How Long Does GHB Stay In Your System? & Effective Detox

How Long Does GHB Stay In Your System? How To Test GHB? & GHB Addiction Treatment


Why GHB Is Used?

GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate), often called liquid ecstasy, is a dangerous and potent central nervous system (CNS) depressant. Small amounts of the drug can render you unconscious or kill you. Furthermore, recreational drug use can quickly progress to GHB drug addiction; quitting the drug can be hellish and often leads to withdrawal from GHB. “How long does GHB stay in your system?” is often the question when one is struggling with substance abuse to the drug.

Recovery professionals recommend beginning the first phase of treatment in a supervised facility. This will all start by undergoing medically assisted GHB detox in an inpatient drug rehab.

GHB was used as an anesthetic at one time. However, its use resulted in several severe side effects, and this use was discontinued. GHB became a popular drug in the 1980s, used by athletes to improve performance and reduce body fat. Its popularity with bodybuilders, for this reason, remains, although the drug is not an anabolic steroid as it is often portrayed to be. DEA banned this drug in the year 2000. [1] Two years later, it was useful in treating narcolepsy (sleep disorder). As a result, it was given special permission by the FDA to be used for that purpose.

How Long Does GHB Stay In Your System
How long does GHB stay In your system? The effects of GHB come on quickly. Within 15 to 30 minutes of drinking GHB, a person begins feeling the euphoric and sedating effects of the drug. 

GHB is used as a club or rave drug. It still has a reputation with younger people as an alternative to ecstasy. It produces feelings of euphoria and sociability, and it is still considered to be an aphrodisiac. Predators still use this drug as a date rape drug. It can produce memory loss and unconsciousness when given to individuals who take it unsuspectingly. Despite its use, many of the reputed properties of this drug, such as its ability to increase muscle mass, as an aphrodisiac, and as an athletic performance enhancer, are primarily fictitious.

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Half Life Of GHB

How Long Does GHB Stay In Your System?

To accurately determine how long GHB is likely to remain in your system after discontinuing treatment, it is necessary to know its elimination half-life. GHB is understood to have an elimination half-life within 20 to 60 minutes when taken orally; this is extremely short compared to most medications. By knowing its elimination half-life, we can estimate that it’ll take up to 1 hour (on average) for your body to eliminate 50% of an ingested GHB dose from blood circulation.

How long does G drug last? the estimation will take (on average) between 1.83 and 5.5 hours to eliminate 100% of the GHB from systemic circulation. GHB should be out of your system within a few hours post-ingestion. However, just because GHB is out of your system within just 5.5 hours (on average) does not mean that your neurochemistry will have normalized or readjusted back to pre-GHB homeostasis. [2]

How To Test GHB?

How long does GBL stay in your system? A drug test for GHB and GBL should be performed by a professional laboratory with appropriate licensing and experience with GHB testing. Most standard drug tests do not test for the presence of GHB in your system, and few people test positive for GHB, even when they have used it. Nonetheless, urine, blood, saliva, and hair tests have been developed to test for G drugs.

GHB Urine Tests 

How long do date rape drugs stay in your system, and can they be detected in urine? GHB urine tests are noninvasive and relatively affordable ways to test for GHB use. The detection window is short, however, only being able to detect a small amount of GHB in urine up to 12 hours after last use.

GHB Blood Tests

While invasive, GHB blood tests are the most common way to test for GHB use because they are highly accurate. How long does GHB stay in your bloodstream? GHB Blood tests will only detect GHB use for up to eight hours after last use.

GHB Saliva Tests

GHB saliva tests are often used as a secondary test to confirm the accuracy of a GHB urine test. How long does GHB stay in your system? Inexpensive and noninvasive, GHB saliva tests are convenient ways to confirm GHB use for up to six hours after the last use.

GHB Hair Test  

How long does GHB stay in your system, and does hair follicle drug tests detect it? GHB hair tests are less accurate than the other forms of drug testing for GHB, but they offer a much longer detection window of up to one month. GHB Hair tests can be useful for testing victims of GHB-aided sexual assault victims who could not get one of the previous forms of drug tests.

Laboratory technicians often want several strands of hair to test, and they can determine when a single dose of GHB was taken. While GHB can persist in hair, test results can be altered through:

  • Coloring, bleaching, or otherwise subjecting hair to chemicals could shift the results.
  •  People who shave their heads before the GHB hair test have no samples.
  • Hair can pick up chemicals from the air and also appear in GHB hair test results.
  •  Some health issues change how quickly your hair grows, which could alter results.

Some companies that offer hair testing don’t include GHB in the substances they search for. That means a test provided by some groups may not even look for the drug that worries you. In general, How long does GHB stay in your system? GHB is difficult to detect on drug tests because of the short detection windows and lack of accuracy on each type of test. Moreover, in situations of overdose, medical professionals are often unaware that GHB has been ingested and don’t even think to test for it, as the use of other drugs that were also consumed, such as alcohol, is usually more apparent.

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How Is GHB Broken Down In The Body?

How long does GHB stay in your system? After someone drinks GHB, the drug is rapidly absorbed into the blood through the gastrointestinal tract. GHB reaches its peak concentration in the bloodstream within 20 to 40 minutes. [3]

After that, the drug is broken down by the liver in much the same way as alcohol. The liver converts GHB into several other chemicals, broken down further and leaving the body as carbon dioxide and water.

People naturally produce low levels of GHB in their body, which can sometimes be detected in urine — but natural GHB levels are considerably lower in most people than in people who use the drug recreationally or have a GHB addiction.

How Long Does GHB Stay In Your System
How long does GHB stay In your system? The more GHB someone takes, the longer it may take his or her body to rid itself of the drug.

GHB Slang Names

GHB is abused for its euphoric and sedative effects. GHB is mainly self-ingested orally in a liquid mixture. It is sometimes mixed with alcohol to intensify its effects resulting in respiratory depression and coma.

G urban dictionary drug and the slang names include:

  • Drug called G
  • Gina
  • Liquid Ecstasy
  • Liquid X
  • Liquid G
  • Goop
  • Georgia
  • Home Boy
  • Grievous Bodily Harm
  • Easy Lay

Treatment For GHB Abuse Or Poisoning

GHB is a very dangerous drug. Although it is not widely abused for recreational reasons, it can be given to rape or sexual assault victims before the incident. Some people do abuse GHB to get high, however. Understanding how rapidly the effects of GHB begin and then wear off can help medical professionals appropriately test potential victims and manage withdrawal symptoms if a person abuses GHB and needs help ending their addiction.

Those accidentally poisoned by G drugs should be hospitalized as soon as possible. A person who abuses GHB specifically to get high may also end up hospitalized due to symptoms of GHB overdose. This provides an opportunity for medical professionals to intervene briefly and help the person get evidence-based addiction treatment. Medical supervision for detox followed by treatment in a rehabilitation program is the foundation of addiction treatment for many substances, including GHB.

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GHB Addiction Treatment

Seeking a professional addiction center can help you achieve recovery sooner and more successfully than if you tried to quit independently. You’ll have access to professional resources to help you overcome withdrawal, stress, and triggers.

There is a strong link between mental health and substance abuse. Individuals who struggle with mood disorders like depression and anxiety are more susceptible to developing an addiction to drugs or alcohol, often to self-medicate symptoms of their underlying mental health condition. These co-occurring disorders can make each other worse without proper treatment.

If you are experiencing withdrawal GHB, it’s crucial first to get an accurate assessment of all the symptoms. When a mental health professional has evaluated the symptoms, it may be determined that another form of mental condition is present and needs a particular treatment. Very often, some combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes are effective for coping with functional. 

Medically-Assisted Detox

Medical detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated process of G drugs withdrawal, but it doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete detox.

How long is GHB in your system, and what are the withdrawal symptoms? Cravings are very common during detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can provide necessary medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and the effects of GHB withdrawals.

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Psychotherapy 

Several different modalities of psychotherapy have been used in the treatment of mental health disorders along with addiction, including:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – An effective treatment that involves changing both the patterns of negative thoughts and the behavioral routines which are affecting the daily life of the depressed person for various forms of depression.
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – A comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program whose ultimate goal is to aid patients in their efforts to build a life worth living. The main goal of DBT is to help a person develop what is referred to as a “clear mind.” 
  • Person-Centered Therapy – A strategy that allows and encourages clients to understand and resolve their concerns in a safe, supportive environment.
  • Solution-Focused Therapy – An approach interested in solutions that can be quickly implemented with a simple first step leading to further positive consequences.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Drug abuse and mental health disorders often co-occur. In many cases, traumatic experiences can result in a mental health disorder and substance abuse. Dual diagnosis rehabilitation treats both of these issues together. The best approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis is an integrated system. This strategy treats both the substance abuse problem and the mental disorder simultaneously. Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend largely on the treatment for both disorders done by the same team or provider.

Medication-Assisted Treatments

Medication-Assisted Treatments (MAT) for substance use and mental health disorders are commonly used in conjunction with one another. This includes the use of medications and other medical procedures. During your rehab, the staff from your treatment facility will help you identify what caused your addiction and teach you skills that will help you change your behavior patterns and challenge the negative thoughts that led to your addiction.

Start A New Life

Several treatment options can effectively treat GHB addiction. Encourage your friend or loved one to talk to their doctor or a counselor about using alcohol treatment programs, substance abuse treatmentrelapse prevention, or support groups as part of their recovery.

Searched for “How Long Does GHB Last?”

Contact us to learn more about how long does GHB stay in your system and what treatment program could work for you. We Level Up can provide information on dual diagnosis and detox programs that may fit your specific needs.

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How Long Does GHB Stay In Your System
G drugs are dangerous substances of abuse used recreationally and to facilitate sexual assault. Call us now if you or someone you know has become dependent on GHB or any other drug.

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Sources:

[1] WHAT IS GHB? – https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/GHB-2020_0.pdf – Drug Enforcement Administration
[2] Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Toxicity – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430781/National Center for Biotechnology Information
[3] Hair testing of GHB: an everlasting issue in forensic toxicology – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28763296/National Center for Biotechnology Information
[4] Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid – https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/ghb.pdfDrug Enforcement Administration