Reading Time: 8 minutes
Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic sometimes used in medical treatment, can also be misused when taken outside prescribed care. Repeated use carries risks of dependence and long-term harm. Understanding the signs of ketamine addiction is the first step toward effective treatment and lasting recovery.
What Is Ketamine?
Ketamine is an anesthetic with hallucinogenic and dissociative effects. It is used in humans and animals to induce sedation and immobility.
Ketamine can cause hallucinations, delirium, nightmares and an altered state of short term memory and cognition. Current medical and psychiatric use include infusions for pain, post traumatic stress disorder, and treatment resistant depression.
While the medical use of ketamine has expanded over the past decade, so has the potential for physical and psychological addiction. From 2019 to 2021, ketamine poisonings increased by 81% in the United States. It is frequently mixed with other drugs, raising the risk of serious side effects.
Ketamine is abused in several ways. It has been used as a date rape drug because victims can not identify their attacker. People who have used ketamine often cannot remember events while under its sedative effects.
Ketamine also is a popular hallucinogenic club drug that produces out of body experiences known as “the K-Hole.” The most common street names are Special K, Super Acid, and Vitamin K.
Ketamine can be taken orally, intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, and orally. When it’s reduced to crystals, it can be crushed into powder and snorted or used to adulterate food or drinks. One of the greatest dangers of ketamine is that it is tasteless and has no smell so a person may not know they have ingested it until the effects begin. It is also available as a nasal spray.
The effects of ketamine last from two to four hours depending on how often and how much is taken. A person may feel nauseous when it begins to wear off and have hangover lethargy for several days. The drug is eliminated through the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
Evidence of the substance may remain in the system for up to fourteen days. Frequent use of ketamine can result in urinary tract infections, and bladder and liver damage.
Signs and Symptoms of Ketamine Addiction
Ketamine addiction appears similar to other substance abuse behavior.
Because it is sometimes used to “cut” other substances like methamphetamines and cocaine, this means the ketamine is added to other substances to reduce the cost to the dealer. However, this increases the addictive properties of the secondary substance.
Addictive behavior often presents the same regardless of the substance being abused.
Common behaviors a person may struggle with include:
- Absent from work or social gatherings, loss of motivation
- Unable to keep promises or commitments
- Financial problems, stealing from family and friends, borrowing money frequently
- Loss of weight and appetite, nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal distress
- Lack of hygiene or self-care
- Excessive sleeping or insomnia
- Engaging in high risk behaviors and a lack of awareness around dangerous situations
- Legal problems including DUI/DWI’s, probation, and possession charges
- A notable change in attitude, temperament, mood and emotional regulation
- Increased medical problems like urinary tract infections, upper respiratory or lung disease, cardiac problems
Health Risks and Long-Term Complications
Ketamine misuse is not harmless. Repeated use can lead to serious health risks that affect both body and mind. Over time, individuals may experience complications such as bladder damage, memory problems, and mood disturbances. Recognizing these dangers highlights why early treatment is essential for preventing long-term harm.
Ketamine tolerance builds quickly as your body requires more of the drug to experience the same sensations. Extensive use can cause damage to the urinary tract system, bladder and liver. Because ketamine does not have the same danger of overdose as opioids, many people fail to realize that systemic damage can occur when the substance is overused.
With continued use, ketamine triggers bladder inflammation and scarring, called ketamine bladder syndrome. This requires frequent emptying, and triggers bloody urine and pain on urination. The upper urinary tract can become obstructed, which can lead to irreversible kidney damage. This can lead to surgery and there is a risk of complete kidney failure.
Liver damage caused by extensive ketamine use is becoming a more frequent concern. Individuals can experience acute and chronic hepatotoxicity from ketamine use. Acute toxicity is rare, and manifests with transient liver enzyme elevations. Chronic hepatotoxicity from prolonged use can lead to severe and potentially irreversible damage.
Chronic use can trigger permanent bladder, liver and kidney damage. However, when caught early, the physical damage can be reversed.
Ketamine Withdrawal and Dependence
Although ketamine is not physically addictive in the same way as opioids or alcohol, it can lead to psychological dependence with frequent or heavy use. People find themselves needing higher doses to achieve the same effects, which increases the risk of harmful consequences.
When ketamine use is reduced or stopped, withdrawal symptoms appear, which can include:
- Strong cravings for the drug
- Anxiety or panic
- Restlessness or agitation
- Depression or low mood
- Fatigue or exhaustion
- Insomnia or disrupted sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Tremors or shakiness
- Sweating or chills
- Loss of appetite
- Increased heart rate or palpitations
These withdrawal effects can make it challenging to quit without support and may contribute to ongoing use despite experiencing negative impacts on health or daily life. Professional treatment programs focus on managing these symptoms safely while addressing the underlying behaviors and triggers linked to ketamine dependence.
Through medical supervision and structured therapy, you can begin the recovery process with greater stability and reduced risk of relapse.
Treatment Options for Ketamine Addiction
Overcoming ketamine addiction requires more than willpower since psychological dependence and withdrawal symptoms can make recovery difficult.
Effective treatment focuses on addressing the physical effects of withdrawal while providing therapeutic support to break patterns of misuse. With professional care, individuals can build healthier coping strategies and work toward lasting recovery.
Detox and Withdrawal Support
Case studies indicate that persons using ketamine experience cravings, depression and anxiety during withdrawal.
While naloxone is not effective against the effects of ketamine, it may help reverse respiratory depression when ketamine has been used to cut an opioid drug for which naloxone is highly effective. Medically assisted inpatient programs provide 24 hour medical supervision, improving comfort during the initial days.
Inpatient vs Outpatient Rehab
After detox and withdrawal stabilization, it is recommended that a person complete an inpatient/residential or outpatient rehabilitation program to address the psychosocial triggers that increase the risk of ketamine misuse.
An inpatient rehabilitation program may take two to four weeks, allowing your body to adjust to living without the drug and complete the detox process. Inpatient treatment generally provides early recovery skills, anxiety and depression reduction, building a support system, and peer mentors who have experienced addiction and recovered.
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) can be the next step in your recovery process. It may also start your treatment after detox when you have a stable and strong family and community support system.
IOPs generally include individual and group counseling sessions and family therapy for several hours per day over multiple days each week. You may also find an effective online program when there are barriers to attending in person.
Traditional outpatient therapy typically follows an IOP, during which you receive therapy one to two times a week with an individual counselor, exploring the underlying addictive behaviors that lead to relapse. Your program also likely includes peer support groups like AA or NA.
Therapies and Counseling Approaches
A variety of treatment options are available to suit different needs. Some therapy programs specialize in specific populations like LGBQTA+ or veterans.
There are programs that include women with children who are able to stay in sober residential housing while getting back to work. Family therapy helps address support systems. Some peer programs are certified for insurance reimbursement.
Life in Rehab and Aftercare
Life during rehab is a practice experience of learning to live substance free. It requires learning communication skills and self-care that support individuals for the rest of their lives. Recovery is a lifelong journey in which you can experience ups and downs. A relapse is not failure, it is only another step in your recovery.
The purpose in staying in a treatment program for an extended period of time is to build new lifestyle habits, learn new skills, and create a stable support system. A recovery lifestyle is built during rehab and experienced during aftercare.
Aftercare is personalized and designed to get a person back into daily life, whether that is work, school, family or retirement. The longer a person remains in treatment, the higher their chances of remaining substance free long term.
The better a support system is built through peers and other resources, the better a life in recovery is lived.
Ketamine Addiction: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Signs of Ketamine Addiction?
Ketamine addiction mirrors other addictions, including high risk behaviors, a lack of personal hygiene, broken commitments, and legal or financial problems. Many people also exhibit sudden changes in mood, behavior, attitude or disposition when they are using substances.
Can Ketamine Cause Long-Term Health Problems?
Yes, for too long people have believed that ketamine is a harmless drug. But like other types of sedatives, hallucinogens and dissociative medications, long term effects can be dangerous and even deadly. Ketamine can permanently damage the bladder, liver and kidneys by restricting blood flow and causing a build up of toxic chemicals in the system.
What is Ketamine Bladder Syndrome?
Ketamine bladder syndrome, sometimes called ketamine-induced cystitis, is a painful condition linked to frequent or long-term recreational use of ketamine. The drug irritates the lining of the bladder and urinary tract, leading to inflammation, scarring, and a reduced bladder capacity. When left untreated, it can lead to permanent loss of bladder function.
Is Ketamine Withdrawal Dangerous?
Not usually, but it depends on how much, how long and what other drugs have been mixed with ketamine. When used in combination with opioids or cocaine, withdrawal can be very dangerous. When combined with alcohol or benzodiazepines, medically supervised detox is necessary as dangerous seizures may occur.
How is Ketamine Addiction Treated?
Ketamine addiction treatment mirrors other step down programs. Any type of substance addiction requires an extended program that reaches across lifestyles, populations and the needs of the individual.
Find Treatment Today
Ketamine addiction is a growing problem in the United States. It has become easier to manufacture and less expensive to obtain. But there is hope for addiction and recovery is possible.
Many have succeeded in learning a new lifestyle apart from substance use. You can find treatment close to home, far away and with or without financial support.
Explore the Addictions.com national directory to find a place where you can begin your new life drug free, or call
800-681-1058
(
Sponsored)
to speak with someone today.
