Denia (Alicante) hospital is taking reports of increased spiking cases seriously

DENIA hospital announced that it has established official procedures to follow when dealing with patients who have been spiked in discos and nightclubs.

The hospital has treated eight suspected spiking victims  – all of them young women – attending to the most recent case in the early hours of August 3.

“Anybody who suspects that they have been pricked or who notices an unjustified change in their perception, should contact the hospital’s Emergency Service or the Marina Alta primary care network,” announced  Dr Antonio Barcelo, who heads Denia Health District’s Emergency Service and the Primary Care Attention.

“An injected hypnotic like scopolamine is fast-acting and could impair the victim’s judgement,” Dr Barcelo said.

The most commonly-used substances used for spiking are ethanol, benzodiazepines or other hypnotics like gamma-hydroxybutyrate, methanol, opioids, cannabinoids, ketamine, cocaine, amphetamine derivatives, LSD, atropine, burundanga (scopolamine) and solvents.

“Symptons can range from total or partial amnesia, changed behaviour, agitation, drowsiness, hallucinations, loss of inhibition and even unconsciousness,” he added.

As well as taking urine and blood samples for analysis, the Denia Hospital’s procedures for dealing with spiking include the protocol for sexual violence if the victim refers to this possibility or if the medical teams suspect that this could have occurred. 

All patients also receive preventive medication for possible HIV exposure.

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