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Ketamine
Australian Drug Foundation © 2005
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This information has been adapted from the pamphlet How Drugs Affect You: Ketamine, produced by the Australian Drug Foundation. For single copies of this pamphlet phone 1300 85 85 84 or email druginfo@adf.org.au (Victoria only). Multiple copies are available from the ADF Bookshop.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine hydrochloride is a dissociative anaesthetic. It is used in medical and veterinary settings as a short-acting anaesthetic. Some people use ketamine illegally, for its psychedelic or hallucinogenic effects. Ketamine has also been implicated as a drug used to facilitate sexual assault.
Like other hallucinogens, ketamine changes the way a person perceives the world. It can affect all the senses, cause hallucinations and alter a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions.
Ketamine can also make a person feel they are detached from their body, as though their mind "leaves" the body.
What does it look like?
Ketamine is a white crystalline powder. It can be made into tablets and pills or dissolved in a liquid.
How is it used?
Ketamine is often swallowed, snorted or injected. It is also sometimes smoked with other substances such as cannabis or tobacco.
Street names
Special K, K, ket, kitkat, super K.
Effects of ketamine
Some people experience very extreme adverse reactions to ketamine, which are sometimes known as "bad trips".
People who use ketamine try to "fall into a k-hole". The experience of being in a k-hole varies but generally involves being socially detached, having hallucinations and experiencing a distorted sense of time and space.
Two of the major dangers associated with ketamine use are a loss of judgement and the potential for people to hurt themselves while anaesthetised without realising.
Immediate effects
The effects of ketamine may be experienced within 30 seconds (if taken intravenously) to 20 minutes (if taken orally) and can last for one to three hours.
Some of the effects that may be experienced after taking low to moderate doses of ketamine are:
- blurred vision
- constricted pupils
- impaired motor coordination
- euphoria and relaxation
- feelings of dissociation (being detached from the body)
- hallucinations and distorted sensory processing, including visual, auditory, bodily, time and space perception
- disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or maintaining attention
- anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic
- slurred speech
- increased heart rate and blood pressure
- breathing rate increased but shallow
- nausea and vomiting
- sweating
- reduced sensitivity to pain and numbness of the extremities.
Higher doses and overdose
Higher doses of ketamine can intensify the effects experienced at lower doses. Large quantities of ketamine can also cause:
- drowsiness
- erratic, hostile and bizarre behaviour
- feelings of panic and terror
- paranoia
- depression
- amnesia
- anaesthesia
- muscle rigidity
- hypersalivation
- increased body temperature or fever
- cardiac arrhythmia
- convulsions
- coma
- "near death" experience
- risk of accidents.
Long-term effects
Little is known about the long-term effects of ketamine use.
It has been reported that some people experience "flashbacks", from when they used the drug. Flashbacks can occur days, weeks or months after a person has used ketamine.
There is also some emerging evidence that repeated use may impair some aspects of memory and selected cognitive functions.
Long-term, frequent use of ketamine has been linked to personality and mood changes tolerance, dependence, reduced ability to concentrate and depression.
Tolerance and dependence
Tolerance to ketamine can develop very quickly, with people needing more and more to achieve the same euphoric and psychedelic effects.
There is evidence that people who regularly use ketamine can develop a psychological dependence. People who are psychologically dependent on ketamine may experience cravings. They may feel compelled to use ketamine to function effectively or feel good in certain situations—such as at a dance party.
Withdrawal
There is currently little evidence to support the view that people who are dependent on ketamine experience physical withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop taking it.
Treatment options
There are a number of treatment options available in Australia. Some programs aim solely for a person to achieve a drug-free lifestyle, while others recognise abstinence as one option among a number of strategies that have the overall aim of reducing harm and the risks related to a person's drug use.
Treatment is more effective if tailored to suit a person's circumstances, and usually involves a combination of methods. Some of the different options include counselling, group therapy, medication and supervised/home withdrawal.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Many drugs can cross the placenta and have effects on the unborn child.
Little is known about the effects of ketamine on the unborn child. As is the case with many other drugs and medications, it is not recommended that people use ketamine while pregnant or breastfeeding.
If a mother continues to use ketamine while breastfeeding, it is possible that the drug will be present in her milk and may have adverse effects on the baby.
Check with your doctor or other health professional if you are taking or planning to take any substance while pregnant or breastfeeding, including prescribed and over-the-counter medications.
Reducing the risks
Australian drug policy is based on harm minimisation. The aim is to reduce drug-related harm to both the community and individuals who use drugs. Harm-minimisation strategies range from encouraging "non-use" through to providing the means for people who use drugs to use them with reduced risks.
What to do in a crisis
If someone overdoses or has an adverse reaction while using ketamine, it is very important that they receive professional help as soon as possible. A quick response can save their life.
- Call an ambulance. Dial 000. Don’t delay because you think you or the person might get into trouble. Ambulance officers are not obliged to involve the police.
- Stay with the person until the ambulance arrives. Find out if anyone at the scene knows mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
- Ensure the person has adequate air by keeping crowds back and opening windows. Loosen tight clothing.
- If the person is unconscious, don’t leave them on their back—they could choke. Turn them on their side and into the recovery position. Gently tilt their head back so their tongue does not block the airway.
- If the person has stopped breathing, give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. If there is no pulse, apply CPR.
- Provide the ambulance officers with as much information as you can—what drugs were taken, how long ago and any pre-existing medical conditions.
- Plan what to do in a crisis.
More information