Objective: To identify deaths in Australasia associated with overdose of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and its precursors (gamma-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol).
Design: A retrospective search of medical and scientific information sources, as well as popular newsprint, for the period January 2000-August 2003, with formal clinical, toxicological and forensic evaluation of retrieved data.
Main outcome measure: Death associated with forensic data implicating GHB or its analogues.
Results: Ten confirmed GHB-associated deaths were identified, with eight considered to be directly attributable to GHB. Only two of these eight cases were positive for ethanol toxicology.
Conclusions: Our study supports the existing evidence that GHB overdose is associated with fatalities, and that fatal overdoses occur in the context of isolated use.