GHB

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