4 Teens Treated After Ingesting ‘Date Rape Drug’

Four Orange County teenagers were rushed to hospitals Saturday afternoon after taking a drug linked with date rape that is posing a growing threat across the nation, authorities said.

Police responded to a request for medical assistance about 12:45 p.m. at the Northwood Town Center shopping mall in Irvine after the youths drank a liquid drug known by the initials GHB, Irvine police said. The four, who were suffering from extreme fatigue, were treated at local hospitals and later released.

The four teens, whose names were not released, were not arrested.

“I think they were just experimenting . . . and it knocked them for a loop,” said Candy Lockshaw, house supervisor at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where two of the teens, ages 15 and 16, were treated. “We’re seeing this more and more.”

GHB--short for gamma-hydroxybutyrate--acts as a powerful depressant whose effects can last for several hours. The drug depresses the central nervous system, Lockshaw said, and can lead to severe breathing problems. Nationally, there have been several deaths and near-fatal cases.

“All it takes is half a teaspoon to four tablespoons for [users] to be wiped out,” Lockshaw said. “They can go into a coma for a couple of hours on that stuff. We see it a lot.”

GHB is illegal to sell or possess, except for special uses approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Medical researchers are testing it on patients who have sleeping problems.

Odorless and usually clear or slightly yellow, GHB can go undetected when mixed with a beverage and has been linked to cases of sexual assault against women who were drugged and then attacked. The substance also is used by some bodybuilders as a synthetic growth hormone.

Recreational use of GHB, also known as Liquid E or Liquid X, is becoming increasingly popular at dance clubs and parties. In small doses, it can make users feel relaxed and create a feeling of euphoria.

Recently, an over-the-counter drug that converts to GHB after being swallowed has drawn attention from state legislators. State Assemblyman Mike Honda (D-San Jose) introduced a bill this year that would ban the sale of the drug, often sold in health stores and sex shops under the brand name Blue Nitro.

Blue Nitro is marketed as a dietary supplement that claims to act as an aphrodisiac, burn fat and reduce stress.

As GHB’s popularity has increased, so too have overdoses.

From 1992 to 1996, the annual number of GHB-related emergency-room visits nationwide increased from 20 to 629, according to the federal government’s Drug Abuse Warning Network. More than 90% of cases involved people taking the drug for recreational use, according to the agency.

In January, Newport Beach police arrested Brian David Altneu, 27, for allegedly possessing half a gallon of the drug. Police believe Altneu was a major dealer of the drug at local nightclubs.