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Better Sex Through Chemistry
A Guide to the New Prosexual Drugs and
Nutrients
By John Morgenthaler and Dan Joy
Administration
This section consists largely of a summation of the "folk wisdom" or
"street lore" that has come to surround the use of GHB. These guidelines, the
cumulative result of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of personal experiments on the part of a
large number of people, are well worth heeding. They offer the novice user of GHB the
opportunity to bypass much of the "error" usually involved in "trial and
error."
Using a safe place
Especially during early experimentation with GHB, it is essential to use a safe
location-primarily one in which sudden, unexpected unconsciousness, should it occur, will
not pose a serious problem. Public situations, such as parties or nightclubs, are
obviously inappropriate.
The best place is probably the bedroom of your own home (or that of a good friend or
partner), or any other room containing a large, comfortable bed or sofa. After each dose
of GHB, position yourself comfortably on the bed or couch and wait at least twenty minutes
before getting up and moving around. If the dose is going to result in sudden
unconsciousness, it will do so within this time period. Being on the bed or couch will
ensure comfort and prevent injury from falling, stumbling, or dropping to the ground.
If at all appropriate, let the people around you know that you are experimenting with
GHB. Tell them that they might find you in a state of sleep from which you can't be
awakened, and that if this happens, your condition will pass in a few hours. Such
communication may prevent unnecessary panic on their part.
Dosage
Determining one's own appropriate dosage level is probably the trickiest aspect of
working with GHB. The amount required for a given level of effect will vary from person to
person. The slightest overestimation can have consequences ranging in seriousness from
ruining your plans for the evening to waking up in the emergency ward as a result of panic
on the part of concerned but uninformed friends or relatives.
Once you have found the levels that give you the effects you desire, they will remain
consistent, as no tolerance towards GHB develops over time. However, recent alcohol
consumption may decrease the effect of a given dose of GHB because these two compounds are
"cross-tolerant." This means that prior ingestion of alcohol will reduce the
intensity of GHB's sedative and anesthetic effects. (Here "prior ingestion"
refers to alcohol consumption far back enough in time that the primary alcohol effects
will have worn off. If you take GHB while still "high" from alcohol, the effects
of both drugs are likely to become intensified-perhaps dangerously so.) This
cross-tolerance has been demonstrated in a study with rats wherein dosages sufficient to
render other rats fully unconscious caused only moderate sedation among those accustomed
to a high level of alcohol intake [Fadda, 1989].
GHB should be taken on an empty stomach, preferably three to four hours after your last
meal. A full stomach will delay the onset of effects, resulting in the possibility of
taking an unnecessary second dose before the first dose kicks in, and may also increase
the likelihood of nausea or vomiting. It is also known that prior "fasting"
potentiates GHB's effects [Laborit, 1964].
Doses of GHB can be measured and controlled very accurately and conveniently by
dissolving powdered GHB in purified or distilled water in a measured solution. If the
number of grams of GHB is equal to the number of teaspoons of water, then, of course, a
liquid will be produced one teaspoon of which will contain very close to one gram of GHB.
For instance, ten grams of GHB could be dissolved in ten teaspoons of water, or 100 grams
of GHB could be dissolved in 100 teaspoons. In the absence of such a solution, dosage can
be determined by remembering that one level teaspoon of GHB powder is equivalent to
approximately two and a half grams.
As one experienced GHB experimenter strongly recommends, "start with the smallest
amount you can try; it's always best to take as little as you can." Beginning with as
small a dose as possible, you can then work your way up in tiny increments, leaving plenty
of time-about an hour-between administrations. One-eighth or one-quarter of a gram could
serve as a starting point. This dosage could then be repeated on an hourly basis until a
desirable level of "high" (or sleep, if that is the goal) has been achieved.
A first experiment performed according to these guidelines allows you to determine how
favorable your individual response to the drug is, and whether or not it will tend to give
you side effects. This approach will also help to minimize the intensity and duration of
any negative reactions that might arise. If this first test has favorable results-or no
results at all, a possibility when using such tiny quantities-you might consider doubling
the size of your dosage increments for the next experiment, using a quarter or a half gram
every hour.
For a third experiment, another eighth or quarter of a gram could be added to each
dose. Proceeding in this fashion, slowly and carefully adding to the increments of dosage
across a series of experiments, will allow you eventually to find out how much GHB you
require-and can easily tolerate-in a single dose to achieve the level of effect that you
find most enjoyable and useful.
Most people find that a dose in the range of three quarters to one and a half grams is
suitable for prosexual purposes, and that a quantity in the range of two and a half grams
is sufficient to induce sleep. Those interested in maximizing growth hormone release will
derive the greatest benefit by taking a sleep-inducing dose at bedtime (for further
details of practical relevance, review the section entitled "GHB, Sleep, and
Narcolepsy"). Between these dosage levels is often a zone in which the GHB
"high" intensifies to a point that it is no longer manageable for sexual
purposes and is characterized by giddiness, decreased verbal coherence, and
discoordination. Such a state is often followed shortly by sleep. Otherwise, since the GHB
"high" is fairly short-lived, it is likely to settle into a more subtle level of
consciousness-alteration within an hour or so.
Countering the effects
If on any occasion you find that you are not enjoying GHB's effects, or if for any
other reason you wish to discontinue or diminish the "high," there are two
approaches you can use. One method is to eat; a small or medium-sized meal will usually
result in rapid dissipation of effects. A strong cup of coffee or other beverage
containing a significant quantity of caffeine is often all that is needed to counter the
drowsiness that accompanies GHB (a mild euphoria may linger). In fact, there is scientific
evidence that caffeine, a dopaminergic compound, blocks GHB's dopamine-related effects
[Chin, 1992].
The potassium question
There is some debate as to whether GHB consistently lowers potassium levels in the
human body. Because of early evidence of sharp potassium loss, it was at one time
considered mandatory to administer potassium supplements with GHB. Later research,
however, showed only slight changes in serum potassium levels in humans, and one
investigation found no differences at all. One researcher has suggested that the original
evidence showing marked drops in potassium levels was influenced by the presence of other
potassium-depleting drugs among a large proportion of those patients from whom the data
was collected [Vickers, 1969].
To further confuse matters, animal studies have resulted in unchanged potassium levels
in mice [Artru, 1980], but decreased quantities among dogs [Laborit, 1964].
While potassium supplementation is probably unnecessary for most people [Vickers,
1969], there is no harm in being on the safe side by taking a potassium supplement when
you use GHB. Sources urging such a practice recommend that a quantity of potassium's
elemental form should be taken that is equal to ten percent of the weight of the amount of
GHB ingested. Slightly less than twenty percent of the potassium in most commercial
supplements is of the elemental variety; thus, a 500 milligrams potassium tablet usually
contains at most 100 milligrams of elemental potassium. Since 100 milligrams is ten
percent of one gram, the formula mentioned above would require taking one such 500
milligrams potassium tablet with every gram of GHB ingested.
Physicians and Product Sources
Please note the tearout card at the front of this book where you will find instructions
for getting our Directory of Mail Order Pharmacies and Directory of Physicians. These
listings are updated monthly and, if there are any legal sources for GHB, you will find
them there. (Please also read the 'Disclaimer' section at the front of this book.)
References
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