Use of drug GHB growing faster than heroin
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Medical experts say use of the drug GHB in Melbourne, has grown faster than heroin use.
The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found a four per cent increase in GHB overdoses per month between 2001 and 2005.
The increase for heroin overdoses during that time, was about one per cent per month.
Associate Professor Paul Dietze, from the Burnet Institute, says GHB is a relatively new drug and is popular with people under the age of 25.
"It certainly has made an impact on the scene, and it is obviously something of concern," he said.
"Even though the numbers aren't as great as heroin, the people who are being affected are a completely different group. So it's not injecting drug users in the main, it's people who would be attending raves and so forth."
The study also shows that 90 per cent of those who overdose on the drug need hospital treatment, compared with 21 per cent of heroin overdoses.
"These GHB overdoses require ambulance take them to hospital, so they can be appropriately managed and looked after," he said.
"Whereas with heroin, there is an antidote drug that is administered by paramedics at the scene. The GHB cases, they don't respond to any drug like that."
