Individuals may react differently to sedating substances depending on the dosage, their metabolism and sensitivity to the substance and the presence of alcohol and/or other drugs.
There are several given signs that an individual may have been given a sedating substance:
- A victim thinks she/he may have been assaulted, but is not sure (unexplained soreness or injuries, woke up in a different place and can't remember how she/he got there, etc.).
- A victim's recollection of assault is patchy and confused; she/he may remember only parts of the assault, or none at all.
- A victim remembers the assault, but was unable to move or speak. ("It was like I was watching the whole thing. I tried to scream, but no words came out...").
- A victim felt her/his intoxication level did not correlate with the amount of alcohol consumed. Victim woke up feeling "fuzzy", very hung over, experiencing memory lapse and can't account for periods of time.
Depending on the substance and the presence of alcohol and other drugs in the person's system, more dangerous and sometimes life-threatening side effects may occur.
Whenever drug facilitated sexual assault is suspected, blood and/or urine samples should be collected as soon as possible. Most substances can be detected through appropriate drug testing. The findings of such tests can provide valuable evidence in a court of law if the case is prosecuted. It is important for medical personnel to determine whether ingestion of the drug occurred within the last 96 hours (4 days).