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Club Drugs
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Substance Use Disorders

Club Drugs

Club drugs are a group of psychoactive substances often used by young adults in social settings that can significantly alter mood, awareness, and behavior.

What are club drugs?

Club drugs are a group of psychoactive drugs. They act on the central nervous system and can cause changes in mood, awareness, and behavior. These drugs are most often used by young adults at bars, concerts, nightclubs, and parties. Club drugs, like most drugs, have nicknames that change over time or are different in different areas of the country.

What are the different types of club drugs?

The most commonly used types of club drugs include:

  • MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also called Ecstasy and Molly
  • GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutyrate), also known as G and Liquid Ecstasy
  • Ketamine, also known as Special K and K
  • Rohypnol, also known as Roofies
  • Methamphetamine, also known as Speed, Ice, and, Meth
  • LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), also known as Acid

Some of these drugs are approved for certain medical uses. Other uses of these drugs are misuse.

What are date rape drugs?

Date rape drugs are any type of drug or alcohol used to make sexual assault easier. Someone could put one in your drink when you are not looking. Or you may be drinking alcohol or taking a drug, and a person may make it stronger without you knowing.

Club drugs are also sometimes used as "date rape" drugs. These drugs are very powerful. They can affect you very quickly, and you might not know that something is wrong. The length of time that the effects last varies. It depends on how much of the drug is in your body and if the drug is mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Alcohol can make the effects of drugs even stronger and can cause serious health problems — even death.

Are there steps I can take to protect myself from date rape drugs?

To try to avoid date rape drugs:

  • Never leave your drink unattended
  • Don't accept drinks from other people
  • If drinking from a can or bottle, open your drink yourself
  • Look out for your friends, and ask them to look out for you

Frequently Asked Questions

MDMA toxicity often stems from unpredictable drug purity and secondary physiological complications. Street formulations frequently contain adulterants, such as synthetic cathinones (bath salts), methamphetamine, or fentanyl, rather than pure MDMA. Furthermore, MDMA impairs the body's thermoregulation while stimulating continuous physical exertion in crowded environments. This combination can lead to malignant hyperthermia (dangerously spiked core body temperature), acute liver or kidney failure, and severe hyponatremia (water intoxication) when individuals drink excessive amounts of plain water to cool down.
Both GHB and ketamine act as central nervous system (CNS) depressants, as does alcohol. When combined, their inhibitory effects on the brainstem compound exponentially rather than additively. This synergy can induce sudden coma, severe respiratory failure, bradycardia (abnormally slow heart rate), and loss of the gag reflex, which poses a severe risk of fatal pulmonary aspiration if the individual vomits while unconscious.
Signs that a drink has been tampered with or that a sedative club drug (such as GHB, Rohypnol, or ketamine) has been ingested include feeling disproportionately intoxicated relative to the amount of alcohol consumed, sudden dizziness, profound mental confusion, blurred vision, loss of motor control, and slurred speech. Victims often experience anterograde amnesia, waking up hours later with gaps in memory or unexplained injuries. Most club drugs used in drug-facilitated assaults are odorless and colorless, making them difficult to detect by sight or taste.
Club drugs commonly implicated in sexual assault, particularly GHB, are metabolized very rapidly. GHB often becomes undetectable in urine after 10 to 12 hours and in blood after only 4 to 6 hours. Rohypnol and ketamine can be detected somewhat longer (often 24 to 72 hours in urine). If an individual suspects they were drugged or assaulted, they should seek immediate care at an emergency department, specifically request a drug-facilitated sexual assault toxicology screen before urinating if possible, and avoid showering or changing clothes to preserve forensic evidence.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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