Gamma hydroxybutyrate--a coma inducing recreational drug.

The effects of gamma hydroxybutyrate, a coma inducing recreational drug, are described and illustrated by case reports of five patients presenting to accident and emergency (A&E). All had depressed levels of consciousness. There was strong circumstantial evidence of gamma hydroxybutyrate ingestion in all cases, and laboratory evidence in two. All recovered and supportive treatment. gamma Hydroxybutyrate has become a fashionable recreational drug. The majority of people who have ingested it will recover spontaneously without long term sequelae but its toxic effects may be dramatic while they last, particularly when it is taken with other drugs or alcohol.