The main characteristics of Rohypnol, an intermediate-acting benzodiazepine, are comparable to those of Valium (diazepam). It is used to induce anesthesia, alleviate sleeplessness temporarily, and as a pre-medication for surgeries.
Rohypnol has been illegally used since the 1990s as a sexual assault assistance and to reduce depression brought on by stimulant addiction, including cocaine and methamphetamine. Often in a bar or party, the so-called “date-rape drug” was inadvertently put into victims’ drinks (“club drug”). The drug’s powerful amnesia would cause victims to remember the attack very dimly or not at all.
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Similar to other benzodiazepines (such Xanax, Ativan, and Valium), Rohypnol has the following therapeutic effects:
Sedation
relaxation of the muscles
decrease in anxiousness
avoidance of seizures.
Rohypnol’s sedative effects, however, are around seven to ten times more potent than Valium’s. Rohypnol takes effect 15 to 20 minutes after ingestion and lasts for around 4 to 6 hours. Twelve hours or longer after injection, certain side effects may still be present.
What makes Rohypnol the “drug of date rape”?
One anticipated pharmacologic side effect of benzodiazepines is amnesia. People who use rohypnol suffer from partial amnesia, which makes it difficult for them to recall specific incidents that happened to them while they were high. However, when Rohypnol is taken illegally to facilitate sexual assault, this effect becomes much more deadly. It’s possible that victims won’t remember the assault, the attacker, or the circumstances leading up to it.
How does one take Rohypnol?
By mouth, rohypnol can be swallowed whole, crushed and snorted up the nose, or dissolved in a beverage before drinking.
For a variety of effects, rohypnol can also be combined with other addictive substances like cocaine or alcohol. Rohypnol may be used to reduce the irritation and anxiety associated with excessive cocaine usage (binging) or to augment alcohol intoxication.
Can I get Rohypnol in the United States?
Rohypnol is not legally accessible, not produced in the US, and not authorized for medical usage.
However, it is commonly accessible in Mexico, Colombia, and Europe, where it is used as a pre-anesthetic and to treat sleeplessness, and it is legally prescribed in dozens of other countries. Rohypnol is frequently brought into the United States illegally from foreign nations, including Mexico.
DEA Drug Schedule for Rohypnol
The Controlled Substances Act’s Schedule IV included rohypnol in 1984. Although they are thought to have a lesser risk for misuse, schedule IV medications can cause physical or psychological dependency.
However, according to the DEA, the penalties for possessing, trafficking, and distributing one gram or more of Rohypnol are the same as those for a Schedule I narcotic. LSD, heroin, and MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly) are all classified as schedule I drugs.
Can a urine drug test detect Rohypnol?
Urine samples must be taken within 72 hours after ingestion and submitted to sensitive analytical testing in order to identify Rohypnol exposure. Biological samples are frequently obtained from the sufferer after the drug’s effects have subsided and just trace levels are still present in bodily fluids. Standard screening tests available in the United States make it difficult, if not impossible, to detect these residual levels. As a result, it is challenging to determine how many rapes in the US were made possible by Rohypnol.
The issue is made worse by the fact that the victim has amnesia after using the medication, which leaves them unsure of the specifics of the rape. This ambiguity might cause significant delays or even hesitation in reporting the rape and supplying suitable biological samples for toxicological analysis.
How does Rohypnol appear?
The United States no longer has legal access to rohypnol.
Rohypnol is now made as an oblong caplet that is bright green with a blue center, instead of the white tablet that was once accessible and dissolved without color, taste, or smell. This modification was made by the manufacturer to make it easier to spot manipulated beverages at bars. The blue core will cause the transparent liquid to become blue when it dissolves in it. However, the blue dye might not show up when dissolved in darker liquids. The blue dye might not be present in generic forms of Rohypnol.
Can Rohypnol cause addiction?
When Rohypnol is used for an extended period of time, it can cause physical dependency and withdrawal symptoms when stopped.
Rohypnol affects driving ability and response time by impairing cognitive and psychomotor processes. Because alcohol and this medication both depress the central nervous system and augment one other’s toxicity, using them together is very dangerous. Because of needle-sharing, injecting any illegal substance exposes the user to the danger of acquiring hepatitis B and C, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), and other blood-borne infections.
Like other benzodiazepines, Rohypnol can cause withdrawal. Long-term usage may result in anxiety, sleeplessness, behavioral abnormalities, and seizures. After just a few days of usage, certain negative side effects, such sleeplessness, may manifest.