Date Rape Drugs: Types and How Date Rape Drugs Work

Date rape drugs are substances that people sometimes use to assist them in carrying out a sexual assault. These drugs usually have no odor, color, or taste and perpetrators mix them into victims' drinks. Because you can't taste or smell these drugs, you may not realize you've been drugged until it's too late. When ingested, date rape drugs rapidly make you become weak and disoriented. You might even pass out. In this state, you're not able to defend yourself from unwanted advances or refuse sex.

Types of Date Rape Drugs

Some types of date rape drugs have an amnesic effect, so that you may not even remember being sexually assaulted. There are three primary date rape drugs:

1. Rohypnol
2. gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB)
3. ketamine

People sometimes refer to these drugs as "club drugs" because they're used at dance clubs, bars, and raves.

In some cases, perpetrators use the drug known as Ambien®, which has a very strong amnesic effect and slows brain activity to allow sleep. Ambien is a prescription sedative that people take to alleviate symptoms of insomnia. Authorities have found traces of the drug in the blood of women who have been date raped.

Offenders crush the tablets and slip the powder in the drink of target victims when they aren't looking or when they go to the restroom, leaving their drinks unattended. Ambien can cause serious side effects for some people, making it very dangerous to take without a doctor's supervision.

Perpetrators sometimes purchase these and other prescription drugs over the Internet from companies outside of U.S. borders. These drugs often contain illegal or dangerous ingredients. For example, authorities have found haloperidol (Haldol®), a powerful antipsychotic drug with dangerous side effects, in Ambien formulations purchased from overseas pharmacies.

Date Rape Drug Names

People, who abuse these drugs and those who use them to assist them in sexual assault, call them by a variety of names:

Street Rohypnol names:

• Circles
• Forget pill
• Roofies
• Mind erasers
• Mexican valium
• Trip-and-falls

Street names for GHB:

• Cherry meth
• Liquid X
• Liquid ecstasy
• Easy lay
• G juice
• Gamma juice

Street names for ketamine:

• Special K
• Black hole
• Bump
• Purple
• Psychedelic heroin
• K hole
• Green

Drug assisted sexual assault, also called date rape, is the fault of the perpetrator. No one "asks" for rape and no one "deserves" to be sexually assaulted. But you must take measures to protect against any predatory people when you're out. Do not take drinks from other people. Avoid overindulging in alcohol. Do not leave a public venue, such as a club or even a private party, with someone you don't know or just met. If your date pressures you to drink too much, call a cab, family member, or close friend to pick you up and take you home.

If you do begin to feel dizzy, confused, or overly sleepy after one drink or two, someone may have spiked your drinks with a date rape drug. Call a friend or family member outside of the club or party environment to come to get you and take you to an emergency room. These are very dangerous drugs and may cause death if you've ingested too much. Get medical attention as soon as possible.

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