse.ca/ghb

• http://www.projectghb.org/content/what-are-current-ghb-laws

• SAG-AFTRA

• Maxwell, Jane C. PH.D

• U.T. Center for Social Work Research