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Taylor Evans

Gustavo Ibarra PhD

HLTH 1050- LIFE, SOCIETY, AND DRUGS

January 22, 2019

GHB: What is it, and how does it affect our bodies?

The drug I chose to learn more about and report on is GHB; otherwise known as

Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate. I wanted to learn more about this drug because I have heard

it many times but never known quite what it is, and after researching it, how dangerous

it can be. What is it, exactly? GHB is a central nervous system depressant, which

according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, means GHB is a medicine that “can

slow brain activity, making them useful to treat anxiety, panic, acute stress reactions,

and sleep disorders”.

The most common name for GHB is probably one you have heard; the “date

rape” drug or the “club drug”. GHB is commonly abused by “teens and young adults at

bars, parties, clubs, and “raves”, and is often placed in alcoholic beverages.” Some

effects of the drug are, euphoria, increased sex drive, and tranquility. Negative and

possibly fatal effects include sweating, loss of consciousness, nausea, hallucinations,

amnesia, and coma. It is especially dangerous because it can be odorless and

colorless. It can be easily slipped into drinks or accidentally ingested cause catastrophic

problems.

Proceeding reading a medically reviewed article by L. Anderson, PharmD, the

brand name of the drug, Xyrem, was approved by the FDA in 2002 to treat patients that

suffered from narcolepsy, which is a “sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness
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and recurring daytime sleep attacks.” Xyrem is regulated strictly in the U.S., and

because of this, it requires patient enrollment in a restricted access program. Why is it

so strictly monitored and governed? GHB can be addictive if used repeatedly, and the

withdrawal effects have been known to be severe and incapacitating. Among various

other CNS depressants, it is widely misused.

Works Cited

Anderson, L. (April 2018). GHB or Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate. Retrieved from

https://www.drugs.com/illicit/ghb.html on January 22, 2019.