What Are Club Drugs?

This is Archived content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). For current information, please visit nida.nih.gov.

MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine): Ecstasy, X, XTC, Adam

A stimulant similar to methamphetamine, MDMA is usually taken orally as a tablet. It causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, and may lead to an elevation of temperature that causes kidney and cardiovascular failure. When combined with alcohol, MDMA can be extremely dangerous, sometimes fatal. Chronic abuse of MDMA may produce long-lasting neurotoxic effects in the brain.

GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate): Liquid Ecstasy, Georgia Home Boy, G

A clear odorless liquid, GHB is a central nervous system depressant and has been associated with poisonings, overdoses, and date rape. GHB overdose can lead rapidly to loss of consciousness, coma, and death. The purity and strength of individual doses of the drug can vary greatly, making overdoses likely.

Ketamine: K, Special K, Vitamin K, Cat Valium

Ketamine is a veterinary anesthetic that produces dissociative dream-like or hallucinatory effects. The drug is used as a liquid applied to marijuana or tobacco products or as a white powder that is snorted like cocaine. At high doses, ketamine produces delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, and sometimes-fatal respiratory effects.

Rohypnol (flunitrazepam): Roofies, Rophie, Roche, Forget-me

A benzodiazepine sedative similar to Valium and Xanax, flunitrazepam is not approved for prescription use in the United States. The drug is taken orally in tablet form or dissolved in beverages. Because the drug is odorless and tasteless and produces amnesia, it can be administered to a person without his or her knowledge and has been associated with date rape and other sexual assaults.

Methamphetamine: Meth, Speed, Ice, Glass, Crystal, Crank

Methamphetamine, an odorless white crystalline powder, is a highly addictive stimulant that can be snorted, smoked, injected, or taken orally. The drug produces increased levels of activity, excited speech, and decreased appetite. Methamphetamine is a neurotoxin associated with long-lasting effects on the dopamine transporter system as well as with other dangerous health effects including aggression, violence, memory loss, psychotic behavior, and cardiac damage.

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) : Acid, Blotter, Cubes, Dots, L, Sugar

LSD is a powerful hallucinogen that is taken orally, usually on squares of blotter paper, sugar cubes, or pills that have absorbed the liquid drug. The drug produces profound abnormalities in sensory perception, including distortions of sound and sight, and emotional effects that create rapid mood swings ranging from intense fear to euphoria.