1. OTC and Prescription Drug Abuse Slideshow Pictures
2. Health Risks of Alcohol Abuse Slideshow Pictures

In this Article

• What are date rape drugs?
• What do the drugs look like?
• What effects do these drugs have on the body?
• Are these drugs legal in the United States?
• Is alcohol a date rape drug? What about other drugs?
• How can I protect myself from being a victim?
• Are there ways to tell if I might have been drugged and raped?
• What should I do if I think I've been drugged and raped?
• Patient Comments: Date Rape Drugs - Experience
• Find a local Doctor in your town
• Date Rape Drugs Index

• Rohypnol comes as a pill that dissolves in liquids. Some are small, round, and white. Newer pills are oval and green-gray in color. When slipped into a drink, a dye in these new pills makes clear liquids turn bright blue and dark drinks turn cloudy. But this color change might be hard to see in a dark drink, like cola or dark beer, or in a dark room. Also, the pills with no dye are still available. The pills may be ground up into a powder.



• GHB has a few forms: a liquid with no odor or color, white powder, and pill. It might give your drink a slightly salty taste. Mixing it with a sweet drink, such as fruit juice, can mask the salty taste.



• Ketamine comes as a liquid and a white powder.

These drugs are very powerful. They can affect you very quickly and without your knowing. The length of time that the effects last varies. It depends on how much of the drug is taken and if the drug is mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Alcohol makes the drugs even stronger and can cause serious health problems -- even death.

Rohypnol

The effects of Rohypnol can be felt within 30 minutes of being drugged and can last for several hours. If you are drugged, you might look and act like someone who is drunk. You might have trouble standing. Your speech might be slurred. Or you might pass out. Rohypnol can cause these problems:

• Muscle relaxation or loss of muscle control
• Difficulty with motor movements
• Drunk feeling
• Problems talking
• Nausea
• Can't remember what happened while drugged
• Loss of consciousness (black out)
• Confusion
• Problems seeing
• Dizziness
• Sleepiness
• Lower blood pressure
• Stomach problems
• Death

GHB

GHB takes effect in about 15 minutes and can last 3 or 4 hours. It is very potent: A very small amount can have a big effect. So it's easy to overdose on GHB. Most GHB is made by people in home or street "labs." So, you don't know what's in it or how it will affect you. GHB can cause these problems:

• Relaxation
• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Problems seeing
• Loss of consciousness (black out)
• Seizures
• Can't remember what happened while drugged
• Problems breathing
• Tremors
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Slow heart rate
• Dream-like feeling
• Coma
• Death

Ketamine

Ketamine is very fast-acting. You might be aware of what is happening to you, but unable to move. It also causes memory problems. Later, you might not be able to remember what happened while you were drugged. Ketamine can cause these problems:

• Distorted perceptions of sight and sound
• Lost sense of time and identity
• Out of body experiences
• Dream-like feeling
• Feeling out of control
• Impaired motor function
• Problems breathing
• Convulsions
• Vomiting
• Memory problems
• Numbness
• Loss of coordination
• Aggressive or violent behavior
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Slurred speech