Ash Ganesh M.D. is a Medical Doctor in St. Petersburg Florida. He is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and Duke University. Dr. Ganesh is a member of the Florida Medical Association as well as licensed with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Ash will be answering questions and writing about various medical topics that concern South Asian Youth. Got a question? Email ash@mybindi.com

Imagine waking up on a Sunday afternoon with an aching body and a dry throat. You feel terrible. You think back and try to remember what happened the previous night. You recall going to a warehouse party with some friends. The place was packed, the heat stifling, and the bass booming. Someone offered you some ecstasy to help "expand your mind" and keep you going till dawn. But you never did make it to the morning. The last thing you remember was having a few "free" drinks given by an acquaintance after being fed up with all the water you had to consume just to keep your body from overheating. That was at about 1 am. You find it strange that you are now having problems with your memory. That has never happened before. Maybe you just need to get up and clear your head. That's when you realize that you are not wearing all of your clothes. A note next to your bed reads "we sure had fun last night." You manage to piece together facts from your fragmented memory and make a deduction: you were taken advantage of and can't remember a thing.

Does the above story sound scary? Well, believe it. Every weekend people are experimenting with drugs with little or no clue what the effects may be. Sometimes "date rape" drugs like GHB and Rohypnol are slipped into drinks and consumed by unsuspecting women. At rave parties mind altering substances like MDMA (ecstasy) have become the norm. Did you know that you could become psychotic from just one dose of ecstasy or even die? So before you take any ecstasy or accept a "free" drink, read on.

GHB, also known as Easy Lay, Liquid Ecstasy, and Grievous Bodily Harm has been around since the sixties. It was first used as an alternative anesthetic to aid in surgery because it could induce sleep and a reversible coma. However, it lost favor in the medical community because it could lead to seizures. It made a resurgence in the 80s when it was advertised as a dietary supplement that behaved as a "growth hormone stimulator." It became popular within the bodybuilding community because it could help to metabolize fat and build muscle. As time went on, the general population became aware of its capacity to alter the mind.

GHB's desired effects include euphoria, hallucinations, muscle growth, and hypnotic tendencies. It can also lead to anterograde amnesia, which is the inability to form new memories until the drug wears off. When used with alcohol, it potentiates the effects of the drink thereby making a superdrink. The person unknowingly consuming this combination will never know what hit him/her. This is the aspect of the GHB that has been abused in date rape situations and makes it difficult for prosecution of the offender. The victim simply cannot remember what happened while the drug was active in her system.

GHB can also have severe adverse effects. Since its potency varies from individual to individual it is difficult to dose. It can reach toxic levels within fifteen minutes of ingestion due to its rapid absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and readily crosses from the blood to the brain. It can even be transported across the placenta to the fetus of a pregnant woman. The most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, slowing of the heart rate, and respiratory depression. In severe cases, this can lead to unconsciousness, seizures, and eventually coma. GHB also has a potential for addiction and a build up of tolerance. Detoxification from this drug has been described as being similar to going through alcohol withdrawal.

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