Ketamine
Other names
Special K, K, Vitamin K, Lady K
What is it?
Ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic drug which has been used for operations on both humans and animals.
Ketamine is a complex drug. It is an anaesthetic with analgesic, stimulant and psychedelic properties.
Ketamine comes in many forms; liquid, pill or white powder form.
How is it used?
It can be taken in various of ways: orally, snorted, smoked or injected.
Effects
- Ketamine can make the user hallucinate, (sometimes referred to as 'K holing' ), alter reality or have an 'out of body' experience.
- Users can experience a loss of control, difficulty speaking and in some cases are physically incapable of moving.
- Using Ketamine can cause dizziness, mild drunk feeling, nausea, vomiting.
- Some people can feel more sociable after using Ketamine and believe that they can do things beyond their ability, where others can feel lonely and isolated.
- Users may feel detached and remote from their immediate environment
Risks
- It's anaesthetic properties stops the user from feeling pain, the user may injure themselves badly without realizing.
- Users can quickly develop a tolerance.
- Psychological dependence and gradual loss of contact with the real world.
- Can cause loss of appetite and weight loss.
- Prolonged use can cause flashbacks, sight problems, blackouts psychosis and potentially rain damage.
- Very dangerous when mixed with other drugs and / or alcohol.
- People with a history of mental health problems or epilepsy should avoid Ketamine.
- Due to the anaesthetic effects of Ketamine and the likelihood of vomiting, users should not eat for 1 - 1 1/2 hours prior to use.
The law
- Class C drug.
- Ketamine is not controlled in the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Act and so possession of the drug is not an offence, although this is currently under review.
- It is controlled under the Medicines Act as a prescription only medicine and people can be prosecuted for supplying it to others.
