Drug Facts
The Facts on Rohypnol
Get the Facts
Rohypnol can affect your brain and body. Rohypnol is often used at all-night dance parties ("raves"), nightclubs, and concerts. Club drugs, such as rohypnol, can damage the neurons in your brain, impairing your senses, memory, judgment, and coordination. Rohypnol is artificial - it was created in a chemistry lab during sedative medical research. There is no medical use of Rohypnol in the United States.
Rohypnol makes users very relaxed, confused, and "spaced-out." It can take away all inhibitions, making people do things they ordinarily wouldn't do. Enough rohypnol can make people pass out, and even slip into a coma if taken in combination with other drugs or in large doses.
Rohypnol can affect your self-control. Rohypnol is used in "date rape" and other assaults because it is a sedative that can make you unconscious and immobilize you. Rohypnol can cause a kind of amnesia - users may not remember what they said or did while under the effects of the drug, making it easier for others to take advantage of them.
Rohypnol's physical appearance. It almost always comes in the form of a pill, though sometimes it's just in powder form. It has no odor. The powder is frequently mixed with a drink, or even put in someone's drink without them knowing. A particular formula is available that fizzes and turns blue when it's dropped into a liquid, but most rohypnol doesn't.
Club drugs, like rohypnol, are not always what they seem. Because club drugs are illegal and often produced in makeshift laboratories, it is impossible to know exactly what chemicals were used to produce them and where they came from. How strong or dangerous any illegal drug is varies each time.
Rohypnol can kill you. Higher doses of club drugs, like rohypnol, can cause severe breathing problems, coma, or even death.
Before You Risk It
Know the law. It is illegal to buy or sell club drugs, such as rohypnol. It is also a federal crime to use any controlled substance to aid in a sexual assault.
Get the facts. Despite what you may have heard, club drugs like rophypnol can be addictive.
Know the risks. Mixing club drugs, like rohypnol, together or with alcohol is extremely dangerous. The effects of one drug can magnify the effects and risks of another. In fact, mixing substances can be lethal.
Know the Signs
How can you tell if a friend is using a club drug, like rohypnol? Sometimes it's tough to tell. But there are signs you can look for. If your friend has one or more of the following warning signs, he or she may be using club drugs:
- Problems remembering things they recently said or did
- Loss of coordination, dizziness, fainting
- Depression
- Confusion
- Sleep problems
What can you do to help someone who is using rohypnol? Be a real friend. Save a life. Encourage your friend to stop or seek professional help. For information and referrals, call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.
Q&A
Q. If you were in a club and somebody slipped a club drug like rohypnol into your drink, wouldn't you realize it immediately?
A. Probably not. Most club drugs are odorless and tasteless. Some are made into a powder form that makes it easier to slip into a drink and dissolve without a person's knowledge. That is why some of these drugs have been called "date rape" drugs—because there have been increasing reports of club drugs being used in sexual assaults.
Need More Info?
To learn more about rohypnol or obtain referrals to programs in your community, contact:
SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
800-729-6686
TDD 800-487-4889
linea gratis en español
877-767-8432
ncadi.samhsa.gov
The bottom line: If you know someone who uses rohypnol, urge him or her to get help. If you're using rohypnol--stop! The longer you ignore the real facts, the more chances you take with your life.
It's never too late. Talk to your parents, a doctor, a counselor, a teacher, or another adult you trust.
Do it today!