GHB, 1,4-Butanediol (BD), and GBL are depressants that, at the right doses, cause euphoria, increase your libido, and lower your inhibitions. They’re usually found as a clear liquid with a bitter aftertaste, but have also been found as a white powder or a bright blue liquid.
What’s the difference between GHB, GBL, and 1,4-Butanediol?
GBL and 1,4-Butanediol are prodrugs of GHB, meaning that your body will turn GBL or 1,4-Butanediol into GHB once you’ve taken it. There’s only a couple of differences between GBL, BD, and GHB, but they’re super important.
GBL comes on faster than GHB and BD and doesn’t last as long
GBL has an onset time of between 5 minutes and half an hour, and lasts for about 1-2 hours. GHB has an onset time of 10 minutes and half an hour, and lasts for about 1.5-2.5 hours. Both have an after-effect period of between 2 and 4 hours.
GBL is more potent than GHB and BD
These drugs are incredibly potent, and GBL is more potent than GHB and 1,4-Butanediol, so a minor slip when you’re measuring your dose can lead to a not-fun helicopter ride to hospital. Because some people can vomit while they’re in the ‘heavy sleep’ end of their G experience (especially if they’ve had alcohol), they can drown in said vomit. This has led to people dying, so just be careful how you measure, eh? You can get 1ml syringes online from the NZ Needle Exchange for less than a dollar
Be precise with your measurements and you’ll be all G with your G
| Light dose | Common dose | Strong dose | High risk dose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBL | 0.3 – 0.9ml | 0.5 – 1.5ml | 1.5 – 3ml Doses over 2ml can cause heavy sleep |
3ml + |
| GHB | 0.5 – 1g | 1 – 2.5g | 2.5 – 4g | 4g + Doses over 10g can lead to fatality |
| 1,4-Butanediol | 0.5 – 1ml | 1 – 2.5ml | 2.5 – 4ml | 4ml + Doses over 4ml can cause heavy sleep. Doses over 6ml can lead to poisoning |
Use proper measuring devices
Use a 0.5 or 1ml syringe or a clean set of mg scales to measure your dose. GHB, 1,4-Butanediol, and GBL tend to erode plastic in liquid form, so make sure the syringe you use is new as the numbers on the side of the barrel will get worn away over time.
Shake the bottle
GHB, 1,4-Butanediol, and GBL are heavier than the liquid they’re in, and will settle to the bottom of the bottle. This makes measuring doses unreliable as the liquid at the bottom will be stronger than at the top. Shaking the bottle will distribute the your substance more evenly throughout the liquid and make dosing more accurate.
Reduce subsequent doses
GHB, 1,4-Butanediol, and GBL have a cumulative effect so if you’re having more than one dose over the course of an evening, reduce the dose each time. Also, wait at least 2 hours between your doses to make sure you’ve had the full effect.
Storage
G and BD dissolve plastic and rubber so keep any leftover liquid in a glass container. Also label the container and dye the liquid with food colouring so it doesn’t get mistaken for water and drunk accidentally.
G, BD, and GCs
Having a tripsitter is a good idea when you’re taking G or BD. These substances are disinhibitors that amp your libido up. It’s also super easy to misjudge a dose, take too much, and black out. Your tripsitter can remind where the condoms/dental dams and lube are if things go well, or remind others that passed out people can’t give consent if things go badly.
Dangerous interactions
In general, G and BD do not combine well with any other substances. We’ve listed some known interactions below, but this list is by no means exhaustive.
Depressants
It’s generally a risky idea to combine drugs with prescription medication. G and BD are a particularly bad combination with benzos, barbituates, gabapentinoids, thienodiazepines, and opioids like codeine or tramadol.
Don’t combine one downer with another – this suppresses your breathing and in some cases you can just stop breathing completely. Funnily enough, if you don’t breathe, you die. (I know, we too were shocked at this revelation)
The combination of alcohol with G or BD is particularly risky and can result in death, but it’s also recommended to avoid the following:
- Ketamine
- DXM
- PCP
- MXE
- Nitrous
- Alcohol. Yes, we know we’ve mentioned it twice, but it’s enough of a high risk to warrant a double mention. The likelihood of you dying if you mix G/BD and alcohol is particularly high, and we’d much prefer it if you didn’t.
Stimulants
Stimulants that have harmful reactions with G and BD are
- Cocaine
- MDMA
- Amphetamines
These will increase your breathing rate, which will make it hard to feel the effects of the G/BD. This might make you want to take a larger dose.
With cocaine and amphetamines, the stimulant will wear off first, leaving a dangerous level of GHB or GBL in your system, which can cause respiratory arrest. If you keep bumping with cocaine you can wind up with a toxic amount of it in your system when the G/BD wears off first.
With MDMA the G/BD can overwhelm the effects of the MDMA on the comedown, causing breathing difficulties.
What to watch out for
As mentioned previously, G/BD can make you pass out very quickly very easily. Other things to keep an eye out for are:
- Clumsiness/loss of motor control
- Dizziness or headaches
- Chills
- Nausea
- Slow heart rate
- Diarrhea and/or difficulty with urinating