TY - JOUR
T1 - Severe gamma-hydroxybutyrate withdrawal
T2 - A case report and literature review
AU - Craig, Kathryn
AU - Gomez, Hernan F.
AU - McManus, John L.
AU - Bania, Theodore C.
PY - 2000/1
Y1 - 2000/1
N2 - We report a case of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal resulting in severe agitation, mental status changes, elevated blood pressure, and tachycardia hours after stopping chronic use of GHB. The patient admitted to substantial GHB abuse on a daily basis for 2.5 years. Previous attempts at cessation reportedly resulted in diaphoresis, tremors, and agitation. The patient's symptoms, negative polypharmacy history, and negative urine and blood toxicological analysis for alcohol, benzodiazepines, sedative-hypnotics, or other substances suggested the diagnosis of GHB withdrawal. Later analysis of a patient drug sample confirmed the presence of GHB. The patient required 507 mg of lorazepam and 120 mg of diazepam over 90 h to control agitation. This is one of the few reported cases of GHB withdrawal and one of the most severe. Given the increasing use of GHB, more cases of severe GHB withdrawal should be anticipated. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.
AB - We report a case of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal resulting in severe agitation, mental status changes, elevated blood pressure, and tachycardia hours after stopping chronic use of GHB. The patient admitted to substantial GHB abuse on a daily basis for 2.5 years. Previous attempts at cessation reportedly resulted in diaphoresis, tremors, and agitation. The patient's symptoms, negative polypharmacy history, and negative urine and blood toxicological analysis for alcohol, benzodiazepines, sedative-hypnotics, or other substances suggested the diagnosis of GHB withdrawal. Later analysis of a patient drug sample confirmed the presence of GHB. The patient required 507 mg of lorazepam and 120 mg of diazepam over 90 h to control agitation. This is one of the few reported cases of GHB withdrawal and one of the most severe. Given the increasing use of GHB, more cases of severe GHB withdrawal should be anticipated. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.
KW - Autonomic dysfunction
KW - Gamma-hydroxybutyrate
KW - Hallucinations
KW - Tremors
KW - Withdrawal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033985329&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0736-4679(99)00163-8
DO - 10.1016/S0736-4679(99)00163-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 10645841
AN - SCOPUS:0033985329
SN - 0736-4679
VL - 18
SP - 65
EP - 70
JO - Journal of Emergency Medicine
JF - Journal of Emergency Medicine
IS - 1
ER -