Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
December 1, 2007
Sergio Abanades, Magı́ Farré, Diego Barral et al.
69 citations
A single oral dose of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) at 40 or 60 mg/kg produces euphoria and pleasurable effects with slightly higher ratings than those from flunitrazepam (1.25 mg) or ethanol (0.7 g/kg) in healthy male recreational club drug users. GHB shows a biphasic time profile: an initial stimulant-like effect as plasma concentrations rise, followed by a later sedative effect unrelated to its kinetics. GHB increases blood pressure and pupil diameter, while flunitrazepam produces marked sedation. Both GHB and flunitrazepam impair psychomotor performance, including digit symbol substitution and balance tasks, whereas ethanol only mildly affects balance. The findings suggest a high abuse liability of GHB and flunitrazepam in this population.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
February 1, 2007
Sergio Abanades, Magı́ Farré, Mireia Segura et al.
66 citations
After a single oral dose of 50 mg/kg sodium GHB, mean peak plasma concentrations reached 83.1 μg/mL at 30 minutes, then declined to 0.9 μg/mL at 6 hours. GHB appeared in oral fluid at levels one-third to one-fourth of plasma concentrations, with a half-life of about 1.2 hours compared to 0.7 hour in plasma. Less than 2% of the dose was excreted in urine, and sweat contained only low concentrations. Subjective effects followed a mixed sedative-stimulant pattern, peaking between 1 and 1.5 hours and lasting 2 hours, and were related to plasma concentrations. Oral fluid and sweat were not suitable for monitoring GHB consumption.
Psychopharmacology
November 16, 2017
Eline Haijen, Magı́ Farré, Rafael de la Torre et al.
9 citations
MDMA impaired verbal memory 90 minutes after administration in a word learning task, replicating earlier findings with the same dose (75 mg). Contrary to expectations, MDMA did not affect endocannabinoid concentrations (anandamide and 2-AG) in blood, and the 5-HT2 receptor blocker ketanserin did not block MDMA-induced memory impairment. Ketanserin alone increased AEA concentrations 180 minutes after administration. The findings suggest that peripherally measured endocannabinoids are not involved in the verbal memory deficit during MDMA intoxication.