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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
It is a scourge that has become common. In Isère, six people were bitten and drugged with GHB without their knowledge in a nightclub. Dr. Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo, warns of the risks incurred in the event of a bite.
Tuesday evening, the parquet floor of Grenoble announced to open an investigation for “administration of harmful substances” following the filing of a complaint by six victims stung during evenings in a nightclub.
These stories come from four women and two men aged 17 to 22, dizzy in three different places: two nightclubs and the sports hall of Grenoble where a concert was organized.
People feeling ill in a nightclub
Six people were bitten without their knowledge on April 15 and 17. Each time, the scenario repeats itself: the victims felt something sting them then were taken ill in the crowd. All went to the hospital to undergo examinations.
The first results confirmed the assumptions of the authorities: one of the girls “was indeed drugged with GHB”noted Dauphine Libere. This is why the prosecutor’s office opened an investigation.
“None were victims of rape or sexual assault.specifies Eric Vaillant, public prosecutor of Grenoble.
In Rennes, a similar fact was reported in mid-February by our colleagues from Ouest-France. A student who was in the rue Saint-Michel in Bordeaux, says “having felt pain in the leg“. While a bruise with a small red dot appears, it is the student’s grandmother, used to the hospital environment, who will detect the famous needle prick.
However, it is difficult for the victims to prove that they were drugged, because most often the substance left the body during the examinations. The analysis would be useful only if it is carried out within 24 hours.
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GHB syringes: the risks
GHB, this synthetic drug, also used in a medical setting for general anesthesia, seems to be circulating a lot again.
The often painless bites – or comparable to those of a mosquito – are however very dangerous:
“An overdose can cause difficulty breathing, slow heart rate, and seizures, or even death. The difference between a dose of GHB providing the desired effect and a dose putting the user at risk is minimal. And when you exceed the dose even a little, the outcome can be fatal”warns Dr. Kierzek.
The syringe also presents a health risk: if the equipment is not sterile, the victim is exposed to a risk of infection.
The victims generally present dizziness, headaches, fever and for some of them loss of memory and/or pain in the joints.