yellow2 → brown2
dose.wiki is still in beta. Entries may contain inaccuracies and/or lack citations. See our docs for more info.
Not yet reviewed — this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.
WARNINGOVERDOSE, COMBINATIONS, & WITHDRAWAL CAN BE FATAL
High doses alone or ordinary doses in combination with other depressants can fatally stop breathing. After prolonged dependency, stopping suddenly can cause seizures, delirium, or death.
1,4-Butanediol
1,4-Butanediol
BD, BDO, 1,4-B, 1,4-BD, Butylene glycol
1,4-Butanediol is a synthetic diol compound first synthesized in 1890 by Dutch chemist Pieter Johannes Dekkers. Widely used industrially as a solvent and in the manufacture of plastics and polyurethanes,citation needed it also sees recreational use as a depressant.1 It functions as a prodrug for GHB,2 producing reportedly similar effects. It is considered habit-forming1 and carries additional health risks compared to GHB, notably liver toxicity.
Dosage & Duration
Dosage
Doses are population estimates that vary widely between individuals.
Threshold~0.5 ml
Light0.5-1 ml
Moderate1-1.5 ml
Strong1.5-2.5 ml
Heavy2.5+ ml
Individual response to 1,4-butanediol varies considerably owing to differences in alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Because effects take longer to manifest than with GHB, premature redosing before the initial dose has taken effect is a frequent contributor to overdose. Recommendations mention starting at 1 mL for new users. Food greatly increases onset time.
Duration
Onset10-45 minutes
Come Up20-60 minutes
Peak1-2 hours
Offset1.5-2 hours
After Effects2-4 hours
Total3-5 hours
Half-life
~39 minutes
Subjective Effects
Legacy content. A statistically backed ontology from Mindstate Design Labs is coming soon.
Effects vary widely by individual, dose, and context.
Physical
The physical effects of 1,4-butanediol can be broken down into several components which progressively intensify proportional to dosage.
Cognitive
The cognitive effects of 1,4-butanediol can be broken down into several components which progressively intensify proportional to dosage. It contains a large number of typical depressant cognitive effects.
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
1,4-Butanediol functions primarily as a prodrug of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), and its major psychoactive effects result from its rapid metabolic conversion into GHB rather than from direct activity of the parent compound.citation needed One study has suggested that 1,4-butanediol may possess inherent alcohol-like pharmacological effects, based on its observed potentiation of ethanol's behavioral effects when co-administered.3 However, this potentiation may instead be explained by competition for shared metabolic enzymes.citation needed A separate study found no effect following direct intracerebroventricular injection in rats, contradicting the hypothesis of inherent pharmacological activity.
Pharmacokinetics
1,4-Butanediol is rapidly converted into GHB by alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase.1 Individual variation in the levels of these enzymes may account for differences in effects and side effects between users.citation needed Because 1,4-butanediol shares its metabolic enzymes with ethanol, co-administration creates competition for these enzymes, slowing the metabolism and clearance of both compounds. The elimination half-life of 1,4-butanediol is approximately 39 minutes.1
Interactions
Interactions not written up yet
An unlisted combination is an unknown one, not a safe one. Check a dedicated combination chart before mixing.
Tolerance
Tolerance timelines are rules of thumb, not exact schedules, and vary widely between individuals and use patterns.
Cross Tolerance
GHB, GBL, Other GABAergic depressants
Harm Potential
Addiction & Dependence
Psychological
ModerateClassified as habit-forming with potential for psychological dependence characteristic of GABAergic depressants.citation needed
Toxicity
Hepatic
Liver toxicity has been identified as a potential health risk associated with use,1 representing an additional hazard compared to GHB itself.
History & Culture
Discovery and Synthesis
1,4-Butanediol was first synthesized in 1890citation needed by Dutch chemist Pieter Johannes Dekkers through the acidic hydrolysis of N,N'-dinitro-1,4-butanediamine. Dekkers originally named the compound "tetramethylene glycol," a reference to its structure as a four-carbon diol.
Legality
International
1,4-Butanediol is not internationally scheduled under the 1961 Single Convention, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, or the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic. It is not listed in the convention schedules or the 1988 Convention's Tables I and II.
By Country
Illegal4
United StatesIllegal (analog/blanket ban)While 1,4-butanediol is not currently scheduled at the federal level, several states have classified it as a controlled substance. Individuals have been prosecuted for possession under the Federal Analog Act as substantially similar to GHB. Court rulings have been inconsistent: a 2002 federal case in New York ruled it could not be considered a GHB analog, but this decision was later overturned by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.31
GermanyIllegal1,4-Butanediol is expressly listed in Anlage 2 of the Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz (NpSG), as amended by the Act of 7 January 2026. The listing covers the pure substance and preparations containing more than 20 percent 1,4-butanediol; because Anlage 2 classifies it in column 3 as "jeder Stoff" (every substance), the NpSG prohibits trade, placing on the market, manufacture, import, export, acquisition, possession, and administration. Uses recognized according to the state of science and technology for commercial, industrial, or scientific purposes are exempt, so this is a direct NPS listing rather than analogue-only control.
New ZealandIllegalMisuse of Drugs Act 1975, Schedule 2, Part 120
1,4-Butanediol is a Class B controlled drug under Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. The Schedule expressly includes it among substances from which GHB can be derived.
Controlled / restricted7
ArgentinaControlled precursorArgentina places 1,4-butanediol in Lista I of the controlled chemical-precursor annex to Decreto 593/2019, as substituted by Decreto 128/2026, effective on its publication on 4 March 2026. This is a precursor-chemical control rather than its inclusion in Argentina’s criminal list of estupefacientes: operators conducting transactions in listed chemicals must register with the Registro Nacional de Precursores Químicos, and Lista I imports and exports require prior authorization.
BelgiumRestrictedRoyal Decree of 6 September 2017 regulating narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances9
Belgium places 1,4-butanediol in Annex V of the Royal Decree of 6 September 2017 under a distinct national control regime rather than the ordinary narcotic or psychotropic schedules. A private individual may not import, export, transport, manufacture, possess, sell, offer for sale, supply, or acquire the substance without a private permit; such a permit is available only where the individual establishes a legal purpose and the absence of an alternative. The regime preserves lawful industrial commerce: a Belgian market operator may supply the substance to a private individual only on presentation of that permit, and to another market operator on an end-user declaration.
FranceRestrictedArrêté du 2 septembre 2011 portant application d’une partie de la réglementation des stupéfiants à la gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), au 1,4-butanediol (1,4 BD) et aux produits qui en contiennent (NOR : ETSP1124197A)12
France prohibits the public offering and transfer of 1,4-butanediol under the order of 2 September 2011, published in the Journal officiel on 8 September 2011. The order also prohibits public offering and transfer of products containing 1,4-butanediol at a concentration above 10% m/v when supplied in containers larger than 100 ml. This is a targeted public-supply restriction applying part of the narcotics regulatory framework, rather than a general prohibition on possession or an analogue-based classification.
NetherlandsRestricted1,4-Butanediol is designated under Article 2 of the Besluit alcohol, drugs en geneesmiddelen in het verkeer for the drug-driving limits in Article 8(5) of the Wegenverkeerswet 1994. For GHB, gamma-butyrolactone, or 1,4-butanediol used alone, the decree sets a limit of 10 milligrams of GHB per litre of blood; the combined-use limit is 5.0 milligrams per litre. This is a traffic-control designation, not an Opiumwet drug schedule: the current Opiumwet's List IA blanket control is limited to substances derived from 2-phenethylamine, cannabimimetics/synthetic cannabinoids, and substances derived from 4-aminopiperidine, so it does not conditionally capture 1,4-butanediol.
RussiaControlled precursorGovernment Decree of the Russian Federation No. 681 of 30 June 1998, On approval of the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors subject to control in the Russian Federation22
Russia classifies 1,4-butanediol as a controlled precursor in List IV, Table II of Government Decree No. 681; this control applies at a concentration of 15 percent or more. Table II restricts circulation and subjects listed precursors to general control measures, and 1,4-butanediol has been included there since 14 March 2012. This is precursor regulation of an industrial chemical, not its direct listing as a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.
SwedenRestrictedSweden classifies 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) as a health-hazardous good under the Ordinance on the Prohibition of Certain Goods Dangerous to Health, rather than as a narcotic. It has been listed since 1 November 2005. Importation, transfer, manufacture, acquisition for transfer, offering for sale, possession, and most other handling require a permit; the Public Health Agency may grant permits for scientific or industrial purposes. Certain industrial preparations are exempted from the permit requirement under FoHMFS 2014:3.
Legal / decriminalized1
NorwayLegal (regulated)Forskrift om narkotika (narkotikaforskriften)21
1,4-Butandiol is named in Norway’s Narkotikalisten (narcotics list), making it subject to the Narcotics Regulation’s controls rather than a general analogue provision. Industrial use may be permitted only where the finished product does not, or is not expected to, have a psychoactive effect and the raw material cannot, or is not expected to, be recovered from it. Industrial use requires permission from the Department, and the regulation’s other narcotics-control provisions also apply; manufacture requires permission, and import or export is limited to authorised businesses with a certificate for each shipment.
References
Source Pages
Citations
- Skryabin, V. Yu., Shevtsova, Yu. B., & Novoselova, E. A.. (2023). Consequences of 1,4-Butanediol Misuse: A Review. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 53(4), 48-53. https://doi.org/10.64719/pb.447512345
- Goodwin, A. K., Brown, P. R., Jansen, E. E. W., Jakobs, C., Gibson, K. M., & Weerts, E. M.. (2009). Behavioral effects and pharmacokinetics of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) precursors gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) in baboons. Psychopharmacology, 204(3), 465-476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-009-1477-81
- Flavio Poldrugo, & O. Carter Snead III. (1984). 1,4-butanediol, γ-hydroxybutyric acid and ethanol: Relationships and interactions. Neuropharmacology, 23(1), 109–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/0028-3908(84)90226-01
- Toys Linked To "Date Rape" Drug Pulled. CBS News (n.d.). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/toys-linked-to-date-rape-drug-pulled/1
- Vergiftungen in der TU Darmstadt: K.o.-Tropfen in Uni gefunden. t-online.de (2021). https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/kriminalitaet/id_90695568/vergiftungen-in-der-tu-darmstadt-k-o-tropfen-in-uni-gefunden.html1234
- Decreto 128/2026. argentina.gob.ar (n.d.). https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/decreto-128-2026-423619/texto1
- Decreto 128/2026. boletinoficial.gob.ar (n.d.). https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/339043/202603041
- Decreto 128/2026. argentina.gob.ar (n.d.). https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/ley-23737-138/actualizacion1
- Royal Decree of 6 September 2017 regulating narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances. ejustice.just.fgov.be (n.d.). https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/besluit/2017/09/06/2017031231/justel1
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Schedule VI, Part 1. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-38.8/FullText.html1
Further Reading
Adverse Events, Including Death, Associated with 1,4-BDO - NEJM (2001)
Clinical Pharmacology of 1,4-BDO (Thai et al., 2007)
DEA Drug Fact Sheet: 1,4-Butanediol (2025)
DEA Drug Fact Sheet: GHB (2020)
Fatal Intoxication Case Report (2023)
GBL & 1,4-BDO ACMD Report (UK Home Office, 2006)- Metabolism Study - PMC (2019)
- PubChem Compound Summary: 1,4-Butanediol (2024)
Reddit: /r/researchchemicals Discussion (2019)
Two Cases of Withdrawal - Annals of Emergency Medicine (2001)
WebMD: 1,4-Butanediol
Article Status
Step 1 · Automated synthesisAn autonomous workflow built by Josie Kins compiled this article's foundation from information published across the web.
- Step 2 · First-pass reviewPending
Not yet reviewed — this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.
- Step 3 · Citation reviewPending
No one has reviewed this article's citations yet. That second pass checks each claim against the source it cites.
Recent changes8 human edits · latest
Times are UTCNewest first
25 August 2026
Lyrea · Reworded 5 words in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Notes
Lyrea · Changed a word in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Stages › Peak
Lyrea · Changed a word in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Dose ranges › Heavy
Lyrea · Changed a word in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Dose ranges › Strong
Lyrea · Reworded 9 words in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Notes
Lyrea · Changed a word in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Stages › Offset
Lyrea · Changed a word in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Stages › Peak
Lyrea · Changed a word in Dosage & Duration › Routes 1 › Stages › Come up
Suggest an edit
Spotted a mistake, an outdated claim, or something missing from the 1,4-Butanediol article? Send the editors a private note. Feedback lands in a moderation queue and is never shown on the site.
Wish to give generalised feedback? You can do so here.