Eight revellers who suffered suspected overdoses of so-called party drug GHB in Melbourne over the weekend - including a woman whose initial condition was listed as critical - have been discharged from hospital.
Two women and four men were hospitalised after being found in the early hours of Sunday in King and Little Bourke streets in the CBD, including the woman in her 20s fighting for life and a man in his late teens assessed as seriously ill.
All had recovered and been released from hospital on Sunday, spokeswomen from St Vincent's Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed on Monday.
Police also said on Monday a man and woman in their 20s were suspected of overdosing on the same drug on Chapel Street in Prahran on Sunday night.
Both were taken to The Alfred Hospital and released on Monday, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed.
Police urged people to "think twice about taking any drugs" and to contact emergency services immediately if someone has a bad reaction.
It is believed at least some of the overdoses occurred outside King Street nightclub Inflation.
A spokeswoman for the premises said police were not doing enough to tackle drug problems in the area.
"Clubs make money by selling alcohol and the drug users hurt our profitability, which is why we put a lifetime ban on anyone caught using or dealing drugs in and around our venue," she said.
"We are still not sure why police are invisible and have not done operations around King Street after we raised our concerns to senior police in writing."
Ambulance Victoria executive director of emergency operations Mick Stephenson says GHB use is again on the rise after first becoming prevalent in Melbourne about a decade ago.
He says the drug, taken for its euphoric effects, suppressed users' consciousness and put them at risk of choking while they "thrashed around".
He told reporters on Sunday the drug was "wildly unpredictable".
Victoria Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said users sometimes took double-doses of a precursor that mimicked the effect of GHB, believing the first dose hadn't worked when in fact it simply took longer to take effect.
He also said the risk of overdose increased when users mixed GHB with other drugs or alcohol.
Mr Nugent said police arrested a 22-year-old Hawthorn man on King Street about 3.30am on Sunday.
He said although the man was allegedly in possession of GHB and other drugs, it wasn't thought he was connected to the overdoses.
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