How Long Does Rohypnol Stay in Your System?

Rohypnol is the brand name for a benzodiazepine known as flunitrazepam. While it is not approved for medicinal use in the United States, other countries use it to treat anxiety and insomnia. Because of the illegal drug trade, Rohypnol makes its way into America on the streets.

Unfortunately, Rohypnol is usually used as a date rape drug in America. It causes effects like sedation and memory loss that cause people to use it to facilitate sexual assault. This has caused it to adopt the nickname “forget me pill.”

Some people abuse Rohpynol on purpose. As a central nervous system depressant, it can cause dizziness, drowsiness, euphoria, and feelings of calmness. Another street term for the drug is “Mexican valium.”

Rohypnol has a half-life of 16 to 35 hours and it could take 2 to 5 days for your body to eliminate it. This article discusses how long Rohypnol stays in your system.

How Long Do the Effects of Rohypnol Last? 

The effects of Rohypnol begin within 30 minutes of consuming it. They can last for up to 8 hours. Rohypnol causes similar effects as other benzodiazepines. Repeated misuse can also increase the risk of developing benzodiazepine addiction, as the drug’s sedative properties can quickly lead to physical dependence and tolerance over time. Common effects of Rohypnol include:

• Drowsiness and sedation
• Decreased anxiety
• Memory loss or amnesia
• Impaired mental functioning and confusion
• Aggression or excitability
• Loss of coordination and muscle weakness
• Headaches
• Slowed breathing and heart rate

If you believe you were dosed with Rohypnol, you should seek medical attention and contact 911. The hospital will provide you with a drug test to determine if someone gave you Rohypnol without your knowledge. It is best to seek help immediately to ensure the drug is still in your system and receive support for any side effects it may cause.

What is the Half-Life of Rohypnol?

To understand how long Rohypnol stays in your system, you need to know what a drug’s half-life is. The half-life of a drug explains how long it takes your body to eliminate half of a dose. It can take 4 to 5 half-lives for your body to completely flush out a substance.

The half-life of Rohypnol is between 16 to 35 hours. It can take up to five days for it to leave your system. Thankfully, this provides ample time for hospitals to test your urine or blood for the substance if you were given it without your knowledge.

How Long Can Drug Tests Detect Rohypnol?

Even though Rohypnol leaves your system within five days, drug tests might be able to find it for a longer period. This is because drugs leave behind metabolites in your urine, blood, saliva, and hair. The amount of time a drug screen can detect Rohypnol depends on what type of test is being used.

Urine

Urine tests are the most commonly used drug screens. They are minimally invasive and relatively cheap to use. They also provide a fair window of detection for most substances.

Drug tests can detect Rohypnol in urine samples starting at 12 hours and for up to 5 days after your last dose. If you were given a high dose of Rohypnol, you might test positive for up to 10 days.

Blood

Blood tests are less commonly used for two reasons. First, they are invasive, requiring a blood draw to be taken. Secondly, they offer shorter detection times than other methods of drug testing.

Blood tests can detect Rohypnol in your system for up to 24 hours after your last dose.

Saliva

Saliva tests are not used as often as urine or blood tests because they offer a short window of detection. This is because saliva is the first place that Rohypnol travels during the metabolic process.

Saliva tests are not used to determine if you have recently consumed Rohypnol.

Hair

Lastly, hair tests offer the longest window of detection out of any drug screening method. However, they are not preferred among medical professionals because they can discriminate based on factors like hair color. Additionally, they are expensive to send off to the lab to analyze.

That said, some high-security clearance jobs use hair testing before offering employment. They can detect any substance in your system, including Rohypnol, for 90 days after your last dose.

Find Help for Rohypnol Abuse and Addiction

If you or a loved one suffers from Rohypnol addiction, it’s time to seek professional help. Abusing Rohypnol can lead to a wide variety of physical and mental health concerns, including long-term memory issues, damage to organs, and the development of a substance use disorder. Thankfully, addiction treatment centers can help you recover.

The first step in recovering from Rohypnol addiction is medical detox. At Carolina Center for Recovery and Charlotte Detox, we offer medically assisted detox services, providing medications to lessen the symptoms of withdrawal. As a result, your chances of long-term recovery are increased substantially. Following detox, comprehensive benzodiazepine addiction treatment is essential to address the underlying causes of substance use and support lasting recovery through therapy, counseling, and ongoing care.

References:

1. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): Rohypnol
2. The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Flunitrazepam
3. National Institute of Health (NIH): Flunitrazepam: a review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic use
4. NIH: Elimination of 7-aminoflunitrazepam and flunitrazepam in urine after a single dose of Rohypnol
5. Office of Justice Programs: Detection of “Date-Rape” Drugs in Hair and Urine, Final Report