Toxicological Characterization of GHB as a Performance-Enhancing Drug
Source : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9058118/
Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are represented by several compounds used to ameliorate the image, the appearance, or an athletic or non-athletic performance. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is an endogenous molecule first used as anesthetic and then marketed as a nutritional supplement with a wide diffusion in the bodybuilding community.
Relevance: Indeed, performance-enhancing and therapeutic effects of GHB, including sleep, vigilance, and mood enhancement, widely overlap. It has been commonly used by body builders (8–11) who acted as early adopters, enhancement drug use innovators, and anticipated an increase in lean muscle mass due to the GHB-induced release of GH
• Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry
• Conclusion/Relevance: “The aim of the present work is to provide a toxicological characterization of the use of GHB as a PED [performance-enhancing drug], including the scientific basis for its use, the patterns of use/abuse, and the health risks arising from its consumption in this peculiar recreative setting. A literature search was performed on multiple databases including experimental studies on humans and animals as well as epidemiological reports and forensic case reports/series.”
• Historically, GHB was first used as an anesthetic agent and then for bodybuilding due to a perceived anabolic effect.
• GHB can help with sleep by decreasing sleep and REM latency and increasing short-wave sleep. In experimental studies, GHB boosted non-REM sleep vs placebo, and was linked to temporal and quantitative GH release. Researchers observed improvements in EEG and boosts in GH levels for 3 hours in participants with chronic insomnia. Of note, prolactin and cortisol levels were not correlated with sleep patterns.
• The authors cited research supporting improved sleep and a decrease in fatigue and pain in fibromyalgia patients taking sodium oxybate. Nevertheless, fatigue and weakness could limit the drug’s use as a PED.
• In users, GHB led to a “high,” which could contribute to abuse.
• “Given the polydrug abuse pattern, the difficulties in the dosages, the tendency to increase the dose until an ‘around-the-clock’ administration is reached, these kinds of recreative consumption appears to be associated with significant health risks,” conclude the authors.