MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police said they were called to Hennepin Healthcare early Sunday morning between midnight and 4 a.m. for three women who felt sick with similar symptoms and alcohol-related issues.
Police said in a release that one of the women said she felt sick after drinking an alcoholic beverage given to her by another person at a Dinkytown bar.
Hennepin Healthcare's forensic nurse manager Breanna Heisterkamp said the hospital system does see quite a few of drugging cases.
"I do think it does happen more frequently than any of us are probably comfortable with," Heisterkamp said. "I know I'm not comfortable with it happening at all, but we do see a fair amount."
Heisterkamp also said many times folks don't always seek medical care either, making the case count difficult to keep track of. She added the symptoms of being drugged may also be similar to being extremely intoxicated. This may make it difficult to make the judgment call of taking someone to the hospital.
"They may be feeling the effects of alcohol that would only make sense if they had much more than they had consumed," Heisterkamp said. "They may be extremely nauseous or really dizzy almost as if they have vertigo."
Having gaps in memory and not fully connecting to the situation may also be telltale signs of drugging.
"They may be conscious, they may be talking to you, but they might not be fully aware and they maybe experiencing some pronounced symptoms of drug facilitation," Heisterkamp added.
She said being aware of one's reactions to a certain amount of alcohol is helpful, making it easier to identify when a situation and the number of drinks don't add up. Common sense practices like not taking drinks from strangers and only drinking if you have seen the drink being made is important as well.
Also, if drugging is suspected, the best rule of thumb is to never leave the victim alone.
"They aren't necessarily in the mindset or in the place to be able to give consent to anything, to be able to understand what's fully going on around them," Heisterkamp said.
Police said no other information is available in connection to this case. No charges have been filed.
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