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Last updated on May 3rd, 2022 at 04:33 pm

*This page was medically reviewed by Dr Robert Lefever in April 2021.

If you think you or a loved one may be addicted to ketamine, getting help is the best step you can take.

At Help4Addiction, we can find you the best ketamine addiction treatment for you and your circumstances. This page will tell you all about ketamine addiction and the ketamine addiction treatment process.

 

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is known as a ‘party drug’, and has been on the recreational drug scene for decades.

Although ketamine is illegal for recreational use in the UK, it is commonly used in the medical and veterinary fields (e.g veterinary clinics) – used as a dissociative anaesthetic and an analgesic.

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 states that it should be a controlled substance [i] – and is placed as a Class B drug.

Scientifically speaking, ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic. This means that it can make you feel ‘zoned out’ – having an out of body experience and experiencing feelings of sedation.

However, there is a whole range of effects you may experience when taking ketamine – for example:

  • Feeling relaxed
  • Feeling detached
  • Confusion
  • Nausea
  • Reduced sensations
  • Pain relief/ numbness
  • Agitation
  • Altered perception of time
  • ‘K hole’ [ii]

You may experience adverse reactions to the drug. Ketamine can also have long term effects on your physical health and your mental health.

If you take ketamine regularly or are addicted to ketamine, you may experience panic attacks, agitation, and depression.

Long term ketamine use can also cause depression or worsen existing mental health issues. Because ketamine can cause sedation, it has a history of being used as a date rape drug.

Like many illegal drugs, ketamine has a variety of street names. You may have heard ketamine being referred to as ‘Ket’, ‘K’, ‘Special K’ ‘Vitamin K’, ‘Cat Valium’, or ‘Purple’. [iii]

 

Ketamine Overdose

Taking too much ketamine can lead to a ketamine overdose – which can have dangerous and life-threatening symptoms.

Some common signs of ketamine poisoning include:

  • High blood pressure
  • Increased or irregular heart rate
  • Chest pain
  • Violence
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Comatose state
  • Paralysis
  • Confusion
  • Nausea and/ or vomiting
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Severe abdominal cramps

A ketamine overdose can be fatal, particularly when mixing ketamine with other drugs or other substances.

Ketamine abuse and ketamine misuse can cause vomiting and unconsciousness, paralysis, or coma – which can lead to you choking on your own vomit.

If you or somebody you are with is experiencing an overdose, seek professional medical advice and treat it as a medical emergency.

 

Is Ketamine Addictive?

Regular ketamine use can lead to ketamine dependency and ultimately ketamine addiction – which is a form of substance use disorder.

It is an addictive substance as it alters the chemistry of your brain – which can lead to you developing a tolerance to ketamine and ultimately a psychological dependence. You may crave more of the drug to soothe the feelings of withdrawal or the ‘crash’.

The changes in the brain produced by ketamine are similar to the changes that other drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine cause, due to the similar chemical structure.

Although ketamine may be used in the medical field, it is a controlled substance that is no less dangerous than other ‘hard’ drugs or other addictive drugs.

This is one of the reasons that ketamine was upgraded from a Class C to a Class B drug in the UK back in 2014. [iv] As well as this, people who had taken high doses of the drug needed bladder removals, making it a dangerous drug.

 

Symptoms of Ketamine Addiction

Ketamine addiction is characterised by the continuous use of ketamine despite the negative physical, mental, social, and financial effects it may present.

Somebody who has a ketamine addiction may want to or try to stop using ketamine, but end up relapsing. This is why ketamine rehabilitation is so important.

Here are some other signs and symptoms of ketamine addiction, ketamine abuse, and ketamine use disorder.

  • Feeling tired
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Numbness to physical pain
  • Pain in bladder
  • Unexplained injuries (e.g bruises)
  • Reddened skin
  • Poor motor coordination
  • Apathy
  • Salivating more than normal
  • Weaker bladder [v]

If you experience these symptoms after ketamine use, we recommend that you contact us to find the right treatment centre for you – whether it be on an inpatient basis (residential rehab) or an outpatient basis.

 

Ketamine Addiction vs Ketamine Abuse

Although some people may use the terms interchangeably, substance abuse and substance addiction are not the same things – despite both being harmful.

Ketamine abuse is the act of using ketamine in a manner other than recommended or intended. If you abuse ketamine, you may become irritable or moody, isolate yourself, or stop partaking in hobbies you previously enjoyed.

Ketamine addiction, however, is classed as a chronic brain disease according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Drug addiction tends to be a severe outcome of drug abuse – so if you abuse ketamine, you may end up addicted to ketamine.

 

Ketamine Withdrawal Explained

As ketamine is an addictive drug, you may experience drug withdrawal symptoms when you lower your usual dose or stop taking it after excessive ketamine abuse.

As your tolerance to ketamine grows, you will feel the need to take a higher dose to feel the same effect. This is because ketamine alters the opioid receptors in your brain.

 

Withdrawal Symptoms

Ketamine withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant – you may experience a range of psychological withdrawal symptoms, physical symptoms, and behavioural symptoms when you undergo a ketamine detox or you lower your usual dose.

However, physical symptoms have been reported but not yet scientifically proven.

Some common ketamine withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Tiredness
  • Insomnia
  • Agitation
  • Psychosis/ psychotic episodes (including hallucinations)
  • Confusion
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Severe depression

Some of these withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous, which is why you may wish to seek treatment at a residential rehab facility with medical supervision.

 

Ketamine Addiction Treatment

There are a variety of different treatments for ketamine addiction – some people prefer inpatient treatment, whereas others may benefit more from outpatient rehab treatment.

Most ketamine addiction treatments begin with detox and end with secondary treatment. At Help4Addiction, we can find the best ketamine addiction treatment for you – so contact us today to discuss your treatment options.

 

Detox

You may benefit from completing a ketamine detox with medical supervision, as some withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant.

Once you have successfully detoxed from ketamine, you can move on to the next stage of ketamine addiction treatment.

 

Therapy

Therapy can help you to gain an understanding of your addiction, your triggers, and the thoughts and behaviours that may have led to you being addicted to ketamine.

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is a popular form of therapy during ketamine rehab. It is based on the idea that our thoughts, actions, and behaviours are linked. [vi]

 

Aftercare

Your treatment doesn’t end once you complete ketamine detox and therapy – you may wish to continue your treatment to prevent relapse.

Rehab clinics offer aftercare which usually involves further treatment such as support groups, group therapy, and extra counselling. This can help to prevent relapse, encouraging you to live a drug-free life.

 

[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ketamine

[ii] https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/ketamine

[iii] https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/ketamine.pdf

[iv] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26151459

[v] https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-ketamine-addiction-5210391

[vi] https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine has been used as a general anaesthetic since 1962. Although created for medical use, this drug is often abused. Taking ketamine will make you overly susceptible to suggestion.

What taking ketamine do to you?

A ketamine trip lasts about two hours. It makes you feel woozy, dulls pain and emotional sensory perception, and creates a surreal, dream-like state. This leaves you happy and relaxed or nauseous and sickly. That distinction is the difference between a good and a bad trip.

Why is ketamine dangerous?

Although originally a prescription medication administered in surgeries, ketamine does have worrying side effects. Prolonged use can cause panic attacks, frustration, mood swings, depression, memory loss, and worst of all: the inability to tell your dreams and your reality apart from each other.

Is Ketamine illegal?

In the UK, Ketamine carries a class B drug penalty if you are found to be illegally in possession or supplying it. For supply, expect to spend 14 years in jail. For possession, you might have a five-year sentence or an unlimited fine. Ketamine is illegal if you do not have a license for medicine and a surgery.

Can you overdose on Ketamine?

 Yes, you can. It will cause your heart to race, can cause you to be sick in your sleep, can have terrible interactions with other drugs, and leaves you in this worrying state where you are likely to agree to even the worst ideas.

Can using ketamine kill you?

Ketamine can kill you if it has a bad interaction with other drugs you are taking. It can cause depression if taken regularly and depression can also kill. Non-lethal but unpleasant side effects of use include K-Cramps, bladder issues, liver damage, and kidney problems.

What is a K-Cramp?

So many users of ketamine have reported an abdominal cramping sensation after use that it has developed the name “K-cramps”. These are stomach issues that usually come from the bladder, liver, and kidneys, and is a sign you should quit drug taking immediately.

Can Ketamine cause psychological or mental health issues?

Absolutely. Scientists have connected ketamine to depression, although it is thought to cause psychosis as well. Users report flashbacks, problems remembering things, and the inability to tell the difference between reality and dreams.

Is Ketamine addictive?

Yes and no. It does not contain any chemical compounds that are addictive on their own. However, rather like marijuana addiction, the problem can be a psychological one. Ketamine users will return time and again to their drug, without experiencing any negative side effects until you are well beyond the point of it being too late for your liver and kidneys.

How do I help someone who is addicted to ket?

If your loved one is addicted to ketamine, a gentle approach is best. Suggest that they talk to their GP for treatment advise, or that they go private to be seen in a more urgent fashion.

 

Author

Nick Conn

Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.

Doctor’s View

There is no antidote for Ketamine. People who take it are stuck with its effects. 

Its primary use was as a horse tranquilliser. But – inevitably – some humans valued the opportunity to get spaced out Big Time. Nowadays it is used in hospitals for ‘treatment-resistant depression’ in patients who have suicidal ideation or who are actively suicidal. 

Legal prescriptions may find their way onto the streets. Chemically it is a ‘dissociative’ anaesthetic. It  blocks all sensory perception. That’s fair enough when undergoing surgery. But, as a drug of abuse and addiction, it is used for its capacity to distort sight, colour and sound.

I well recall a boy seeing pretty beetles coming out of the carpet. He giggled. I was frightened. Not entertained in the slightest. I knew what was happening to the precious delicate tissues of his brain. 

Ketamine comes as a clear liquid or an off-white powder. It can be made into an intravenous injection or nasal spray or it can be snorted. And it can also be mixed with tobacco or cannabis and then smoked.

In small doses it can induce feelings of calmness and relaxation as well as relief from pain. But it can also lead to double vision and nystagmus (fluttering movements of the eyes from side to side).

Shared needles have the risk of transmitting hepatitis, HIV and other infections. Ketamine use can be fatal in people who are acutely drunk or persistent heavy drinkers. It can cause vivid dreams and an ‘out-of-body’ experience. The sensation of floating – with or without choirs of angels and accompanying harps – may be all too predictive of the next life. 

It is often used in combination with other drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, but this can be extremely dangerous, leading to a bad trip to the morgue.

Medically Reviewed By:

Dr Robert Lefever

Dr. Robert Lefever is a world leading addictions specialist. He is the foremost expert for addiction treatment. He has personally been in recovery from all substances since the 12th October 1984.

He created the first rehab in the UK to look at all addiction in 1986. Dr. Robert Lefever wrote with Professor Geoffrey Stephenson the masters degree course in addiction psychology at London South Bank University, this was the first of its kind and one of the most highly regarded courses that a therapist can do today.

Robert is also a TED speaker, author, composer and still remains an addiction treatment counsellor.
Last Medically Reviewed On: 06/30/2021
Due to be Reviewed On: 06/30/2023