Ketamine Addiction Treatment

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Unlike most of these other drugs, there are currently human and animal medical uses for ketamine. This drug used to be more widely used as a human anesthetic but the severe agitation and hallucinations that often resulted caused its use to be restricted to very limited circumstances. Ketamine is diverted from legitimate uses or can be purchased online from overseas sources. It is abused in clubs or in isolation.

At different dosages, ketamine creates drastically different effects, ranging from euphoria to complete dissociation from one’s thoughts, body or identity. A person reaching this state, called the “k-hole,” will be completely unable to look after his own well-being.

Sources of Ketamine

Ketamine is mostly available as a veterinary anesthetic. It may be stolen from a vet clinic in the US or obtained from international sources and then trafficked into the US. It is easily obtained in Mexico and those wishing to abuse the drugs may cross the border and purchase it. Some people may cross the border to obtain either ketamine or the anti-anxiety drug Rohypnol for the purpose of rendering a person incapable of resisting a sexual assault. Either drug can cause amnesia so that the victim may not even remember the event.

The Health Risks of Ketamine

Ketamine is very harsh on a person’s bladder. A heavy abuser very often suffers pain during urination and has blood in his urine. He may painfully pass blood clots as well. His bladder may become hard and scarred and he may be forced to find a bathroom every 15 minutes or so. Many people have needed surgery to repair their bladders or had their bladders removed as they could not be repaired.

When bladders become damaged, urine can become unable to pass from the kidneys into the bladder. This backup of urine can cause damage to the kidneys, all the way to kidney failure.

Bladder and kidney damage is even more likely when ketamine is combined with Ecstasy as is so often done in Asia.

Because ketamine is an anesthetic, it is quite possible for a person to hurt himself and not be aware of it and not seek medical assistance.

A UK study done in 2009 showed that ketamine users who performed memory and mental ability tests a year apart suffered a deterioration of mental ability and memory in that year. Tests done to find traces of drugs in their hair showed that these ketamine users doubled their consumption in this year, supporting the belief that this is indeed an addictive drug.

At higher doses, ketamine is a depressant of the heart and respiratory functions. Especially if it is mixed with another depressant like alcohol, opiate or benzodiazepines, it can cause a person to stop breathing.

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Signs and Symptoms of Abuse

The signs of ketamine use are so pronounced that they are very hard to miss. For this reason, a person abusing ketamine who does not want family members to know will probably abuse the drug out of sight of family. It is very often used as a party drug, or it may be used in isolation.

Ketamine causes distortions to perceptions, and at lower dosages, a sort of mellowness. The user will feel out of control of himself, and to a greater or lesser degree dissociated from their body. The user may also experience hallucinations similar to those of a person using LSD.

Because the symptoms are not long-lasting, the person who uses the drug at a party may have recovered by the time he gets home. Thus the family may have to use other signs and symptoms to detect abuse of ketamine.

Like all addictive drugs, ketamine is highly damaging to the person who indulges in repeated or chronic use. It can be difficult for the unaddicted person to understand the allure of effects like those resulting from ketamine abuse. A person who snorts, ingests, injects or smokes this drug will experience these effects, some minor and some life-threatening.

The more of the drug that is taken, the greater the severity of effects and the greater the danger:

• Dilated pupils
• Excessive salivation
• Distorted sensory perceptions
• Nausea
• Rapid, involuntary eye movements
• Stiff muscles
• Depression
• Agitation
• Amnesia
• Dissociation from one’s body or identity
• Unconsciousness
• Slowed heartbeat
• Hallucinations
• Unresponsiveness to external stimuli

These effects are, for the most part, short-lived. A family who suspects use of a drug like ketamine may have a hard time detecting its use. Within an hour of these effects showing up, they will begin to fade away. A person who wishes to abuse ketamine will only need to go to a club venue or spend a few hours alone to abuse this drug without his (or her) family being able to tell.

But some of the effects are longer lasting. And the effects of being addicted to a drug like ketamine will be detectable by the family.

Symptoms of Abuse May Include Addiction and Deteriorating Condition

Here are some of the specific signs a person may show while abusing ketamine. The symptoms become more severe when more of the drug is abused:

• Unusual mellowness
• Changes in perceptions of color or sound
• Dissociation from body or identity
• Agitation
• Depression
• Difficulty thinking or learning
• Nausea
• Dilated pupils
• Involuntary muscle movements
• Amnesia
• Slowed breathing
• Increased blood pressure that then slowly drops
• Hallucinations
• Delirium

Many users will attempt to take enough of the drug to experience a condition of complete dissociation from body or environment that they consider enjoyable. When they have achieved this state, they may be unable to respond to voices, lights or other stimuli. This condition may last for an hour or less and then begin to fade away.

A chronic user of ketamine is very likely to become psychologically dependent on the drug. He will probably be unable to think clearly or retain anything that was learned and will probably be quite depressed. He may suffer periods of amnesia.

It is very common for people who are addicted to commit crimes to get the drugs they begin to crave so strongly. Thus, guilt is a common symptom of addiction. Despite all the damage being done, a person addicted to ketamine will continue to abuse the drug.

Characteristics of Continual Users

Those who become continual users of ketamine are often seeking a dissociative state that they consider desirable. In this altered state, they are unaware of their own thoughts, environment or even any dangers that might be around them. They may hallucinate about near-death experiences and the drug may trigger terrors. When they have reached a state where they are fully detached from reality, this condition is referred to as the “K-Hole.”

Unfortunately, the effects of ketamine include flashbacks much later, even months after their last use of ketamine. While overdoses from ketamine are rare, they are possible, either directly from abuse of the drug or from mishaps while intoxicated.

Deterioration of Character and Condition

One of the ironies of addiction is that drug abuse itself lowers one’s awareness of their own worsening condition. This makes it very hard for an addicted person to see that they are suffering from a worsening of integrity, health, financial condition, relationships and other aspects of life. In too many cases, the solution to problems is often more abuse of drugs or alcohol. In the meantime, family and friends see the worsening condition.

It is no different with ketamine. Continued use of this drug can result in cognitive difficulties, depression, and inability to think clearly. All these effects can themselves prevent a person from trying to get help. In so many cases, it is the family that sees the damage that is occurring and determines that rehabilitation is a necessity.

The Family Who Needs to Detect Addiction

When one of your family members is abusing ketamine, they may keep the signs of abuse out of sight. You may only see the indirect signs of addiction - the lack of production, lack of any enjoyment of life, isolation and increasing depression. Unless you find empty vials of ketamine, you may not realize that this drug is the agent that is causing this kind of damage.

All you need to know is that when your loved one is losing everything to substance abuse, you need to find an effective rehabilitation center that can provide the life-saving recovery program you are looking for. For nearly 50 years, the Narconon network of rehab centers have been helping the addicted repair the guilt, stamp out the cravings and lift the depression that is so common to addicts. Without a thorough rehab program, these factors of addiction will keep a person trapped.

Helping the Ketamine Addict Recover

Just like with cocaine or heroin, a person can become physically and psychologically addicted to ketamine. When addiction occurs, a person will continue to use this drug despite the damage that is experienced. When a person has lost his (or her) ability to maintain sobriety, he needs help rebuilding sober living skills. He needs to learn to enjoy a productive life again. This kind of repair takes time and an effective recovery program.

This is the kind of recovery that takes place every day at Narconon drug rehab centers around the world. The Narconon program directly addresses the kind of addictive effects caused by ketamine abuse. The cravings, the depression, the loss of life skills—these effects are all counteracted by the services that make up the Narconon program.

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How the Narconon Program Results in Rehabilitation

Substance abuse treatment for drug abuse must work holistically for it to have a lasting effect. In other words, it must treat the damaging effects of substance abuse on the body but then it must also help the addict learn how to build a new drug-free life, sometimes from the ground up, when addiction has destroyed everything.

Substitute drugs are not used as the Narconon program is a drug free program.

A thorough detoxification followed by counseling and life skills training enable a person in a drug program to see things in a whole new light so they can live an enjoyable, productive life again. This is the way the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program works.

Learn all the other ways this program can help your loved one regain an interest in sobriety and productiveness once again.

Get Support and Access to Valuable Resources

Do you need more information on Narconon? Or are you seeking a better understanding of ketamine, drugs and addiction? Find what you need in our guide to international locations, list of ways to contact us and much more.

Narconon's global network of rehabilitation centers provides effective ketamine addiction treatment in locations across North America, South America, Europe, South Africa, and Asia. Our dedicated facilities offer the complete Narconon program in supportive, residential environments specifically designed for recovery.

Additional Resources

• Complete Program Information
• Narconon Blog: Recovery Stories and Insights
• Understanding Ketamine Addiction
• Support & Resources
• Long-term recovery planning: what is important to have in place.
• Guidance of what to do when dealing with addiction.
• Ketamine Information

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