Note: This recording was edited for clarity, length, and technical quality while preserving the integrity of original presentations
GBH and Stimulants: Navigating Complex Polydrug Use Presentations
GHB-related harms continue to rise across Australia, with increasing reports of ambulance call outs and emergency department presentations. Concurrent use of stimulants like methamphetamine is increasingly common in presentations needing intensive care treatment.
Combining methamphetamine and other stimulants with GHB/GBL/1,4-BD can amplify the risks associated with intoxication, mask early warning signs of toxicity, and complicate withdrawal symptoms.
In this webinar, our presenters shared their experiences working specifically with people who use GHB and methamphetamine in clubbing and chemsex settings in Dublin, Ireland.
It covers:
- common characteristics of combined GHB and methamphetamine use
- understanding risk profiles, overdose responses, and managing complex withdrawal
- evidence-based harm reduction and treatment interventions to support people who use GHB and other drugs
Meet our speakers
Dr Kiran Santlal
Senior Medical Officer, Psychiatry, St John of God Hospital Dublin |
Club Drugs Clinic, HSE National Drug Treatment Centre, Ireland
In his work managing substance use problems associated with chemsex, Dr. Kiran Santlal integrates psychiatric care, harm-reduction strategies and trauma-informed therapies. A strong advocate for culturally competent, non-judgemental, and holistic care, his work bridges gaps between mental health, sexual health, community support, and harm reduction services to supporting more effective treatment responses.
Dr Santlal places emphasis on polydrug-driven complexities like intoxication, overdose and related emergencies, mental health sequelae (anxiety, depression, substance dependence), and the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections that often accompany chemsex practices.
Beyond clinical practise, he also contributes to public health education and training, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, including community-based outreach workers, harm reduction services, sexual health clinics, and emergency care providers to emphasise realistic risk assessment, early intervention, and supportive care.
In this webinar Dr Santlal will offer a grounded, pragmatic perspective informed by clinical psychiatry and deep awareness of social and sexual health to support frontline workers seeking to better identify acute GHB or polydrug presentations, manage risks, and support long-term harm reduction and health promotion.
Graham Ryall
Senior Addiction Practitioner
Rialto Community Drugs Team, Dublin, Ireland
Graham Ryall has thirty years' experience working within the context of what he refers to as "substance use, addiction and self-medication" - all very different and separate themes.
Amongst his qualifications are M.Sc in Drug and Alcohol Policy and M.Sc in Addiction Counselling. The vast majority of his work over the past eleven years has focused on the Club Drugs, Chems and Chemsex scene.
In this webinar Graham will discuss GHB and stimulant use in the context of recognising and responding to intoxication, dependence, and overdose risk in community settings to help workers support clients to reduce the risk of experiencing harm.