Three Dartmouth students were treated at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center near the end of Spring term for drug overdoses involving the illegal substance gammahydroxybutrate, more commonly known as GHB.
According to Charley Bradley, director of the nursing department, the three male students were rushed to DHMC and were later sent to Dick's House.
She said two of the students were unresponsive to "painful stimuli" when in the emergency room, meaning that they were unconscious enough that they did not respond to pinches or pin pricks.
Bradley reported that the students received intravenous hydration, and their conditions were carefully monitored.
She explained that there is usually a three-hour window of time from the moment when someone loses consciousness from GHB until they wake up.
"The hope is that they're going to sleep it off," she said of severe cases of GHB users. "But they may go in the other direction," resulting in death.
For that reason, she said medical monitoring is crucial when someone falls unconscious as a result of GHB.
Assistant Dean of the College Carolynne Krusi spent the night of Monday, June 5 with one of the affected students who was in a "potentially fatal condition," according to a safety alert message sent to the Class of 2000 subsequently.
"Fortunately, his friends had the good judgement to call an ambulance," Krusi said.
Bradley said the Spring term incidents -- all of which involved alcohol as well as GHB -- were the first ones seen at Health Services, but she said she did not think it was the first time that Dartmouth students have used the drug.
She said this last incident involving GHB "brought it to light in the dean's office," prompting the college to contact students via BlitzMail to warn them of the threat.
The message cautioned students: "The side effects of GHB can be permanently harmful or fatal. If you think you or a friend have been given GHB, obtain emergency medical assistance immediately."
Margaret Smith, Coordinator of Alcohol and Other Drug Education, told The Dartmouth that her biggest concern about GHB is that use of the drug could be fatal -- especially when combined with alcohol.
She explained that both GHB and alcohol are depressants, also noting that the pill is often mixed with other substances, making it impossible to know how pure the drug is. She said the varying quality of the drug, combined with the fact that it affects different people differently makes it extremely dangerous.
The warning Blitz said GHB "can lead to problems with circulation, motor coordination, deep sleep, nausea, depression, delusions, hallucinations, seizures, respiratory distress, slowed heart rate, lowered blood pressure, amnesia and coma." It noted that "MOST people" -- not a minority of users -- experience these affects.
Smith said GHB has been described as similar to Rohypnol, which is more commonly known as roofies, or "the date rape drug."
"You look at someone and think they're just totally wasted," she said.
Bradley noted that the New Hampshire poison control center lists GHB as the most widely-used date rape drug in the state.
Bradley explained that when taken recreationally, users attempt to achieve a feeling of euphoria. However, the drug can often takes up to 45 minutes to take effect so users may take more, trying to avoid the depression also caused by the drug.
"It's not stuff to play around with," she cautioned.
She also said GHB's threat is enhanced by its availability via the internet. Simply typing the acronym into a search engine yields recipes for producing GHB at home as well as listings of mail order companies that can deliver it, even though it is illegal in the United States.
