'Doctor's orders'

“I cannot remember where I was taken last night.”
The young girl cried in the clinic, recounting her experience at a neighborhood bar the night before.
She made the mistake of accepting a drink from a stranger and after that she seemed so inebriated she could not remember much. She went back to the bar in the morning to ask the bartender what happened but he was of no help.
She also asked the cab driver who drove her and the people who were with her. The cabbie could only say that she seemed very drunk and one of the boys took her to his place. Obviously, this raised a lot of red flags.
She had no marks on her or any evidence of sexual abuse but not remembering what happened the night before was enough to raise the possibility.
As tears of regret flowed down her cheeks, we discussed her options and what needed to be done at this point. Since we are in spring break season, we need to be especially vigilant of the possibility of date rape and raise awareness of this terrible problem.
There are several drugs that can be used as date rape drugs. One class of drugs that is often used is called benzodiapenes, and this kind of drug is used for other purposes as well. Rohypol is one drug that has been in the media a lot and is called “roofies” on the street.
This drug is outlawed and mere possession of this drug is considered an intention to commit a crime. However, sleeping medications like temazepam can also be used as a date rape drug, and therefore people need to be especially vigilant about this possibility.
Another drug called GHB or Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate is also used as a date rape drug. Ketamine is known on the street as “Cat Vitamins” since it is used to sedate animals and has been used to commit date rape.
Besides causing confusion and poor judgment in the victim, these drugs can also cause death. Sometimes, the dose used on the victim can be so high that the victim might not wake up and can die as a result.
By far the most common date rape drug is alcohol! Ninety percent of campus rapes occur when alcohol has been used by either the victim or the assailant. Seventy percent of college students admit that they might not have engaged in sexual activity if they had been sober.
We need to educate our teenagers about these facts and encourage them to take steps to prevent date rape. One must never accept a drink from a stranger and never leave one’s drink unattended in case someone puts something in it. Punch bowls should be avoided as the strength of the alcohol or other drugs cannot be determined.
In date rape cases, alcohol use by a woman is often used against her in a court of law. Therefore, women must be extra careful about their use of alcohol and take extra precaution that it does not impair their judgment.
My patient had to get a complete examination to determine if there was any possibility of sexual abuse. She also had to get tests done to see if there were traces of any date rape drugs in her system.
She had to report this case to the police in case any wrong doing was ever found. It is very important to solve such crimes so that others might not be victimized in a similar manner.
I advised my patient to inform her parents about what happened and I offered to explain everything to them on her behalf. I was impressed to see that she was strong enough to call her parents on her own and inform them and seek help. This strength certainly will help her in the long run.
But we can all learn from her experience and be on our guard at bars, dance clubs and the like. Especially during spring break.
Dr. Nitin Bawa is a board certified internal medicine physician. He can be reached at (850) 534-4170.