What You Need To Know About Date Rape Drugs

The Danger

You're at a party, a club, or a social event. You're with people you know, people you think you have no reason to fear. Someone secretly drops a drug like Rohypnol or GHB in your drink. When the drug dissolves, it is colorless and odorless. These drugs are silent and invisible — when hidden in a drink, they may be completely undetectable. Yet, they are potent and destructive. They can seriously harm or even kill you.

About Rohypnol

Rohypnol is the brand name for flunitrazepam, a benzodiazepine in the same family as Valium and Xanax. It has never been approved for medical use in the United States. It is illegal to manufacture, distribute, or possess Rohypnol in this country.

Rohypnol is a fast-acting sedative. Effects may be noticeable within 20 to 30 minutes after ingestion, causing drowsiness, confusion, impaired motor skills, dizziness, disinhibition, dehydration, impaired judgment, and reduced levels of consciousness.

It is very dangerous to mix Rohypnol with alcohol or other drugs. The combination may produce extremely low blood pressure, respiratory depression, difficulty breathing, coma, or death.

One of the most disturbing effects is that it can produce complete or partial amnesia for events that take place after ingestion. This effect is heightened when ingested with alcohol.

Rohypnol is most commonly found in tablet form, usually smuggled in blister or bubble packs. It can also be found as a powder or in liquid form. When dissolved into a liquid you can't taste it, smell it, or see it.

About GHB

GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate) is a central nervous system depressant and a class II controlled substance with no approved medical use in the United States.

Two things make GHB especially dangerous: First, the drug can produce very different effects from dose to dose. Second, there is a very narrow margin between the dose that produces intoxication and one that produces more harmful effects.

GHB is most commonly made as a clear liquid that is colorless and odorless. It may taste somewhat salty. It is distributed in bars, clubs, and raves — "dosed out" by capfuls, drops, or swigs, usually stored in sports bottles, water bottles, or eye dropper bottles.

Street names: Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH), Liquid X, Liquid E, Liquid Ecstasy, Easy Lay, G, Vita-G, G-Juice, Georgia Home Boy, Great Hormones, Bedtime Scoop, Soap, Gook, Gamma 10, and Energy Drink.

What Are the Signs of Being Drugged?

• If you feel more intoxicated than you usually do with the same amount of alcohol consumed
• If you wake up feeling "fuzzy" and you can't remember a period of time
• If you remember taking a drink, but can't remember what happened after the drink
• If you feel as though someone had sex with you, but you can't remember part or all of the encounter

What Should You Do If It Happens to You?

1. Get help immediately.
2. Ask a trusted individual to stay with you and assist in getting you the help you need.
3. Call the police.
4. Get medical care.
5. Go to a hospital emergency department as soon as possible for an examination and evidence collection.
6. Inform hospital personnel that you suspect you've been drugged and sexually assaulted. Request a urine sample be taken as soon as possible for future analysis. (Time is of the essence!)
7. Preserve as much physical evidence as possible. Do not urinate, shower, bathe, douche, or throw away the clothing you were wearing during the incident. If possible, save any other materials that might provide evidence, such as the glass that held your drink.
8. Call a rape crisis center for information and support.

Take Care of Yourself

• Don't drink beverages you did not open.
• Don't share or exchange drinks.
• Don't drink from a container that is being passed around.
• If possible, bring your own drinks to parties.
• If someone offers to buy you a drink, accompany that person to get the drink, and don't allow the drink out of your control.
• Don't leave your drink unattended — even to use the restroom.
• If you leave your drink unattended — discard it.
• Don't drink anything that has an unusual taste or appearance (salty, excessive foam, residue).

Watch Out for Your Friends

• Appoint a designated person to remain sober. Check on each other frequently.
• If one of your friends has any of the following symptoms — exceedingly intoxicated after drinking a beverage, passes out and is difficult to awaken, difficulty in breathing, or behaves in an uncharacteristic way — help your friend by ensuring their safety and seek medical attention. Call 9-1-1. Remember: There is no antidote for GHB.
• If you hear someone is "dosing" a drink or a punch bowl, intervene. Warn potential victims and/or get help.
• Warn friends about high-risk situations, such as clubs where "dosing" is known to have occurred.

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