GHB & Analogues

GHB is an endogenous compound and a GABA-B agonist with a receptor of its own. GBL and 1,4-butanediol are prodrugs — GBL hydrolysed to GHB by a lactonase, butanediol oxidised by alcohol dehydrogenase — so they are the same exposure with different onsets, and GVL is a related lactone. Because butanediol competes with ethanol for the same enzyme, drinking alongside it delays and unpredictably prolongs the effect.

The class fact is the margin. The gap between a wanted effect and unconsciousness with vomiting and an unprotected airway is among the narrowest on this site, and it is measured out as a liquid whose concentration is usually not stated — which is why redosing before the previous amount has cleared accounts for so much of the harm here. Any other depressant narrows that gap further. Withdrawal from frequent around-the-clock dosing is a medical emergency, not a rough few days.