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Disinhibition, increased tactile sensitivity, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness. These are just some of the effects of GHB, a substance so dangerous that it has even earned the nickname “date rape drug.” But what exactly are the effects this substance has on the consumer?
What is GHB?
THE’gamma-hydroxybutyric acid or GHB is an organic acid that is naturally found in the liver, kidneys, heart, and central nervous system. In fact, in very small quantities it is also produced by our body. However, if taken in large quantities, therefore adding more GHB to what we already produce, the effect changes, leading to disastrous results!
GHB was first isolated in 1847 by the Russian chemist Alexander Mikhailovich Zaytsev but it was only in the 1960s that it began to be studied as a drug and subsequently marketed.
In particular, it was used to combat anxiety disorders and as a sleeping pill and anaesthetic.
Then, in the 1980s, it spread throughout the bodybuilding world for its supposed ability to increase growth hormone levels.
Today, however, the consumption of GHB is permitted only upon medical prescription to treat disorders such as narcolepsy And cataplexy.
Furthermore, because its effects, which at low doses are similar to those of a hangover, it is administered to treat alcohol addiction.
What are the effects of GHB, how to take it and how it works
GHB comes in powder, tablet, or most commonly as a clear, odorless liquid.
Consequently, it can be taken through nasal aspiration, injection or, in most cases, ingestion.
After ingestion, most of the substance is absorbed at the intestinal level, ending up in the blood and starting to circulate throughout the body, while only a minimal part is metabolized and eliminated through urine, approximately 1-5%. Through the blood, GHB quickly reaches the brain and overcomes the blood brain barrier: that barrier whose task is to filter toxic substances. GHB is therefore able to overcome this filter and cause psychotropic effects in the consumer, but how?
In reality, the way it works and the effects it has on the consumer vary greatly based on the dose taken. In fact, at low doses, under a gram and a half, the effects are similar to those of moderate alcohol consumption. So mostly the effects will be relaxation, drowsiness and increased sociability. At moderate doses, however, (so between a gram and a half and two and a half grams, motor coordination begins to be compromised, so one begins to stagger, one slurs and has an increase in libido and nausea.
However, when you start to exceed 3 grams, the doses become high, and consequently the effects are much more dangerous.
In fact, if GHB at low doses simply connects to the GHB receptors present in our brain, at high doses it becomes a GABA neurotransmitter agonist. What does this mean? It means that it increases the action of this neurotransmitter which already has the task of decreasing the stimulation of electrical impulses between neurons. Result? The consumer will experience extreme relaxation, calm and dizziness. Furthermore, GHB inhibits the release of dopamineand instead causes the release of natural sedatives such as neurosteroids.
Why is GHB considered a date rape drug?
Being able to stun those who take it, GHB has been included among the DFSAF. This acronym stands for Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault and refers to those drugs known in jargon as “date rape”.
But what are the characteristics that make a drug, GHB in this case, a DFSA? Why is it a so-called “date rape” drug?
Well, first of all because it comes in the form of a powder or liquid that is mostly odorless and tasteless, so it can be easily administered without the victim’s knowledge (to be honest, it has a slightly salty taste, especially in its powdered form, but it camouflages itself very well in foods or drinks).
Maybe they offer us a drink, we don’t notice anything special in taste or smell, and so together with the drink we also take in GHB without knowing it.
GHB is also an inhibitor of willpower, that is, it alters the consumer’s consciousness to the point of making him no longer understand anything of what is happening around him and even making him forget, the next day, what happened.
So another property that makes it a DFSA is its ability to cause retrograde amnesia in those who consume it.
What are the risks of GHB?
It goes without saying that the more substance you take, the more dizzy you will feel, even losing consciousness, entering a coma or even, above about 7 grams, having bradycardia, convulsions, respiratory depression and, in extreme cases, to die.
Furthermore, if the substance is mixed with alcohol, all of these risk factors we have listed increase because ethanol has the ability to enhance the toxicity of GHB.
Unfortunately, this is not such a rare occurrence. Since GHB is a substance widely used in party and nightlife contexts, it often happens that it is diluted in alcoholic beverages.
How to avoid the risk of choking
Another risk factor is due to vomiting which in a semi-unconscious situation can become lethal since if for example we lie on our back we risk the vomit obstructing our airways.
For this reason it is very important to know the lateral safety position.
To put it into practice, you have to make the unfortunate person lie on their side and cross their arms and legs, so as to make the position stable. The mouth must then be turned towards the ground, so as to let out any liquids and the neck must be stretched with the chin slightly turned upwards, so as to keep the epiglottis open. In this position the worst is avoided because the vomit can come out easily making breathing possible. This technique can be very useful not only after taking GHB but also after having ingested alcohol or other psychotropic substances with similar effects.
Does it make sense to talk about “date rape” drugs?
But does it make sense to talk about DFSA? It is certainly true that there are substances (such as GHB) that have characteristics that lend themselves to such eventualities. In practice, however, according to various studies, the psychotropic substances most used during violence are others.
Consider that alcohol is the substance most present in sexual violence while GHB, in percentage terms, has been detected in very few cases.
It should also be said, however, that this probably also happens because detecting traces of GHB in the blood or urine becomes practically impossible even 12 hours after taking it. Therefore, it is not easy to determine how many people may have taken it without knowing it.
