Posted by andrew on May 19, 1999, at 17:55:56
In reply to Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate., posted by paul on May 18, 1999, at 16:36:49
> I haven't ever seen any information on GHB, which, despite the controversy, seems to be worthy of some attention. Does anyone have any experiences with this substance, or with the (yet-to-be-banned) precursor to GHB, lactone?
Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in itself is probably not appropriate as an antidepressant. I’ve read accounts on the internet of people suffering from extreme anxiety and agitation when using large quantities of GHB over a long period.
I’ve had my own terrifying little encounter with GHB. I ended up in a spiral of ever increasing usage that caused mania and little sleep and culminated in a terrible hallucination (truly the most frightening experience of my life) and a grueling withdrawal from the drug that ended me up in the emergency room of a local hospital. Not exactly the kind of experience you want to recommend to someone dealing with depression is it?
Mind you I had no intention at the outset of abusing the drug. I bought it over the internet because it was being touted as an antidepressant. An internet site said that while GHB for most people causes sleepiness, for depressed people it provided energy and mood elevation. It went on to say that depressed people should take GHB throughout the day as needed. Did it relieve my depression? Yes, and then some. The depression was wiped away like a dirty stain off a window, I was as energetic as a puppy, and for the first time in my life I was truly sociable. But it wasn’t long before I felt I had something like a monkey on my back. You see, when I was using it I felt great, so great I used more than I should. GHB has a short half life, so after 3 or 4 hours it was time for another dose. Then I began getting headaches and vomiting if I tried skipping a dose. So I just kept on taking it....I didn’t sleep much. This was accompanied by a period mania where there were all these wonderful things I felt I could and should do. And then everything came crashing down with a terrifying hallucination. Without my friends to help me get off GHB and back on my feet again, I shudder to think what might have happened to me.
Maybe someday they will develop an analog of GHB without some of its drawbacks (i.e. a short half life, rebound effects). But until then understand, if you are contemplating using GHB as an antidepressant, that nowhere in the world is GHB being prescribed for that use. Its only legitimate use is to help recovering alcoholics. Also remember that back in the 60’s another party drug, LSD, was being touted by some as something that could be used to treat the mentally ill. Now we know how off base they were. And finally, when you read on the internet of something being touted as an antidepressant, consider the source. These sites usually are selling the product themselves and don’t necessarily have your own best interests at heart.
poster:andrew
thread:6228
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990501/msgs/6275.html