Ketamine Addiction Signs, Symptoms, Treatment & Recovery

While hallucinogenic drugs like LSD can induce highs that last for several hours, a ketamine high is relatively short, with its effects only persisting for around thirty minutes to an hour. While it might at first seem that ketamine is a safer alternative to other substances, those who frequently abuse the drug can begin to develop a tolerance, needing more of it to achieve that same initial feeling. Regular ketamine use can lead to ketamine bladder syndrome, liver disease, cognitive impairments, and mental health disorders.

Ketamine addiction symptoms

• While the clinical setting provides safeguards—such as controlled dosages and strict monitoring of usage—repeated exposure still triggers addiction pathways in vulnerable individuals.
• For ketamine to be helpful in addiction treatment, it must be used under the close care of medical professionals.
• However, unsupervised or long-term use increases the likelihood of addiction, particularly for individuals who are already vulnerable to substance dependence.
• He adds that reclassification “will not deter young people from using it if their underlying mental health and wellbeing needs continue to be unmet”.

But after she started secondary school, she says, a friend introduced her to ketamine. One mother, who we are calling Claire, told the BBC she was oblivious to the fact that her 14-year-old daughter Lexi (not her real name) was addicted to ketamine until the teenager ended up in hospital with severe stomach cramps. Across Lancashire, recorded offences for possession and supply of ketamine rose by nearly 70% from 54 in 2023 to 91 in 2024. “What we have seen, probably within the last 12 months, is the upturn in the use, particularly around children,” says Insp Matt Plummer of Lancashire Police.

Online Therapy Can Help

If you think you may have a ketamine addiction, reaching out for help is not a weakness. Getting support from friends, family, and professional facilities can assist you in overcoming your addiction and living your life free of substances. Treatment for ketamine addiction often involves some type of psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement therapy, family therapy, or group therapy. The groundbreaking discovery of ketamine in the ketamine addiction treatment of depression revolutionized mental health care, leading to the development of a rapid-acting antidepressant. Dennis S. Charney, MD, dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, along with his long-time collaborator John H. Krystal, MD, played a pivotal role in identifying ketamine as a potential treatment for severe depression.

Biofeedback Therapy: Techniques, Benefits, and Effective Treatments

This drug has been linked to conditions like depression, hysteria, memory loss, and high blood pressure in regular users. Ketamine’s effect in glutamatergic synapses helps lower the neurotoxicity arising from zinc depletion secondary to chronic malnutrition seen in AN 44. Zinc is an allosteric modulator of NMDA receptors, frequent in the limbic system. In severely malnourished patients, zinc depletion causes hyperactivation of NMDA receptors and decreased GABA activity, leading to neurotoxicity, low neuroplasticity, and neurogenesis 44. Low-dose ketamine and adjunctive zinc treatment could be a promising therapeutic strategy in AN 45.

How Long Does It Take to Get Addicted to Ketamine?

• People who need help recovering from ketamine addiction can benefit significantly from 90-day treatment programs at drug rehab centers, where extensive therapy can be used to treat co-occurring disorders like depression.
• For more information on getting help with ketamine drug abuse, browse our website to find a treatment center to contact today.
• If you’re concerned about your or a loved one’s ketamine use, seek professional support.
• Recent reports have shown Ketamine is often an ingredient included in ‘pink cocaine’, the dangerous synthetic drug cocktail taken by users without knowing what mix of substances it contains.
• Common antidepressants (paroxetine and sertraline) improve ED symptoms and traits in some, but not all, studies analyzed 8.

Its development began mostly due to the need to find a new desirable replacement for phencyclidine, an anesthetic that, while safe, had several undesirable effects. Similar in structure to phencyclidine, it was not as potent and was used for the first time on humans just two years later. These studies affirm that the drug was indeed safe, and clinical information showed a good anesthetic effect with fewer side effects. Since then, new brands such as Vetalar, Ketaset, Calypsol, and Ketaject, have become popular. Withdrawal symptoms may include chills, sweats, excitation, hallucinations, teary eyes, and drug cravings. For those who abuse ketamine via insufflation (“snorting”) adverse reactions may be less serious, but still present.

How Different Uses of Ketamine Influence Addiction Risk

• We analyzed data from the entire period of clinical follow-up (from the day of admission until the last recorded visit as an outpatient).
• Ketamine, also known as Special K or Super K, is a short-acting anesthetic drug with hallucinogenic effects.
• Likewise, snorting and injecting ketamine are common ways to consume ketamine, so this permits quick entry into the bloodstream.
• Ketamine also distorts the user’s perceptions of sight and sound and can make it difficult to move.
• Fast heart rate, high blood pressure, hallucinations, and impaired consciousness upon presentation to the emergency department may be most common effects with “snorting”.

This surge in use, particularly among young people, is contributing to a rise in ketamine addiction across the United States. Charney considers the ketamine journey one of his most rewarding achievements. While he wishes the research had progressed more quickly, he is ultimately satisfied with its impact. “Maybe we, you know, we could have got to it sooner. I am pretty satisfied with drug addiction that approach—not a lot of regrets there,” he says.

If you or someone you know is struggling with ketamine use, it’s important to remember that recovery is possible. Seeking help is the first step, and there are many support options available. Addiction is a chronic condition characterised by ketamine use becoming compulsive and difficult to control, even when it causes harm to your health, relationships or daily responsibilities.