The silent, sneaky killer
Death sparks party drug overdose alert
A leading Gold Coast toxicologist has issued an urgent warning to partygoers about the drug GHB, also known as Fantasy, as police investigate a fatal group overdose.
Police sources on Monday told the Bulletin, the clear, odourless substance, also known as Fantasy, was being investigated as a possible cause of the fatal mass overdose incident in Surfers Paradise at the weekend.
Danni Whittaker, who had just turned 40, died. Two other women, both aged 43, were rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital with breathing difficulties. One has since been released while the other continues to receive treatment.
It is still unclear what caused the medical emergency.
Bond University pharmacologist Treasure McGuire warned consuming only a small amount of GHB could be lethal.
“It’s a sneaky drug,” Dr McGuire said. “You really are taking your life in your hands and the doses are tiny.
“Alcohol and other substances that are a bit mind altering, they all increase the toxicity.”
Within five minutes of consuming GHB, the effects start to take hold with most people experiencing a euphoric rush.
That usually lasts for up to an hour and often masks the early warning signs of an overdose, Dr McGuire says.
“The effects can shift then very quickly – slowing of the heart, respiratory depression,” she said.
“In toxicity, because you don’t need very much, this can lead to a sudden coma.”
Dr McGuire said life threatening symptoms could last for up to two weeks following an overdose, depending on the amount of GHB a person had consumed.
“There is no antidote to reverse the toxicity,” she said.
“All we can do is get the patient into ICU for supportive care, ventilation, and hope for the best.”
Gold Coast Health also issued its own warnings over GBH abuse, which was believed to be behind 20 serious admissions to emergency departments since the start of the year.