[Erowid Note: The dose described in this report is very high, potentially beyond Erowid's 'heavy' range, and could pose serious health risks or result in unwanted, extreme effects.
GHB
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 4 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- PubChem toxicity data
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 4 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- PubChem toxicity data
Aliases: aceburic acid, alcover, fantasy, g, gina, liquid x, sodium oxybate, xyrem
Summary
gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (also known as and 4-hydroxybutanoic acid and GHB) is a depressant substance. It is found naturally as a neurotransmitter and is also a precursor to GABA, glutamate, and glycine in certain brain areas. It acts on the GHB receptor and is a weak agonist at the GABAB receptor.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral BA ~25-30% | 0.5-1.5g | 1-2.5g | 2-3.5g | 3.5-5g+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 4-30 min | 10-19 min | 45-90 min | 15-30 min | 1.5-2.5 hrs |
| Rectal | 10-20 min | 5-15 min | 30-90 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.5-2.5 hrs |
| Insufflated (Irritating) | 5-15 min | 5-10 min | 30-90 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.5-2.5 hrs |
Tolerance
Build-up
develops rapidly within days of regular around-the-clock dosing
Reset
3–7 days for acute tolerance
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
2d
Half tolerance
5d
Baseline
~14d
Acute tolerance: develops within a single session — the reset numbers above apply after sustained heavy use, not after one binge. Within-session tachyphylaxis usually resets largely overnight.
Tolerance builds quickly with daily/continuous use but decays over 1–3 weeks with abstinence, based on GHB patterns; values are approximate and intended for HR planning, not exact prediction.
Cross-Tolerances
Effects
Aggregated from 193 Erowid and 21 Bluelight experience reports
Positive Effects 34
Hypersomnia
52.4%
87%
Euphoria
37.4%
88%
Stimulation
36.5%
75%
Sociability Enhancement
33.3%
86%
Anxiety Suppression
29.9%
86%
Music Enhancement
24.8%
87%
Tingling
23.8%
83%
Contentment
23.8%
84%
Sedation
20.1%
83%
Heaviness
19.0%
81%
Appetite Increase
19.0%
85%
Empathy
18.7%
70%
Tactile Enhancement
16.8%
85%
Focus Enhancement
15.5%
85%
Libido Enhancement
14.3%
85%
Closed-Eye Visuals
10.3%
90%
Color Enhancement
10.3%
85%
Joy
9.5%
85%
Muscle Relaxation
9.5%
92%
Bliss
9.5%
88%
Adverse Effects 40
Nausea
34.1%
85%
Dizziness
23.8%
88%
Vomiting
19.0%
89%
Body Load
19.0%
75%
Restlessness
19.0%
76%
Ataxia
19.0%
89%
Confusion
18.7%
83%
Visual Distortions
15.9%
78%
Motor Impairment
11.7%
84%
Taste Distortion
9.5%
92%
Insomnia
9.5%
80%
Irritability
9.5%
80%
Sweating
8.4%
83%
Muscle Tension
8.3%
70%
Increased Heart Rate
6.7%
70%
Memory Suppression
6.7%
70%
Seizure
5.7%
70%
Jaw Clenching
5.7%
70%
Muscle Spasm
4.8%
90%
Chills
4.8%
85%
Combinations
Cross-Check GHB with another substanceCommunity Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance.
Erowid 8 reports 2 positive 4 neutral 2 cautionary visit
I'm 19 years old. I've allways been made fun of for being skinny. I've smoked pot, taking ecstasy, cokecain, whatever it took to get me high. Of course it damaged my brain and from 16-18 I was allways depressed, acted stupid, hated life, took more drugs to mask the pain or bordom.
In the last few years we have had the unfortunate luck to personally witness 10 or so GHB-overdoses of various severities and have read or been told about dozens more. First, I want to make it clear that we are not anti-GHB.
It makes me nauseous thinking of what I am about to recount. I must do it, not only for my own sanity and healing, but for the sake of all ye who may tangle with the GHBeast. What you are about to read is all true, and not for the faint of heart.
I never tried GHB until recently when i was given the opportunity to. Below is my escalating trials with this peculiar molecule. Venturing in a completely unknown territoty, i decided to start low and work up until finding my G spot (despite my being a male ;).
This story is to serve as an example of what NOT to do, especially with such a sensitive drug as GHB. Things could have easily turned out very badly. We were lucky, but I think it shows that a little humility is needed when dealing with drugs.
I took GHB in the form of Xyrem for 4 years for narcolepsy. I had been diagnosed with narcolepsy 6 years before beginning the Xyrem. At first, I thought GHB was a miracle drug. It helped with my daytime sleepiness and my other narcolepsy symptoms reduced. I started at a dose of 2.5 grams twice a night.
Several days after my first GHB experience (and second, and third), I told a friend about it, and he immediately decided he'd like to try some. I'd figured out the dosage for NaGHB powder through personal experimentation, and thought I now knew all there was to know...
Bluelight 5 threads 1 positive 2 neutral 2 cautionary visit
Throughout the years I have experimented. From marijuana to methamphetamine , I have tried almost every substance popularly sold on the street. Many of them I wish to do again. Many of them I regret. But only a few have changed my life. Alcohol was a fun drug.
After my second tangle with GHB put me in an unwakeable coma for four plus hours I decided to never do it again well never say never I guess. Started out by buying 2.7 liquid ounces of GHB solution unknown concentration this was at around noon.
I guess GHB magnifies emotions . One night in the middle of a month long binge , I thought I heard some people down the road talking about me. I am usually pretty contained but I just lost it and went running down the road at 03.00 am in my underpants , shaking gates and banging on doors.
I just read the warning thread directed at GHB, in TR, so I felt compelled to offer a differing view, as I recently did quite a lot of experimentation with GHB. Some 20g or so of Na-GHB made itself available to me, as pure, slightly hygroscopic crystalline powder, so, me being me, I got to "work", testing it out.
Ill start off by saying I disrespected the power of this drug in turn it taught me a valuable lesson measure your dosage. It was 1:00p.m. I purchase some fluid GHB for 20 dollars from a very legitimate source he warns me to be careful his girl ended up in the hospital off of 2 cap fulls I nod and act concerned thinking...
Bluelight Reference Guide
GHB / 1,4-B / GBL Discussion and Use
Bluelight’s primary GHB / 1,4-B / GBL discussion thread. Covers dosing, the recovery position, overdose response, addiction / withdrawal (which can be life-threatening), and benzo / alcohol combination risks.
Read full thread on Bluelight →Pill Identifiers
1
known pill identifiers on record — view imprints, colors, shapes, and images
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GHB's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
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