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GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)

Depressantoral · inferred

Endogenous GABA-B agonist and GHB receptor agonist with a very short half-life of ~20-30 minutes due to rapid oxidative metabolism. Exhibits nonlinear (zero-order) elimination at higher doses. Effects last 1.5-3 hours. Also FDA-approved as sodium oxybate (Xyrem) for narcolepsy.

Projected serum levels — 1 caps (≈ 2.3k mg), as needed (shown daily)

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)
GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) modeled serum levels, 1 caps (≈ 2.3k mg) as needed (shown daily) over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 1 days. 0 250 500 750 1k Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 1

Maintenance schedule: 1 caps (≈ 2.3k mg) as needed (shown daily) (oral).

Modeled steady state after ~1 days: peak ≈ 517 mg, trough ≈ 0.000 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a reference dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Depressant
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
inferred
Half-life
30 min
Common dose
1 caps (≈ 2.3k mg)
Reference dose range
0.50–2 caps (single dose)
Suggested cadence
as needed (shown daily)
Validated against
2.3k mg oral — Cmax 80 mg/L at 0.75 h

Documented interactions

  • danger
    1,4-BDO (1,4-Butanediol) + GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Contraindicated

    1,4-BDO is a prodrug to GHB. Co-dosing produces the same active compound twice on offset timelines, with the 1,4-BDO peak arriving 30-90 min after the GHB peak. Easy to overshoot the lethal range…

  • danger
    Codeine + GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Contraindicated

    GHB and opioids are both CNS depressants. Combined respiratory depression risk is severe.

  • danger
    Ethanol (Alcohol) + GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Contraindicated

    Both are CNS depressants acting on GABA. Combined respiratory depression can be fatal.

  • danger
    GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) + GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Potentiation

    GHB acts on GABA-B receptors. Additional GABA supplementation increases CNS depression risk.

  • danger
    Heroin / 6-MAM + GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Contraindicated

    GHB and heroin are both potent CNS depressants. Combined use is frequently fatal.

  • danger
    Hydrocodone + GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) Contraindicated

    GHB and opioids are both potent CNS depressants. Combined respiratory depression is frequently fatal.

Serum checks 14 modeled interaction pairings for ghb (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in Humans: Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics Brenneisen R et al. · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2006 DOI

    Controlled clinical study showing GHB terminal elimination half-life of 30.4 minutes, distribution volume of 52.7 L, and only 1.2% urinary excretion of unchanged drug.

  2. Concentration-Time Profiles of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate in Blood After Recreational Doses Are Best Described by Zero-Order Rather Than First-Order Kinetics Hasan A et al. · Toxicology Letters, 2009 DOI

    Demonstrated that GHB elimination at recreational doses follows zero-order (constant rate) kinetics rather than first-order, with important implications for forensic toxicology.

2 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.