Ketamine

AKA (common names)

Special K, K, ket, kitkat or super K.

Low - moderate doses
  • feelings of euphoria and relaxation
  • feelings of being detached from the body sometimes known as 'falling into a k-hole'
  • hallucinations and distorted perception, including visual, auditory, physical, time and space
  • disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or maintaining attention
  • anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic
  • slurred speech
  • blurred vision
  • constricted (small) pupils
  • lack of coordination
  • increased but shallow breathing rate
  • increased heart rate and blood pressure
  • nausea and vomiting
  • sweating
  • reduced sensitivity to pain
  • inability to move
High doses
  • A high dose of ketamine can cause a person to overdose. This means that a person has taken more ketamine than their body can cope with.
  • The risk of overdose increases if the strength or purity of the ketamine is not known.

High doses of ketamine can intensify some of the effects experienced at lower doses. People may also experience:

  • drowsiness
  • temporary paralysis (inability to move)
  • disorganised thought and speech
  • semi-consciousness
  • erratic, hostile or bizarre behaviour
  • feelings of panic or terror
  • paranoia
  • depression
  • amnesia
  • muscle rigidity
  • increased saliva
  • increased body temperature
  • irregular heartbeat
  • anaesthesia - reduced physical sensations with increased risk of injury
  • convulsions
  • coma
  • 'near death' experiences
Signs of overdose
  • respiratory depression
  • elevated heart rate
  • seizures
  • coma
  • death

http://www.drugs.com/ketamine.html

Route of administration & onset
  • Ketamine can be swallowed, snorted or injected.
  • It is also sometimes smoked with other substances such as cannabis or tobacco.
  • The effects of ketamine may be experienced within 30 seconds (if injected) up to 20 minutes (if swallowed) and 5–10 minutes (if snorted).
Duration of effect & 'come down' (half-life)
  • The effects of ketamine can last for approximately 45 to 90 minutes.
  • As the effects of ketamine begin to wear off, a person may experience a range of effects.
  • These effects can last for approximately 24 hours and can include:
    • memory loss
    • impaired judgement
    • poor coordination
    • general aches and pains
    • disorientation

       

Mechanism of action (on the brain)

Ketamine is a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, but at higher doses may also bind to the opioid mu and sigma receptors. It is related to phencyclidine (PCP), but has less than 10 percent of the potency of pure PCP

http://www.drugs.com/ketamine.html

Tolerance (dependence) & withdrawal
  • There is evidence that after frequent and prolonged use, ketamine is addictive.
  • People who use ketamine regularly can develop dependence and tolerance to it, which means they need to take larger amounts of ketamine to get the same effect.
  • Dependence on ketamine can be psychological, physical, or both.
  • People who are dependent on ketamine find that using the drug becomes far more important than other activities in their life. They crave the drug and find it very difficult to stop using it.
  • People who are psychologically dependent on ketamine may find they feel an urge to use it when they are in specific surroundings or socialising with friends.
  • Physical dependence occurs when a person's body adapts to ketamine and gets used to functioning with the ketamine present.

If a dependent person stops taking ketamine, they may experience withdrawal symptoms because their body has to get used to functioning without it. People may experience withdrawal symptoms for approximately 4–5 days.

Withdrawal symptoms that may be experienced include:

  • chills
  • intense cravings
  • restlessness
  • nightmares
  • anxiety
  • tremors
  • sweating
  • irregular and rapid beating of the heart
  • depression
  • tiredness
  • decreased appetite

     

Short-term harms & risks

Many of the short-term harms and risks are some of the effects sought by the users of the drug:

  • feelings of being detached from the body sometimes known as 'falling into a k-hole'
  • hallucinations and distorted perception, including visual, auditory, physical, time and space
  • disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or maintaining attention
  • anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic
  • slurred speech
  • blurred vision
  • constricted (small) pupils
  • lack of coordination
  • increased but shallow breathing rate
  • increased heart rate and blood pressure
  • nausea and vomiting
  • reduced sensitivity to pain
  • inability to move

Some of these effects can increase risk of accident and misadventure.

Ketamine has also been used in instances of “date rape” due to its strong side effect of confusion and/or amnesia (http://www.drugs.com/ketamine.html).

Long-term harms & risks
  • headaches
  • flashbacks
  • loss of sense of smell (due to snorting)
  • educed memory function and other impairments in thinking
  • personality and mood changes
  • depression
  • impaired concentration

Ketamine bladder syndrome

  • Large, repeated doses of ketamine have been found to cause 'ketamine bladder syndrome', a painful condition that requires on going treatment.
  • Symptoms associated with the syndrome include difficulty holding urine and incontinence, which can cause ulceration in the bladder.
  • It is essential that any person suffering from ketamine bladder syndrome cease using the drug and see a health professional.
Further Resources
Links