It’s also called roofies, la rocha, roche, R2, rope, Mexican Valium, circles, and the forget-me pill. Doctors in countries outside the United States sometimes administer Rohypnol as anesthesia before surgery. Rohypnol is easily dissolved and known for being undetectable in drinks, but newer versions of the drug can leave a bluish tint in light-colored drinks. It takes hold within 30 minutes, and the effects can last for several hours. Specialized treatment centers offer comprehensive care for survivors of sexual assault, including medical treatment, counseling, and support services.
Which Drugs Are Used?
One small tablet of Rohypnol can cause a person to pass out and forget what happened to them while under the influence. If you’re moving to a different area, carry your drink with you. Remember what your drink looks and tastes like to identify even the smallest changes. Some varieties of Rohypnol turn drinks blue, and GHB can make your drink taste salty.
Being roofied can feel very different from just being drunk or tired. It often starts with feeling suddenly dizzy or lightheaded, even if you haven’t had much to drink. You might feel a strong sense of confusion, as if you’re in a fog and can’t think clearly. Everything around you might seem blurry or distant, and it may become hard to focus on what’s happening. As a trusted Georgia recovery center, we are dedicated to serving our clients through various alcohol and drug addiction programs.
Commonly Abused Drugs
However, this is not a reliable way to tell whether your drink has spiked. Anyone can be vulnerable to roofies, no matter their gender, size, how do you feel the next day after being roofied or alcohol tolerance. The mental and emotional fallout from being attacked can last for years after the event, especially if it is not addressed with the help of a professional. The strongest physical effects are usually felt within the first 6 hours and typically wear off around 12 hours after ingestion. For example, Rohypnol has a half-life of hours, while GHB has a half-life of around minutes.
Which Drugs Are Used to Roofie?
Following these steps can help ensure that the person receives the necessary care and that any potential criminal activity is properly investigated. It is also important not to wash yourself or any clothing from the night before to avoid damaging potential evidence. Also, try to speak to friends who may have been with you at the time to see if they can confirm any details.
Urine samples need to be collected in just 72 hours and saliva and drug tests are normally ineffective in under 24 hours. More elaborate hair follicle testing can be conducted after 72 hours but may produce a false-positive result if other benzodiazepines are present in the system. Another indicator that someone has been roofied is if they have been talking to strangers shortly before effects present themselves, especially if said strangers have bought them drinks. If you suspect that your drink has been spiked, let someone know immediately and get somewhere safe with people you trust.
- Some people may feel nauseated, and nearly everyone who’s given these drugs experiences lapses in memory.
- Sunlight Recovery’s experts can help you deal with roofied symptoms by providing individual and group therapy sessions.
- You experience a lack of concentration, and you feel like you can’t control your thoughts.
- In a study of college students, more than 1 in 13 reported being drugged.
- Recovering from the physical drug effects of being roofied often takes about a day, but recovering emotionally and mentally may take many years.
Individualized Treatment
Sometimes, a person who has been roofied may be extremely drunk. Recovering from the physical drug effects of being roofied often takes about a day, but recovering emotionally and mentally may take many years. Being roofied is never the victim’s fault, but there are signs and symptoms to watch out for to help keep you and the people around you safe. The word ‘roofied’ is short for ‘roofie,’ the slang term used for the CNS depressant drug Rohypnol.
Memory loss One of the key indicators of being roofied is not being able to remember what happened the night before. If you wake up and have large blank spaces in your memory, then it’s likely that you’ve been roofied. If the person is unconscious, ask the doctors to test for date rape drugs in their system. Since some drugs take more than 10 hours to leave the system, the doctors may be able to detect the exact roofie drug that was administered and provide the appropriate treatment. Someone who’s been roofied may suffer from memory loss, making it hard to remember events that occurred even before ingesting the drug.
Action Items to Take If You Think You’ve Been Roofied: Seek Medical Attention
It’s important for everyone to be aware of the signs of being drugged and to take precautions while clubbing. Although anyone can get roofied, women are more likely to get roofied than men. Teens and women younger than 30 are at a higher risk than older women. Remember the three women in California in May this year, who spotted a man slipping something suspicious into what-looked-like his date’s drink while she was in the bathroom? One of them followed her into the bathroom and told her what she saw. They told the restaurant management, who reviewed the cctv footage.
Extreme drowsiness or sudden unconsciousness can also indicate being roofied. While alcohol can cause sleepiness, the level of sedation from drugs like Rohypnol is much more intense, often leading to complete unconsciousness for several hours. This depends on the amount of drug that has been slipped into their drink and the amount of alcohol they’ve been taking. In addition, some people will interact differently with the drug, so they can experience worse symptoms.
Most criminals who use roofies on rape victims will do so by picking targets in bars or clubs and spiking their alcoholic drinks with the drug. Sometimes, people who engage in excessive binge drinking may “blackout” and not remember certain things that happened throughout the night the next day. Psychologically, Rohypnol impairs judgment and causes memory loss, making users vulnerable to dangerous situations, including sexual assault or other forms of victimization.
It might feel like a really bad hangover, but much worse than what you’d expect based on how much you drank. If you notice these symptoms, it’s important to get to a safe place immediately and seek medical help. Document any details you can remember about your drink, your surroundings, and the people around you. These terms all point to the same dangerous practice of slipping a sedative into someone’s drink.
- At the same time, you might notice that your emotions are all over the place.
- When going out for the night with friends or by yourself, whether it’s to a party at someone’s home or a public venue, it’s important to keep yourself safe.
- It can be helpful to watch for signs of being roofied like loss of consciousness, dizziness, difficulty moving, or nausea and vomiting.
- Because of the powerful effects of these drugs, many people don’t realize they’ve been roofied until the next day.
It’s most often distributed as a pill that quickly dissolves in liquid. This medication is a benzodiazepine and a central nervous system depressant. Symptoms of being roofied can be confused with the feelings of being drunk, but the lack of proper judgment and loss of concentration usually worsen over time. In most cases, the person will lose consciousness and can’t recall what is happening.
Some victims also explained that they sensed some sort of paralysis. Although feeling euphoria is quite common during the initial stages, dealing with brain fog is the most common symptom of being roofied. You suddenly feel that everything is blurry and that you can no longer think or act normally.
The mental and physical health consequences of being roofied can be serious. By taking the above preventative measures and knowing the signs, you can better protect yourself. If you’re struggling to recover from the trauma, FHE Health may be able to help. Reach out to us anytime to receive compassionate mental health care. If you are experiencing symptoms of being roofied and suspect someone has slipped you an illicit drug, call 911 immediately. Don’t drive, and don’t leave the area you’re at unless you’re in danger.
Its street names include cat tranquilizer, super acid, super K, special K and vitamin K. Ketamine is approved in the US as a short-acting anesthetic, and it can be used as a nasal spray to treat depression that hasn’t improved using other means. Always exercise caution in social settings, never leave your drink unattended, and trust your instincts if something feels off or unsafe. The drug that has been slipped into your drink can cause nausea, especially when you’ve been drinking. Having trouble breathing can also be a sign that you’ve been roofied. Since the drug affects your muscles and how they respond, you might not be able to breathe well, especially in crowded places.
