Rohypnol
Learn more about rohypnol, the benzodiazepine commonly associated with sexual assaults.
Overview
Common Nicknames
Roofies, Rophies, Circles
Drug Class
Benzodiazepine
Drug Form
White powder or tablets, though often put into drinks nonconsensually
Route of Administration
Oral
What is the science of Rohypnol?
Flunitrazepam, commonly known by the trade name Rohypnol, is a central nervous system depressant in the benzodiazepine drug class. The sedative effects of flunitrazepam are around 7 to 10 times stronger than those of diazepam (Valium).
Like other benzodiazepines and Z drugs (other sedative-hypnotic drugs such as Zopiclone), flunitrazepam binds to GABAA receptors in the brain. This potentiates the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) at these receptors which reduces activity in the brain, especially those which control anxiety, sleep, memory, reasoning, and essential autonomic functions such as breathing and heartbeat.
What are the risks?
Using flunitrazepam poses risks to both physical and mental health.
If someone takes an overdose of flunitrazepam, they can suffer unpleasant and potentially harmful effects. Overdoses can lead to confusion, slurring of speech, sleepiness, loss of coordination and collapse. If someone has taken enough to become unconscious, there is a risk of inhaling and choking on stomach contents which can potentially be fatal and breathing and respiratory rate can slow down or even stop.
The danger of severe harm and death is much greater if flunitrazepam is taken with other sedative drugs such as alcohol, heroin or GHB. In these combinations, respiratory arrest may occur. Respiratory arrest is the absence of breathing. It can result from respiratory distress, respiratory failure, or other events including acute head injury or drowning.
Emergency medical assistance should be sought when someone becomes unresponsive after taking drugs.
To reduce the risk of overdosing on flunitrazepam, carefully monitoring of how much has been consumed is advisable. Starting with a small dose and seeing how you feel can prevent you from taking too much all at once. It is advisable to have someone trustworthy around when taking flunitrazepam so that they can help if negative effects are experienced. It is also possible to buy reagent test kits which can confirm or rule out the presence of flunitrazepam. This can also be useful to test a drink that you suspect may have been spiked with the drug.
Flunitrazepam decreases control and impairs judgment, meaning activities like driving under the influence of flunitrazepam is very dangerous.
The drug has been associated with sexual assault cases, in which the drug is given to the victim without their knowing or consent, by addition to their drink. Rohypnol is tasteless and colourless, therefore, the victim may not notice that their drink has been tampered with. This often renders the victim heavily sedated and can cause strong amnesia (loss of short term memory) leading the victim to have little to no recall of the assault. The drug is sometimes referred to as a “date rape” drug.
How might the drug make you feel?
The effects of flunitrazepam can be felt around 15-20 minutes after consumption with these effects lasting for around 4-6 hours and up to 12 hours in some cases.
These effects include:
Sedation
Muscle relaxation
Reduced anxiety
Dizziness
Loss of motor control
Decreased reaction time
Slurred speech
Confusion
Amnesia
Aggression
Excitability
Is Rohypnol addictive, and what are the long-term effects?
One-off or occasional use of flunitrazepam is unlikely to result in the development of addiction. However, taking flunitrazepam regularly over a sustained period can cause very serious psychological addiction.
Dependency also leads people to experience withdrawal symptoms which include nausea, confusion, headaches, anxiety, and dizziness. Users may crave the drug and feel unable to cope without it. People who regularly use flunitrazepam may become tolerant to the drug’s effects and to the effects of other benzodiazepine drugs, leading them to take increasingly higher doses. The longer the drug is taken and the higher and more regular the dose, the higher the risk of developing dependence and tolerance.
There are possible harms of long-term flunitrazepam use, although not everyone experiences problems with long term use. Specific harms that could be caused by long term use include lack of energy, sleep problems, impaired memory, and changes in personality (becoming more aggressive, for example). Long term flunitrazepam use is also associated with anxiety related mental health problems such as panic disorder or social phobia. This may be because long term use causes the brain and body to become reliant on the drug’s anxiety-relieving effects. It may therefore be particularly risky for people with depression/anxiety disorders to take flunitrazepam long term.
Harm Reduction and Drug-Drug Interactions
How much are you taking, how often?
The occasional recreational use of flunitrazepam has a relatively low risk of harm. However, flunitrazepam addiction and dependence can develop after a few weeks of use and can cause considerable harm to quality of life and health. If you develop tolerance to any of the effects of flunitrazepam, this should be taken as a warning sign that the drug may be harmfully affecting your body and brain.
Are you taking it with anything else? Mixing drugs is risky.
Drug effects are unpredictable, but mixing drugs makes the effects on your body and mind even harder to control. Deaths involving flunitrazepam generally involve other drugs too. It is particularly dangerous to combine flunitrazepam with another drug that can depress the central nervous system such as alcohol, heroin (or any opioid) or gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Additionally, if someone is taking antidepressants or even antihistamines, these may increase the effect of the flunitrazepam.
Do you have an existing health condition?
The risk of respiratory arrest or reduced breathing rate caused by flunitrazepam are increased in people with conditions such as muscle weakness, sleep apnoea, or lung disease/breathing disorders.
Taking flunitrazepam regularly may put someone at a greater risk of accidents. Doctors in countries where flunitrazepam is prescribed make a considered decision before prescribing it to people with impaired balance and coordination, who are at risk of falling or who may be severely injured if they do.
Medical Uses
Due to its powerful sedative effects, flunitrazepam is used in a medical context in Germany, Ireland and Iceland to name a few countries. Here they are used to treat insomnia when other medicines do not work, however, it is not used in the long term for this purpose due to an increase in the risks with sustained use. The drug is also used as a pre-anaesthetic before operations.
Myths and Misconceptions
Rohypnol is only dangerous when used to spike drinks and is safe when taken voluntarily
Rohypnol is most commonly associated with drink spiking and drug-facilitated sexual assault. However, this association can create a false impression that it is only dangerous in those contexts. Rohypnol is a potent benzodiazepine that carries serious risks regardless of how it is taken.