Could my 54 year old husband have had his drink spiked tonight

[MadKitty]

Just that really. He went for drinks after work with a colleague. We don’t drink much in general, maybe a couple of units a month. I picked him up from the station at 11pm, all the other passengers left and I could see on my phone that he was still on the platform. Called him and he was barely coherent. Saw him staggering down the platform holding onto a railing.

After 10 mins he gets in the car, he’s soiled himself, grey and uncommunicative. Talking weird and not making sense. Walked in the house and literally dropped to the floor. I know, I know….. you’re thinking he’s been on a bender. He’s had less than a bottle of wine, maybe 3 glasses from what I’m gathering. This is the opposite of who he is and how he drinks.

Nearly 3 hours later he’s still lying on the floor with his head in a bowl. He’s so confused and unlike him. 111 tell me he’s just drunk. I’m hoping in the next hour I can get him standing so I can get him in the shower. He said this came on suddenly during the 20 min train journey. Could this be spiking?

Anyone around who might have some insight?

I'm sorry to hear about your husband and I hope he's feeling better today.

I want to preface this by saying we don't know what happened to OP's husband, and drink spiking is a possibility.

I'm someone who's had, let's say, experience of drugs. GHB, the most common spiking drug today, was much less prevalent 20 years ago when I was in my heyday. It's still a drug largely associated with the gay community and isn't often found outside of those circles.

Most people don't want to give their drugs away. Why would you? They're expensive! You want to do them yourself, or with your friends! Not many people want to surreptitiously give them to strangers not knowing what'll happen to them once they're out of sight. To SA someone, or rob them, then yes - these benzodiazepines are perfect candidates to immobilize a victim. Reporting of spikings are most certainly up, but how much is that due to an increase in the crime or the hysteria associated with it? And please don't believe that there's an epidemic of people going around stabbing others with needles.. a tiny, tiny portion of people have access to drugs that could be delivered intravenously, or even syringes themselves. It is a very, very rare occurrence.

A poster above was adamant that they were spiked by MDMA.. if they were, they'd have arguably had an amazing experience. It's not sedative at all, it's a stimulant and hallucinogen. They would have had a fantastic time. They woke up with a headache.. mmm. MDMA would leave you feeling depressed for a day or two. That's it. It's legal in Switzerland for anti-depressant and marriage guidance counselling!

Spikings happen, largely to younger women and largely for nefarious purposes. Many people believe they've been spiked when it's probably just alcohol or another medical issue. I've drunk a fair bit in my time and the drunkest I've ever been was off two glasses of wine - I'm still unsure why but I'm sure it was to do with the location, the surroundings, who I was with, what I'd eaten etc. I've been smashed from tens of drinks and remembered everything, or had less than half the amount and not remembered a thing. Alcohol's a drug and its effects change for many reasons.

Again, not commenting on what happened here, but spiking a 50-something year old dude for no reason is kinda implausible.

I hope your husband is feeling ok.

I've seen two instances of this - neither were spiking.

Once with a family member who literally didn't know you couldn't mix anti allergy meds with alcohol and was in a right state after two glasses of wine.

And once myself. I'm intolerant to the deadly nightshade family (yes, tested at an immunology clinic). If I eat capsicum or aubergine my body reacts as if I've consumed a toxic substance. I go from hero to zero in like 10 minutes. Look as if I'm chucking a whitey - grey, sweaty, can't stand up. It's like extreme food poisoning.

Men in their 50's often have heart attacks.

I have suspected Menieres and I don't know how many ambulances have been called for me as I can stand or sit, I have to lie down but I'm also usually violently sick so I get put into the recovery position till ambulance arrives. First few times I was taken to hospital but now I usually just get an anti sickness jab and a pain jab that usually knocks me out and lets the attack pass usually. I've been suffering from extreme dizziness since I was 7, I'm now 47 and hate to think how bad it may get as my Grampa had it but his extreme dizziness didn't start till he was 48 and 30 yrs later he was bedridden with it.

Nonsense. I’ve had my drink spiked, twice.

OP - this sounds scary. I would be getting him seen at a&e. Hope he’s okay.

This happened to me a few years ago. Literally sat having food and a couple of drinks. Went to a see. Band. Walked into the venue. Woke at 3am at home, my friends had to physically carry me, they said I went from talking to them thinking they were going to need to call me an ambulance but they got me home. It was 8pm, I was not drunk.

spiking unlikely! 2 things it could have have been alcohol poisoning - the drink was out of date which is what was wrong with me or it has reacted with something he has eaten and caused basically an allergic reaction.

he should get checked for diabetes as well as it could be that

@Moondoggle Small point, if someone has high blood pressure or one of a number of medical conditions they can wind up having a very far from fun time on MDMA.Even without a medical predisposition to trouble, in overdose quantties (there's no quality/ dosage control on recreational versions, unlike the MDMA used in clinical settings) it could floor someone's blood pressure to potentially fatal levels
(Getting the ick in a mammoth way from the news that Swiss couples therapists are trying to drug people into being loved-up.)

My good friend took a drink from a man that was blatantly spiked. She went from sober to barely standing, appeared drunk after it and we only just managed to get her home safe. It was scary seeing her change in sobriety and in being able to look after herself so fast.

I hope your husband is okay op. If he's still feeling ill, he should see a doctor as.it could be a left over or something medically wrong

As others have mentioned, symptoms are consistent with an acute Menieres attack. Hopefully this was a one off, but do get a medical opinion if your DH has any subsequent episodes.

men do get spikes, regularly.ًI witness
es my male friends drink get spiked around 6 months ago in a night out in Manchester. We reported to security ag club, police etc. but because we saw it, friend didn't drink etc, there wasn't much to report except description of spiker.
i hope your husband hasn't been spiked but I would monitor him overnight and check bank balance etc too to ensure no be bad managed to get card details etc

Yes. It’s literally like you’re fine one minute and the next you are passed out. So scary. Both times it’s happened to me I can remember everything up until the point of spiking, remember vaguely suddenly becoming incoherent and then nothing until you come round

Absolutely fair point well made. There are many possible outcomes from a dose of MDMA, especially one administered unknowingly.

There are treatments that are very effective. My DH took medication, which helped a lot, and ultimately had a couple of other treatments that seem to have cured the problem. You don't have to live with it the way it is. Sorry you're going through that. I know how horrible it can be.

Poor man. My daughter was spiked - well the hospital said they don’t test so couldn’t get proof but we are pretty certain. She had three drinks. Was with several friends. They said she was absolutely coherent and fine then ten minutes later couldn’t walk. My husband collected her and said he had never seen anyone in such a state.
He took her to hospital but as I said, they told him they don’t test.

Yeah, I like to think I'm rare and special (twice that I'm sure of) but I know I'm not.

I do agree spiking tends to have a motive, though, and there doesn't seem to have been one here. I also agree some replies are questionable. GHB/GBL and roofies, btw, are cheap and readily available: no dealer worth their salt would limit sales to gay men when other eager markets exist.

I'm sorry it's happened to you at all, let alone twice. It was so worrying just to see my friend do a 180 like that, i cant imagine how awful it must feel to have it happen to you and be at a loss of control.

She didn't remember anything past the train journey we took to get to the venue she was spiked at, which terrified her for a long while. She knows we got her home Ok but not remembering was very upsetting.

What do you expect the ambulance service to do?

The first time I knew who it was, a guy I was talking to getting a drink at the bar. I turned my head and had sip and that was it. Next minute I was passing out on the sofa in the club.. luckily my best friend spotted me and found my male cousins who stopped me being put into a car by the guy and his friends!

The second time, my friend and I were stupid enough to join a group of bankers at their table at a club. Had a drink, totally fine, went to toilet and then never made it back. Again luckily, my friend was with and called the bouncers. I was carried into an ambulance and woke up on a drip in a&e.

Really just highlights how important it is for friends to quite literally stick together on a night out. Just as you did for your friend ❤️

Gosh OP. I think I would have insisted DH got an emergency GP appointment this morning as it could have been a medical issue and still needs checking. How is his colour now? Can you ring 111 again and see if you can get an hours GP appointment tomorrow instead of going to A&E? He need’s to stop being stubborn and get checked over as it may not have been attributable to drinking or spiking.

Spiking has been going on for a long time so I can imagine it’s got much more prevalent now.

Happened to me 31 years ago when I was 21 and it took a long time for me to figure out what happened because I’d never heard of it. I was raped and got an STD. I came to during it for a short time before I must have passed out again and I vividly remember being completely immobile laying on the bed and couldn’t move myself to get up while he was standing in front of me taking his shiny red boxer shorts off so I don’t know what I was given. I’m not a drinker because I’ve never liked the taste of alcohol and even back then one glass of wine was my limit just so I wasn’t badgered to have one, then I’d stick to coke.

Guy was a hotel guest in the London hotel I worked in (I lived in staff accommodation in the hotel) and came to chat in the hotel bar where us staff would have a drink after it shut. He was at least 30 years older than me and ugly as fuck with a beard. Never ever would I have been interested in him, let alone willingly had sex with him. I woke up in my room in staff quarters although when I came to for those few seconds I know I was in his room, the rest a complete blank. Never saw him again as he must have checked out, didn’t even know who he was. Felt ashamed and disgusted at myself for years before I realised he must have spiked me after reading about other cases as they started coming out.

Always drummed into DC never to leave drinks unattended or let anyone buy them one unless trusted friends.

I had my drink spiked about 15 years ago whilst on a night out with my husband. I literally had two drinks and then I couldn’t remember anything else. Luckily I was with DH who got me home , he sat up with me all night whilst I was throwing up and making sure I didn’t choke on my own vomit. I have no recollection of any of this. My brother has also been spiked

Are you ok?
Something can’t be an urban myth and also really common.

And please don't believe that there's an epidemic of people going around stabbing others with needles.. a tiny, tiny portion of people have access to drugs that could be delivered intravenously, or even syringes themselves. It is a very, very rare occurrence.

You're very wrong here. For a start, these drugs are generally administered intramuscularly, not intravenously, syringes and needles are widely available to anybody and according to the gov.uk website, needle spiking is more common than drink spiking in nightclubs.

@TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne on bare and in rl I've heard kd then being dismissive of. Spiking and not helping to help someone in this state so training ,like sepsis , has this person been assaulted and put at massive risk through spiking ...let's see them and get them into hospital to test.

My only point about drink spiking (which I know happens) is that my symptoms were VERY similar to spiking - but spiking was absolutely impossible. Certainly in my last case, where I was alone at home and opened the (single glass) bottle fresh. If all the cases reported actually were spiking - why are the symptoms identical? Different drugs ought to produce different reactions, yet in almost all cases, sufferers report the exact same things - falling down, vomiting, unable to walk, memory loss... surely some drugs ought to produce different reactions?

I live near a University city and know that adulteration of drinks for nefarious purposes really does happen, but I'd like to see more drinks (particularly cheap drinks) tested for allergens. A sudden allergy (in my case, I think it is to the sulphites in cheap wine, although I have had a similar reaction to spirits when given two gin an tonics and having to spend the next day in bed) to some of the ingredients.

@JustSomeRandomOnTheInternetI am so sorry that happened to you. What a horrific experience 💐