Drugged

[Newt123]

I need advice. I’m a travel nurse working on a contract out of state. My friend came to visit me and on her last night here we decided to go out. It wasn’t even 8:00 pm yet and we both had had one drink and two shots. My friend handed me a vape pen which she was told was just nicotine like a juul or one you buy from the gas station. Someone at the bar had given it to her, there were a lot of people and I don’t remember anyone standing out particularly.. I took one hit off the vape pen and went back to my drink. Within 30minutes I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t walk, I could hardly move and I started vomiting profusely. I was out of my mind. My friend took me to urgent care where I still couldn’t walk or speak or stop vomiting. It felt like a full blown anxiety attack coupled with loss of consciousness and vomiting. They gave me zofran at 946pm and got a urine sample. My reason for the visit was listed as intoxication, I was so disoriented and nauseous I felt like I had just finished three liters of vodka but knew it was just two shots and a drink.. my blood alcohol level was 0.054. The urine drug screen came up positive for thc and etoh - nothing else was detectable (benzos, barbiturates, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines - all negative) after about an hour I was no longer vomiting and more coherent… the hospital let me leave. Clearly it was not just a nicotine pen but a weed vape pen? Maybe it was a highly potent pen/laced with something, or I got my drink got drugged or both. I do not smoke weed or do any drugs. I also have a hard time believing that honest to god one hit of a vape pen could completely debilitate me.. it was incredibly traumatic and I thought I was going to die.. now that 24hrs has passed im able to process it a little better… I was thinking about filing a police report? Even though I don’t have any suspects or really any useful insight on anyone or anything except I had two drinks and my friend was given a vape pen which she was told was a gas station nicotine pen.. I also read on the board of nursing that all positive drug tests are to be reported? Has someone been in a similar situation? It was pretty traumatic and I would appreciate any kindness/guidance/insight/advice… sincerely, please and thank you… 

[K. Everly, BSN, RN]

I am so very sorry! Please do make a police report and get all your medical records. If this were to come back on you, you’d have a good paper trail to confirm that you did not take drugs and instead were drugged, which is just so upsetting. 

[Newt123]

I called the police depart - and told them what happened. Not sure any police report was actually on file. I guess my question is since this was not a positive pre-employment drug screen or a positive random drug screen for drug diversion suspicion, do I need to notify the BON? Also my insurance is through my travel company. Not sure how much hippa plays a role in this but if I run this visit through my company’s insurance will that notify them of the positive UA? Fun fact of how ridiculous our healthcare system is - without insurance the rsv/covid/flu swab costs me $957.00 - my pregnancy test they ran $150 - 8mg po zofran 75$ per pill, drug ua was $150 ? part of me thinks the reason I have insurance is for emergency’s like this. But I also don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to it. 

[Emergent, RN]

Emergency rooms don't report drug screens obtained unless they are subpoenaed. A legally binding drug screen has a protocol that must be followed,  that isn't done on ordinary patients. 

[RueTrue]

I was under the impression that ER will report to the board if they are aware you are a nurse? Also, did your friend hit the pen too? Weed pens are no joke, they can send you right into a crazy panic attack if you can’t handle it. Maybe it was a DMT vape pen? We’re you tripping? Don’t report anything to anyone. 

[Newt123]

They didn’t know I was nurse, hell I didn’t know I was a nurse haha - Grateful I was taken to a different ER than the one I work at or else I absolutely would have been recognized by a coworker - but no one there knew me.. I’m 100% weed/drug naive.. can handle my alcohol but this knocked me on my ***. No hallucinations or tripping just in and out of consciousness, vomiting, and full blown paralyzing panic attack - I remember thinking to myself at one point that maybe this is what a stroke feels like.  My friend did not take a hit of it. I quit smoking cigarettes recently and my friend knew that since we were planning on staying out and was around triggers she didn’t want me to be tempted to smoke.

Worst fear is that for some reason this (+) UA will resurface later down the road and bite me in the ***. But I won’t report to the BON. If it does come up somehow, I just tell them the honest story and pray haha? I will probably end up running it through my insurance too because that’s why we have insurance, right? For emergencies? and that’s what this felt like at the time. Feel stupid now, but how was I to know.. And paying $1,500+ for this visit just adds salt to the wound. But again don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to it either. Anyways.
 

I appreciate the responses, thank you. 

[Nurse099]

I am glad you are OK. 

[Tiffc88, RN]

Reading this late but in this day and age, weed is more potent. One hit can definitely debilitate you. I see it all the time in the ED. It raises kids HR's and BP and they basically start having panic attacks. I would say to watch your drinks closer and choose not to smoke anything.