The effects from a given dose of GHB will vary depending on many factors such as your weight, gender, metabolism, and tolerance from previous use. GHB’s effects vary widely, with smaller doses being more stimulating and higher doses being more sedative. It’s best to start low and go slow. Read our section on dosing for more information.

Here you can find the most common effects of GHB; this list is not definitive, nor exhaustive. You may not experience all these effects, nor the same every time, and your friends around you may have a vastly different experience. Remember, the likelihood of experiencing negative effects is much greater at high doses.

The effects are (from positive to negative):

References: NHS; Drugs.ie; drugs.com; adf.org.au; Busardo & Jones

How? How Much GHB? When? For how Long?

The way you consume GHB can vastly impact the experience. The same applies to the dose taken, and even then the effects of GHB will vary depending on many factors such as your weight, gender, metabolism, and tolerance from previous use. Read our section on dosing for more information.

ALWAYS carefully measure GHB using a pipette, syringe or scales, and keep a note of the time you took the dose to help you with appropriate and safe redosing. GHB is a powerful drug that can go wrong very easily. It’s essential to your safety that you know exactly how much you are taking.

There is no standard dosage, and it can be difficult to identify your ideal dose the first time you take GHB. It’s most commonly sold as a concentrated liquid but can be sold in other forms. It’s best to dilute GHB in water to make dosing easier and it will be very unpleasant to take if you don’t. There are can mere millimetres between a safe dose and a fatal dose. The best course of action is to start low and go slow.

Forms of GHB

Liquid

Most common form. A concentrated liquid, odourless and colourless, must be further diluted.

Capsules

More common

Tablets

Less common

Powder

Rarely seen, a white powder

How you take GHB matters...

Orally - drinking, swallowing pills

Works for liquid and powdered GHB. You should always dilute in water to help with dosage and reduce the likelihood of tissue damage.

Rectally - suppositories, shelving/boofing, booty bump

Works for liquid and powdered GHB. You should always dilute in water to help with dosage and reduce the likelihood of tissue damage.

Intravenously - injection

We strongly recommend avoiding injection, it can be very dangerous, but if you do still decide to inject, dilute the GHB, use clean equipment, and do not share needles.

How much GHB?

Dosing is crucial with GHB. Just a small amount too much can cause an overdose, especially if it might be GBL instead of GHB. Starting with a small, cautious dose is safest with this substance. Everybody's threshold is different, and bodyweight is a significant factor in the dose to effect ratio (if you weigh less, then your ideal dose is likely to be smaller).

GHB is most commonly sold as a concentrated liquid but can be sold in other forms. It’s best to dilute GHB in water to make dosing easier and it will be very unpleasant to take if you don’t. There’s no standard dosage, and it can be difficult to identify your ideal dose the first time you take it, so start low and go slow.

Low: 0.5-1g | 0.25ml

Medium (common): 1-2.5g | 0.5-1.5ml

High: 2-4g | >1.5ml

When do the effects of GHB kick in and for how long?

Onset: 5 - 20 minutes

Duration: 3 - 4 hours

After-effects/come-down: 1-3 hours after your last dose

Re-dosing

Experienced: wait at least 90 minutes

Occasional: wait 2-2.5 hours

Beginner: wait 3 hours

References NHS; Drugs.ie;drugs.com; adf.org.au; Trade Sexual Health; Drugrehab.com; Psychonaut Wiki; DanceSafe; Toronto Vibe; Hilary Agro; Erowid; Broke-ass Stuart; GDS; WHO; FridayMonday

Overdosing

Taking too much GHB can be fatal, especially when you mix GHB with alcohol, other depressants like benzos or K, antihistamines, HIV medications and a few more.

Here’s what to look out for, both internal and external, so that you can tell if someone is overdosing. If anyone you’re with begins to display these signs, put them in the recovery position and call the emergency services immediately.

Internal signs:

• Blackouts and memory loss
• Dizziness

External signs:

• Vomiting
• Drowsiness
• Irregular or shallow breathing (less than 8 breaths per minute)
• Seizures
• Persistent unconsciousness, lasting for more than 2 hours

References: NHS;drugs.com; adf.org.au; The Guardian; Trade Sexual Health; drugrehab.com

If there’s one thing that can really be dangerous, it’s mixing drugs. We’ve compiled here the safety profiles of various mixes with GHB (legal and illegal) but don’t swear by them. As with all matters drug-related, everyone is different and you can very easily experience an unexpected adverse reaction. If you’re taking medication, you need to be extremely wary when taking illegal drugs. Their interactions with prescribed medication are often poorly researched and you will definitely not be warned by your doctor about it.

Drugs are dangerous. Really, we should just avoid them, that much is true. But if you are going to take GHB then there are certain precautions that can reduce that risk. We’ve separated these into tips for preparing yourself beforehand, taking care of yourself and others during, and ways to mitigate the after-effects once the GHB has worn out.

References: Busardo & Jones 2015; Trade Sexual Health; Hilary Agro; FridayMonday

GHB addiction

As use of GHB became more prevalent, a picture emerged showing that GHB can be highly addictive. Studies have shown that frequent, heavy use over a few weeks can lead to a physical dependence. It’s unclear why some people will develop an addiction and others won’t, but there is a risk of addiction for anyone who takes GHB regularly.

Many people with a GHB addiction are unable to see that their habit has gone from controlled to excessive. The typical symptoms of GHB addiction listed below, if you notice these symptoms in yourself or a friend, help is needed.

• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms
• Thinking about taking GHB regularly
• Taking GHB regularly, once every few days or daily
• Ignoring the negative side effects of GHB
• Making GHB use a priority
• Neglecting your family and friends, to take GHB
• You need more GHB to feel its effects

There’s no official or recommended method for treating a GHB addiction. However, if you’re planning on coming off GHB and you’ve been taking it for a while, it’s best to slowly reduce your GHB intake. Take a smaller dose less frequently each week until you’ve reduced your dose to zero. This is currently the safest way to quit GHB; NEVER quit cold-turkey because the withdrawal symptoms can be fatal.

Talk to your doctor about coming off GHB, they can often provide a good insight and point you towards the best support centres in your area. It’s also important to be honest with your family and friends about your addiction, if they don’t know how can they help you stay off GHB and support you in your recovery?

References: Brunt et al., 2014; Project GHB; drugrehab.com

GHB Withdrawal

Taking GHB consistently then suddenly stopping can induce withdrawal. For some people, this can come on after just 7 days of persistent use. If you use GHB heavily for long periods of time, you MUST NOT quit cold-turkey. Your withdrawal symptoms will be more intense and can be life-threatening, see our section about GHB addiction if you’re planning to quit GHB.

Symptoms of withdrawal can come on a few hours to several days after the last dose of GHB and they usually last for 12 days but sometimes longer. Some people can continue to experience some withdrawal symptoms, like anxiety, depression and insomnia, for months or even years after their last dose of GHB.

Symptoms:

Mild

• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Insomnia
• Elevated hr
• Sweating

Moderate

• Elevated bp
• Nausea and vomiting
• Tremors
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhoea

Severe

• Confusion and paranoia
• Delirium
• Hallucinations
• Seizures

Less common

• Lack of appetite
• Nightmares
• Trouble concentrating
• Memory problems
• Increased sensitivity to touch and sound
• Elevated body temp
• Dehydration

References: Busardo & Jones 2015; Brunt et al., 2014; Kamal et al., 2016; drugrehab.com; Perez et al., 2006; Wojtowicz et al., 2008

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Can lead to life-threatening side-effects for the child.

Heart conditions

GHB can alter your heart rate in a way that can be life-threatening.

Epilepsy

GHB can trigger seizures, especially in those that already suffer from epilepsy but also potentially in anyone who has ever had an epileptic fit.

Irregular blood pressure

GHB can alter your blood pressure in a way that can be life-threatening.

Surgery

If you are having surgery in less than 2 weeks be careful. GHB can increase the effects of sedation and nerve-numbing medications, increasing the chance of complications during surgery.

Depression

AVOID if you suffer from major depression or have a history of depression.

Respiratory disorders

GHB is a respiratory depressant and can slow your breathing rate to dangerously low levels.

References: Trade Sexual Health; Akins et al.; Drug Bank; EBM Consult; Rx List; BNF

Sometimes the drugs we think we are buying turn out to be something very different. Knowing the common substitutes that dealers swap them for or adulterants they add in is an easy way to protect yourself and your friends.

GBL (γ-butyrolactone) and BD (1,4-butanediol) are often sold as GHB because they aren’t as easy to regulate, being legitimately sold as cleaning solvents. Both are much stronger than GHB. This makes it very dangerous to take the same dose of these as you would GHB. If you can't test your GHB to see if it could be GBL or BD, take a half or third dose and wait at least an hour before taking any more.

GHB is sometimes thought to be similar to MDMA due to its name, “liquid ecstasy”. It is, however, a completely different chemical, with its own complex set of effects, dose ranges and interactions with other drugs.

Reference: Drugs.ie

Europe

United Kingdom

GHB is a class C drug, making it illegal to possess purchase or sell.

Germany

GHB is prescription-only (listed in Anlage III of the BtMG).

France

Netherlands

GHB is banned and is on list 1 of the Opium Act. Producing, trading or possession is prohibited.

Portugal

Decriminalized drug possession in quantities for personal use

Russia

Americas

USA

GHB is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Illegal to possess purchase or sell.

Canada

GHB is listed as a schedule 1 drug. Illegal to possess purchase or sell.

Asia and Australasia

Australia

Illegal

New Zealand

Illegal.

Singapore

Illegal

Hong Kong

Illegal

Israel

Illegal

FAQs

How often can I take it?

Avoid frequent use. Regular use of GHB can lead to addiction and withdrawal. Avoid taking GHB for more than 2 days in a row.

How long with it stay in my system?

The amount of time that GHB will be detectable in your system depends on a huge variety of factors, such as age, gender, BMI, frequency and volume of use etc, making it hard to determine this precisely. Urine and hair are the most common type of workplace testing.

Don’t trust “drug detox” kits, they are completely unregulated and will often encourage drinking large quantities of water, which can damage your kidneys. GHB is absorbed and broken down by your body very quickly. This means that, aside from in your hair, it isn’t detectable in your body for very long. The table below gives you some estimates, but it’s always best to be cautious.

Hair → Up to 1 month

Urine → 3 days

Saliva → 6 hours

Blood → 8 hours

References: Clin Lab Navigator; Oxford Treatment; American Addiction Centers; drugrehab.com

Useful links

The Conversation - GHB, a party drug that’s easy to overdose on but was once used in childbirth

Hilary Agro - Alright, let’s talk about GHB: A user’s guide.

Let’s Talk About It - “G”

Project GHB