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With the growing use of dissociative drugs like ketamine in mental health treatment, it has become more well-known. Certain drugs being used in medical settings isn’t an issue, but the recreational use of ketamine is what is dangerous, with many people unaware of the dangers.
There are many risks, and it is essential to know them, as well as how ketamine affects you and what support is available if you are struggling.
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic, developed initially to be used in medical and veterinary settings as an anaesthetic and painkiller.
Recreational users seek it out for its hallucinogenic and dissociative effects, buying it in a powdered form that looks very similar to cocaine. When used in medicine, it comes as a clear liquid, whilst it also comes more rarely in pill form.
The use of ketamine is becoming more popular in the club and party scenes, resulting in more misuse. More and more people are entering treatment for ketamine addiction, with the number last year 8 times higher than it was ten years ago.
How Does Ketamine Affect the Body and Brain?
The effects of ketamine occur because it blocks glutamate receptors in the brain, a neurotransmitter that is important to your brain function. This happening causes the dissociative, hallucinogenic and sedative effects of the drug.
Too much ketamine can result in you falling into a k-hole, a state where you feel detached from reality and your sensory perception is distorted. You feel like you are unable to move your body and may not be able to speak or interact with the world around you.
There are many short-term effects of ketamine on both your body and brain, including:
- Euphoria
- Relaxation
- Altered perceptions of time and space
- Feeling light
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Why Do People Use Ketamine Recreationally?
Ketamine produces euphoria and, in lower doses, can act as a stimulant. With higher doses, ketamine can create an altered state of consciousness that is dream-like and make people think they are disconnected from reality.
More people are flocking to the drug for these reasons despite the dangers of ketamine misuse. Some people seek a heightened sensory experience or want an escape from their current reality. Others want pleasant feelings, wishing to experience the party or club they are at more intensely and enjoy it more.
The drug has migrated from the club to the living room. More people are taking in social circles to achieve trips together and self-medicate.
The Dangers of Recreational Ketamine Use
There are several ketamine risks you should be aware of.
1. Risk of Addiction and Dependency
Regular use of ketamine can lead you to build up a tolerance. This means that you have to take more to achieve the same effects as before.
A dependency can develop as you take ketamine to avoid withdrawal symptoms, which can keep the high going. Addiction sets in when the ketamine taking becomes compulsive, desperate to achieve the mind-altering effects of the drug.
2. Physical Health Risks
A ketamine overdose is a possibility, especially when you take a lot of the drug at once. When overdosing, you may suffer from respiratory distress, unconsciousness, and life-threatening complications such as cardiac arrest.
Prolonged ketamine use can cause bladder and urinary tract damage, resulting in painful urination, incontinence and bladder fibrosis – a condition that affects the storing and emptying of urine.
Ketamine can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure, putting more strain on the organ – which is especially dangerous to people with pre-existing heart conditions. It can also cause respiratory problems such as slowed breathing.
3. Psychological and Cognitive Risks
Ketamine use can lead to problems in your brain, too, including:
Cognitive Impairment – Because of how ketamine interacts with glutamate, which is responsible for learning and memory, this can lead to memory problems, concentration issues, and difficulties in processing information.
Mental Health Disorders – Those with pre-existing mental health issues will find that sustained ketamine use only worsens the problems. Depression, anxiety, and psychosis can all be made worse by recurring ketamine use.
Hallucinations and K-Hole – A K-hole is a state of massive dissociation, where you may experience intense and terrifying hallucinations and feel hopeless, helpless and utterly detached from reality.
4. Risk of Accidents and Injuries
As ketamine changes how you perceive reality, this can impact your motor function and reaction time, increasing the chances of accidents occurring, such as car accidents or falling.
With drug use comes impaired judgement – meaning you’ll do things you usually never would. Ketamine use can lead you to engage in risky behaviour such as unsafe sexual practices, unsafe driving and suicidal thoughts.
How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System
Ketamine has a half-life of 2.5 hours, so it takes around 10 hours to be out of your system. However, the drug can be detected in your urine, blood, saliva and hair for much longer through tests.
- Blood: up to 24 hours.
- Saliva: up to 72 hours.
- Urine: up to 30 days.
- Hair follicle: up to 90 days.
Repeated and frequent use of ketamine can skew these detection times as it can stay in your system for longer as your body struggles to metabolise it efficiently.
Signs of Ketamine Misuse and Addiction
If you are worried about ketamine addiction, it’s important to know the symptoms you should be on the lookout for.
Physical symptoms:
- Slurred speech
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Loss of coordination
- Blurred vision
Psychological symptoms:
- Cravings
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Distorted thinking
- Fear and paranoia
Social symptoms:
- Social withdrawal
- Worsening relationships
- Decline in work or academic performance
- Being dishonest about ketamine use
- Putting more time into thinking about, acquiring and using ketamine
If any of these symptoms ring true, then you should seek rehabilitation quickly. The ketamine abuse will only worsen without intervention.
Treatment Options for Ketamine Addiction
If you are struggling, you should seek out professional addiction treatment for ketamine before the situation worsens. There are many options available to you:
Detox – A medically supervised ketamine detoxification programme is needed to help you safely manage any withdrawal symptoms after you stop using the drug. The symptoms are unlikely to be physical, but you may experience confusion, insomnia, fatigue and agitation.
Therapy and Counselling – Therapy is needed to get to the root causes of addiction and deal with the psychological aspect of ketamine addiction. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help you gain a more positive mindset and develop healthier coping strategies.
Support Groups and Rehab – Rehab centres, like us at Rehab Clinics Group, offer comprehensive and structured programmes to help people recover. Support groups are helpful as you can connect with others suffering and hone the skills you learn at rehab when back in the real world.
Holistic Treatments – Improving a person’s mental is just as important as the physical healing they go through during recovery. Holistic treatments such as mindfulness, meditation, and physical therapy are used to boost mental well-being during the recovery process.
How Rehab Clinics Group Can Help
Rehab Clinics Group offers residential addiction treatment that is tailored to your unique situation.
We apply a holistic and evidence-based approach to treatment, using medically supervised detox, therapy and rehab programmes to combat all aspects of addiction. Even after your time with us is over, we give you access to aftercare programmes offering continued support. We encourage you to engage in recovery and make use of our support groups to maintain your sobriety and achieve long-term recovery.
Get Help with Your Recreational Use of Ketamine Now
There are many dangers of ketamine use, including addiction, physical harm, and mental health complications.
If you or someone you know is struggling with ketamine misuse, you should seek professional help. We at Rehab Clinics Group can help. We are a private drug and alcohol rehab offering confidential advice, assessments, and treatment options.
To start your recovery journey, call now at 0800 470 0382 or text HELP to 83222.
