GHB are the abbrivations of Gamma Hydroxy Butryaat, also called ”Liquid XTC” or just “X”. But GHB has nothing to do with XTC. Initially the drug was developed as an anestheticum in 1960. The use as a narcosis means has strongly been decreased in the meanwhile, because there are many better resources at the present time. Also the substance was used as a means against insomnia or other sleepimpairments, as appliances at labour and to treat alcoholic abstention phenomena. In animal experimentings GHB had shown to be involveded in the production of Growth Hormone, and that their levels increased during administration, and this draw attention of bodybuilders. Allready soon it became the nickname “growth hormone booster”. Until now no scientific proof has been delivered that GHB raises growth hormone levels in human beings, nor that it prevents the muscle tissue breakdown. During the eighties and nineties GHB became popular at bodybuilders. GHB was a widely available over the counter supplement  until it was banned by the US FDA in 1990. The substance has many beneficial effects, but it was typical used by bodybuilders and athletes because it can significantly raise growth hormone levels. Unfortunately, the increase in GH levels is also accompanied by an increase in levels of prolactin. The increase in prolactin counteracts many of the positive effects of an elevated GH level. This probably explains why many athletes experience, very little as far as muscle growth with the use of GHB. Several athletes using GHB, report an increase in lean body mass and strength increase. Many users don’t experience any muscle or strength increase, but do feel GHB helps to accelerate fat loss.

Sleeping aid

Besides the increase in growth hormone, there are many positive effects of GHB that may prove beneficial to athletes. First, GHB is an excellent sleaping aid. A small dosage will induce a state of relaxation,  euphoria, and drowsiness. An even higher dosage will intensify the effects and help the user fall asleep quickly. GHB aids in REM and slow-wave sleep and unlike other popular sleep aids, GHB will not interrupt any stages of the naturel sleep pattern. This is crucial in achieving a complete session of sleep necessary for recuperation and muscle recovery. One problem with GHB induced sleep is that some people tend to wake up three to four hours later when the GHB has worn off. This effect is problaby due to the fact that GHB will temporarily inhibit the release of dopamine in the brain and at the same time increase dopamine storage. When the GHB wears off, there will be a sudden increase in dopamine release and this is what may cause some people to wake up in the middle of the night. This is more likely to happen when a high dosage of GHB is used. Therefore, the dosage of GHB used to induce sleep should be lowered. Another way to combat this effect is simpley by taking a second dosage upon wakening to allow for another three to four hours of sleep. It’s interesting to note that this increase of dopamine release is also the reason why so many people report feelings of improved well-being and alertness the next day after a night of GHB induced sleep.

Steroid substitute

Allready athletes experimenting with this new substance found out that the use of GHB was reducing the endogeneous production of testosterone. Where at first athletes believed it would be a safe alternative to anabolic/androgenic steroid use, it turned out that it worked best as a muscle growth enhancer if it was combined with steroids to compensate the loss of endogenous testosterone. Winstrol proved to work very synergistic with GHB. A causious user that used a small dose of Winstrol (stanozolol), in the range of 25-50 mg per day, saw the results in lean body mass, of their cycle dubbeled. Imperical data showed that GHB worked in general extremely well with a combination of DHT related steroids ( Winstrol, Proviron, Primobolan etc). Though many users combine it with Testosterone as wel, and off course fit it in their cycle as a sleeping aid as we mentioned before.

Aphrodiasic

GHB induces a state of euphoria, relaxation, and sensuality along with a lowering of anxiety and inhibition. It also exhibits prosexual effects by improving tactility (sense of touch), enhancing erectile capacity in men, and increasing intensity of orgasm in both male and female, though other users report that they are unable to reach an orgasm, it seems that this phenomena is strongly dependant from the used dose and individual affinity, just like with the use of alcohol. For this reasons GHB has become a very popular afrodisiacum. Some people use it on private parties, a girl reported: “ If I use it with my boyfriend, we become extremely horny, we have sex for hours, and I do things I would normally never do. It gets completely out of hand if we combine it with some XTC. We only use it together with very close friends, because after use we become very lively, vigorously, horny and are open for all options. All inhibitations disapear. All forms of sexual behaviour become, all of a sudden, open for discussion”. As  matter of fact GHB exhibits especially women, perhaps because most women are more inhibited then men. If you want to use it as a mens to promote the feelings of lust and desire only a low amount is enough, adult users have enough with a quarter or a half of a gramme. Be cautious if you combine it with xtc you’ll need less, because these substances have the same effect.  After you administrated the drug the production of dopamine explodes. That has a few impacts: more lust for love and an increase in the production of growth hormone. GHB also widen the veins, wich on it self has a pro-sexual impact. Finally it raises the production of the hormone acetylcholine, a substance that is important for the maintanance of an erection. Users emphasise that GHB as a sex stimulant works the best if you do not use it too frequently. A couple of times per week, especially not several times per day. It has become even more popular among athletes because unlike other recreational drugs GHB wil not hinder athletic performance. GHB is used by many athletes as a substitute for alcohol because it does not cause a hangover the following day. GHB is also very effective in treating the withdrawal symptoms of alcoholism. GHB is strongly addictive, if you use it on a regular basis, it soon developes the need to take more often per day take a small amount or a little sip.

Recreational drug (date-rape drug)

Some punks found out that the drug, when administered in a drink, makes a girl very willing. Girls have been sexual abused on dancefloors by several persons, volontary indeed, but at that moment without any notion what was realy happening to them. The police force has a number of rape assaults, or perhaps more worse, in research, where GHB most likely played a role. The drug disappears, in contrast to speed or cocaine, within five hours from your blood. GHB also often causes a type of memory loss called anterograde amnesia, wich means you don’t remember anything that happened during the time the drug was effecting you. These effects are even stronger when GHB is mixed with alcohol. A rather new phenomena is the robbing of men. I’ve heard of a case of a man that drunk a beer in a bar, and found himself back on a parkinglot, his car, expensive watch and jewelery where gone, somebody had obviously put something in his glass. After reading this and the previous chapter about GHB as an Aphrodiasic,  it is not hard to immagine how easy people can administer GHB in a girls drink and become a resistantless victum, that can easily been abused and will not remeber afterwards wich person has abused her, due to the previous discussed amnesia. And because the substance diappears so fast out of the blood it is also very diffucault to prove it has been administerd. In Holland have been a few lawsuits, and it was not posible to prove that the girls hadn’t had sex on a volontarely basis, with the accused group of people. In another case a person had given a girl GHB in a vodka-juice mix, because of the alcohol in the vodka, his plan failed. Other notorious date-rape drugs are Ketamine (slow K or special K) and Rohypnol, these substances are administrated to planned victums in the same manner as GHB. Thus mostly in a drink in a bar, or at “raves” (all night long dance parties).

Black market

Now that GHB has been banned by the FDA, an athlete only has a few options if he wants to obtain GHB. First, he can buy it on the black market. This has several disadvantages. To begin with, much of the stuff on the black market is made by underground chemists, using cheap materials that may contain harmfull imprurities. Also, it is difficult to determine the concentration since most GHB sold on the black market is dissolved in water. The concentration wil often vary and this wil make it hard to accurately determine a dossage. A second option would be to mailorder the GHB from a foreign pharmacy. The manufacture is illegal in the United States, but many choose to do it anyway. There are several different approaches for synthesizing GHB available. Some are good and some are bad. The syntheses of GHB is certainly not difficult, but is definitely not as easy as mixing some NaOH with gamma butyrolactone in a pot and allowing it to cook in the oven for a couple of hours. This type of procedure will produce some GHB, but the yield wil be very poor. Chances are there wil also be a lot off unreacted chemicals. Also, depending on the pH, it could be dangerous to ingest. Many of the GHB procedures with good yields may be difficult to performance for the average person that has very little knowledge of chemistry. Recently lawmakers have started to criminalize Butyrolactone a dehydrated precursor of GHB wich spontanously convert to GHB in the presence of water.  GHB is easily produced by combining gamma butyrolactone (GBL) with either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in a cooking pot. The chemicals give heat as they react, and the final product does not have to be isolated or seperated from the solution. Several companies on the internet advertise kits for sale, with premeasured chemicals. And some litmus (ph) paper and some human-safe acids such as vinegar and lemon juice and some blue food colouring, to make certain you don’t mistake the GHB solution for water en take an overdose.

Basic synthesis procedure

The actual process of making GHB is considered one of the simplest home chemistry possible, wich is one of the main reasons for GHB’s popularity and wide spread use. The process consist of putting lactone ( short for gamma butyrlactone) in a heat-resistant container (the reaction is exothermic and creates energy/heat when mixed) and then mixing some NaOH  (sodium hydroxide) slowly into the solution. This is usually done over a hot water bath to make it easier for the sodium hydroxide (lye)  to go into solution. The solution of NaOH and lactone are heated for 10-30 minutes over simmering water in order to force any residual lactone and NaOH to react. The pH of safe liquids are generally between pH 6 and 8 (water is pH 7). Home chemist use pH papers to test acidity/alkalinity of their products and then use more NaOH or a little lemon juice or vinegar (acetic acid) to adjust the pH between 7 and 8. Some chemist say that it is best to keep the acidity of their liquid GHB nearer 8 in order to keep the lactone from coming back out of solution.

Because of a swift in laws other GHB-relatives have become popular such as 1,4 butanediol.

Dosing and use

It is hard to find the proper dose with GHB, because it’s sold in caps, flasks, tubes or small pockets of powder, a teaspoon, cap or tube is often concidered a normal dose, but strength can vary from batch to batch. Carefull, sensetive users start with half a teaspoon and wait at least an hour before deciding wheter to take more. Of course the dose depends on your bodyweight, how much food is in the stomach and other random factors. Also the simultaneous use of other drugs like amphetamines, cannabis or cocaine reinforce the functioning. The simultaneous use of alcohol can cost you your life. If you use GHB after or together with alcohol you can come very sick. Mostly you fall in a deep sleep and start vomiting, chances are that you choke in your own vomit or tongue. Poisening phenomena after overdosing are generaly of short duration, but have possible serious impact. Especially when the victum can not be treated swift in a hospital. Most of the victums regain conseience within 3 to 4 hours and recover nearly complete within 6 to 7 hours. ¾ grammes make you lively, 2 grammes more and it works as a coma, one gramme more, and your coma is definite. People that use it as an aphrodiasic take ½ a gramme up to 1 ½  gramme on an empty stomach, the GHB kicks in after about fifteen minutes and lasts up to five hours and gives a pleasantly euphoric feeling, with an impact that lies between alcohol and xtc. The primary effects last about 2-4 hours, but the resudual effects can last up a whole day. If someone falls asleep and you cannot weak him/her up, then clamour medical aid. Hundreds of people, who ended up on the intensive care department of a hospital, have been saved because alert friends had rung the emergency number. It is estimated that one in ten GHB overdoses ends in death.

Symtoms of a date-rape drug

. you’re drunk after only one or two drinks, while you don’t suffer from it normally.

. you no longer control your body.

. You see your own movements like you’re watching a slow movie.

. your drink tastes different, salty or burning.

. your mixed up and lost memory of the last hours.

How do you recognise somebody that is druged with GHB

. he/she’s to drunk related to the drinks he/she used.

. he/she’s behaves very agressive or euforic and strongly sexual affectionate.

. he/she’s doesn’t see the difference between male and female, and the sexual attention is equal

  for both sexes.    

. he/she’s is drunk without the use of any alcohol.

. he/she’s is confused, and shows physical weakness and is to affectionate.

. he/she’s vomits blood.

. he/she’s falls in a deep coma-like sleep and is unable to weak up.

You should keep a close eye to your friends and if you suspect that they had rape-drugs administered bring them to a hospital immediately.

Summarise

GHB is a hormone that is naturally present in the body. The highest concentrations are found in the brain. The substance is also present in the cns and also in the bloodserum, marrow and heart-, muscletissue. The function of it is stil unknown. Also there nothing documented concerning the dangers of long-time use. Bodybuilders like to use it as a beneficial sleeping aid and “growth hormone booster” and as a substitute for alcohol. Some of them use it as a “sex booster” for themselves their wife/girlfriend. Unfortunaly, partygoers discovered it as a streetdrug, and badwilling individuals as a rape-drug.

….sept. 2004….ronny….