If a night of partying is followed by excessive nausea, bruising, and memory lapses, so-called knockout drops may have been at play. What is known about the means – and how revelers can protect themselves.
“A little Rohypnol in the wine (…) / You can’t move at all. / And you sleep, it’s a blessing,” writes Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann in his poem If you sleep. Rohypnol is a sleep-inducing drug that can cause short-term sedation in high doses. Recently, allegations of sexual assault have been made against the singer, and there is also talk of memory gaps and nausea in the days that follow. These are symptoms that can also occur after taking so-called knockout drops. What is known about these agents – and how revelers can protect themselves from them.