GHB Detox
A habitual user of GHB is at great risk both while using and withdrawing from the drug. So where the decision has been made by a person (or for a person in extreme resistive to treatment cases) a monitored detox for GHB is vital. This is because the controlled setting itself can be the only way to have a person stop using but stay safe and out of harms way. In cases of severe withdrawals that include violent lashing out, restraints may have to be used for a period of time. All GHB detoxes should be in a relatively locked down setting so as to avoid running out into traffic, or other potential disasters which the user will not be in control of nor perceiving properly.
The first few days of detox can be relatively uneventful. However from day 3, 4 and on, the withdrawls become unpredictable, and great care must be taken. Psychosis is common at this point, hallucinatory episodes, violent behaviour, etc is what can happen from day 3 and on and up to 14 days after stopping GHB. For these reasons alone, controlled detox cannot be recommended highly enough.
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS:
- Users describe the “hole in your soul” feeling, deep suicidal depression
- Can’t sleep
- Hallucinations, psychotic thinking and behaviour
- Agitation, violence
- Panic attacks
- Profuse sweating
- Soaring blood pressure and pulse rate
Since so many GHB users die from accidental overdose, the sooner a GHB user can be brought to understanding the nature and reality of their addiction, the likelier the person will be able to survive their addiction and fully recover. Because of the fast burn up in the body, often GHB use is undetected but was the reason why a sudden cardiac arrest at age 30 for instance. So for GHB detox yes it is extremely vital, and the sooner the better in all cases.
