Symptoms of Being Roofied: How to Recognize, Respond, and Stay Safe

10 Jan Symptoms of Being Roofied: How to Recognize, Respond, and Stay Safe

However, “being roofied” also means unknowingly taking any drug that makes rape or sexual assault easier. This means that you can’t remember (or will struggle to recall) what happened after taking the drug. The memory loss lasts for as long as the drug is active in your body. However, your memories before taking the drug aren’t affected.

Understanding Addiction

• It is also important to seek medical help, especially since you don’t know what you have been given and how your body may react to it.
• We provide tailored care plans to help you heal and regain control.
• Being roofied can make a person really sick, especially when they are given a drug in combination with alcohol, or they are taking prescription drugs already.
• It can be helpful to watch for signs of being roofied like loss of consciousness, dizziness, difficulty moving, or nausea and vomiting.
• However, this is not a reliable way to tell whether your drink has spiked.
• The distress caused by the situation can have a long-term impact on the individual.

Being Roofied is a terrifying feeling that can occur unexpectedly in social situations. The phrase “Roofied” alludes to the usage of drugs such as Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), GHB, or ketamine, which are commonly used in drug-related assaults. If you or someone you love has been roofied, we’re here to help. We have certified counselors and medical professionals available to guide you toward healing and reclaiming your strength.

Keeping your body and clothes just as they were when you woke up allows a healthcare provider to find evidence of a sexual assault and roofies in your system. Memory loss isn’t a symptom you’ll notice as a roofie takes effect. However, roofies are potent drugs that cause a type of memory loss called anterograde amnesia. Sadly, owing to the rapid nature of roofies affecting the victim and their sedative properties, many people do not realize they have been drugged until it is too late. As roofies cause gaps in memory, it is often difficult to recognize if you have been a victim the following day. They are also undetectable, having no smell, color, or taste when dissolved in liquid.

How to Know If You Were Roofied: Signs and Symptoms

If you see someone you don’t know but suspect may have been roofied, then notify security or a member of the bar staff. If you are worried for their safety or feel they are being coerced or manipulated against their will, then notify authorities or interject if safe to do so. Traces of Rohypnol leave the body very quickly, making it difficult to be detected in most standard drug tests. 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.

Because you may lose consciousness very quickly in this situation, acting fast is essential at the onset of any signs you’ve been roofied. It’s also important to seek medical care afterward if you wake up the next day suspecting you’ve been roofied. Rohypnol became known as “roofies” or “the date rape drug” because sexual predators used it to spike people’s drinks, incapacitating them so they couldn’t fight back. Rohypnol is no longer the most popular drug being used for this purpose, but the term stuck. Today, someone who says they were “roofied” could have had their drink contaminated with any number of substances. The drugs change, but the goal — sexual assault — remains the same.

It can be helpful to watch for signs of being roofied like loss of consciousness, dizziness, difficulty moving, or nausea and vomiting. Drink spiking a person to sexually assault or rape them is also known as alcohol or drug-facilitated sexual assault. When a person gets roofied, they can become dizzy, nauseous, unconscious, and experience a loss in memory, along with many other symptoms. A roofied drink occurs when a drug has been slipped into a person’s drink without them knowing it. If possible, get medical attention right away to test for drugs in your system.

Roofies and Drug-Facilitated Assualt

If you feel unsure or uncomfortable, it’s important to prioritize your well-being. However, this is not a reliable way to tell whether your drink has spiked. Trying to ignore the experience or pretend it didn’t happen can make the symptoms much worse and last longer. 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. For example, Rohypnol has a half-life of hours, while GHB has a half-life of around minutes.

Recognizing the Signs of Being Roofied

• Sometimes, a person who has been roofied may be extremely drunk.
• These symptoms can last long after the physical effects of the drink wear off and make it difficult to function in their daily life.
• This means it can be difficult to discern the difference, in some cases, between someone who’s been slipped drugs and someone who’s overindulged.

These medications are generally odorless and tasteless and can be placed into drinks without the victim’s knowledge, resulting in quick disorientation, memory loss, and even coma. If you have ever felt this before, then knowing the warning signs of being Roofied, how to prevent it, and what steps to take is critical for your own and others’ safety. Understanding what it means to be roofied is crucial in recognizing the signs and consequences that can come with it. When someone says you were roofied, they’re referring to the act of having a drug slipped into your drink without your knowledge.

Cassandra Sierra is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Addiction Professional with over 30 years of experience in mental health and addiction recovery. She has served as Director of Mental Health Services in Palm Beach County, FL, and co-founded the Miracles Club, Inc., supporting recovery since 2001. One way to tell between the two is that someone who is roofied may appear to be extremely drunk only after one or two drinks.

Not knowing what happened can leave you feeling confused and vulnerable. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of being roofied is crucial to understanding your experience and helping you regain a sense of control. The feeling of disorientation, memory loss, or sudden changes in awareness can be alarming, right? This article will dive into the key indicators to look out for, so you can take steps toward recovery and empowerment. Recognizing and responding to being roofied is crucial to your safety.

Roofies are also used as a date rape drug because they make you fall asleep and develop amnesia. If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at Detection of Rohypnol is possible up to 60 hours after the drug is ingested. Access State-Specific Provider Directories for detailed information on locating licensed service providers and recovery residences in your area. If you want to talk confidentially about signs of being roofied what happened, Dr. Albers recommends contacting the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). It’s the same organization that runs the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

The day after being spiked, a person may feel very confused, nauseous, drowsy, and anxious. Rohypnol also makes it harder to think clearly or make decisions, which can put users in dangerous situations. It does this by increasing the effects of a chemical called GABA, which makes you feel very relaxed and sleepy.