Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) withdrawal: a case report
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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Paired with Total Vaporization Solid-Phase Microextraction as a Forensic Tool
Published on: May 25, 2021
W R Murray Bennett1, Lawrence G Wilson, Peter P Roy-Byrne
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. mbennett@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
GHB is an increasingly popular drug of abuse that can be associated in select cases with growing dependence and a severe withdrawal syndrome. While benzodiazepines are recommended for treatment of the withdrawal syndrome, some cases have been described as benzodiazepine-resistant. The authors describe treatment of such a case, which was unsuccessfully treated initially with benzodiazepines, then successfully treated with adjuvant atypical neuroleptics, and offer a possible neurochemical explanation for why such agents may be theoretically more effective than benzodiazepines in treating GHB withdrawal.
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