Ketamine is a hallucinogenic drug originally used as a medical and veterinary anaesthetic. It can alter sensory perceptions, often resulting in an ‘out of body’ experience, sometimes referred to as going into a ‘K-hole’. These effects have led to its recreational use as a party drug, and it has also been implicated as a date-rape drug.
Ketamine can come as a white crystalline powder, as a clear liquid, or as a tablet. It can be taken orally, snorted or injected.
The effects of ketamine vary depending on d how much is taken and how it is taken. Users commonly experience hallucinations, altered thinking and emotions, and a distorted sense of time. Effects normally wear off after one to four hours.
Some people find the experience enjoyable, while others find the loss of control over themselves and their body unpleasant or scary. Heavier doses of ketamine can lead to a near-death experience.
Slang
K, Special K, Horse tranq, Kit kat, Jet, Vitamin K, Ket
Short-term effects
The desired effect for some users is to experience a ‘K-hole’. Others react badly to ketamine, resulting in a ‘bad trip’.
Immediate effects
The effects of ketamine can be felt after around 20 minutes when taken orally.
Some of the effects when using low to moderate doses of ketamine include:
Higher doses of ketamine can cause more intense and unpleasant or dangerous effects including:
Long-term effects
Little is known about the long-term effects of ketamine, although there are some reports of mental impairment including LSD-type flashbacks and a negative effect on short-term memory.
Recent studies in the British Medical Journal reported urinary tract diseases directly associated with ketamine use and irreversible bladder damage in a minority of cases.
Regular and long-term use has been linked to changes in personality and moods, including depression and trouble concentrating. Tolerance and dependence on Ketamine is also possible.
Dependence and addiction
Ketamine can be habit forming for some people who use it regularly. This is called psychological dependence, and means that some users will crave ketamine, feeling they need it to function effectively and feel comfortable in certain situations, for example when attending a dance party.
Tolerance can develop quickly, meaning more of the drug is needed to get high and users will often find themselves rapidly increasing their dose over time.
Overdose
Taking too much ketamine will increase the immediate negative effects. A severe overdose could result in dangerously slowed breathing, convulsions, coma, seizures and death from respiratory failure. See our How to get help section for advice on what to do if someone overdoses on ketamine.
From 1 December 2010 ketamine was scheduled as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. The maximum penalty for possession of a Class C substance is three months jail and/or a $500 fine. The maximum penalty for importing, manufacturing and/or supplying a Class C substance is eight years imprisonment.
Recreational use of ketamine is relatively low in New Zealand. The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs recognises it has a "small but definite" market.
Research from 2007/08 Alcohol and Drug Use Survey showed that:
A recent Illicit Drugs Monitoring System (IDMS) study found that in 2009, regular drug users were increasingly likely to have tried ketamine in the past year.
Ketamine has also been pressed into ecstasy pills, or mixed with other stimulants and sold as ecstasy.
The Drug Foundation’s message is clear: no drug use is the safest drug use. However, we know there will be occasions when people ignore warnings and use drugs in a dangerous manner. To help keep communities safe we therefore provide information about proven methods of drug harm reduction.
Avoid mixing ketamine with other drugs, especially other depressant drugs like alcohol, opiates or benzodiazepines. The sedative effects of these can combine with ketamine and lead to unconsciousness, choking and vomiting.
If you feel you or anyone you know needs help, there are a number of treatment organisations you can contact in strict confidence.
DrugHelp is a uniquely New Zealand website for people looking for help with their own or someone else’s drug use. DrugHelp shares the stories, experiences, insight and hope of people who have been there – people who have abused drugs and found a way through. www.drughelp.org.nz
The Alcohol Drug Helpline (0800 787 797) provides free and confidential support for any person concerned about their own or another person's alcohol or drug use. When you call you will talk to an experienced counsellor who is there to listen. You can trust the helpline to provide you with confidential and non-judgemental help when you need it.
The helpline is open from 10am-10pm, every day.
What to do in a crisis
If someone overdoses, becomes unwell, or has a bad reaction to ketamine or any other drug, do not hesitate to get emergency medical assistance. A quick response could save their life:
A list of relevant links to further information and resources about ketamine:
www.cads.org.nz/sorted/ketamine.asp Ketamine information from the CADS (Community Alcohol and Drugs Service) 'Sorted' safe partying guide.
www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/drug-use-in-nz-key-results-of-the-0708-nzadus Drug Use in New Zealand: Key results of the 2007/08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey.
www.shore.ac.nz/projects/idms_study.htm SHORE Illicit Drug Monitoring System report.
www.ndp.govt.nz/moh.nsf/Files/ndp-advice-docs/$file/advice-to-eacd-ketamine-april-2004.pdf (PDF, 316KB) New Zealand Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs advice to the Minister on Ketamine.
www.drughelp.org.nz Uniquely New Zealand website that helps people who use drugs, and their loved ones, find solutions to the problems drug use has caused.