Medicine and the world of drugs have often been linked by the misuse of certain medications. Occasionally, there have been those who saw an opportunity to use certain medical substances for recreational purposes. This has led to the spread and generalization of new drugs, with all the inherent dangers. This is the case with ketamine, an anesthetic used in medicine and veterinary science that has been consumed for recreational purposes for years. Its effects include hallucinations and a state of deep relaxation. Among its harms is its capacity to generate an addiction.
History of Ketamine
This psychoactive substance was first synthesized in 1962 for medical use. Currently, it is used in specialized anesthesia, particularly in pediatric patients, veterinary medicine, and field medicine. Furthermore, its safety profile has made it an anesthetic of choice in areas of the world where access to resuscitation equipment is limited. Ketamine can also be useful in reducing postoperative pain, as well as for treating pain following accidents or burns.
It has been suggested that the development of ketamine as a substance of abuse in the United States began with veterans returning from the Vietnam War who had experienced its effects on the battlefield. Subsequently, case descriptions of abuse among health professionals began to appear. However, its recreational use did not become popular until the mid-nineties, coinciding with a drop in the purity of cocaine distributed in the West. This popularity was also driven by the rise of club culture, and especially rave parties, associated with the boom in electronic dance music.
Its Use as a Drug
Ketamine can be effectively administered through various routes such as intranasal, intravenous, or subcutaneous. Its pharmaceutical presentation is in the form of an injectable liquid. In its use as a recreational substance, the most common route of consumption is intranasal, being snorted in a similar manner to cocaine. On the street, it is popularly known as “Special K” and can be found as powder, liquid, crystals, pills, or capsules. Sometimes, it may be mixed with other substances such as ephedrine or caffeine.
As a general rule, the average psychoactive dose is approximately one-fifth of the usual anesthetic dose. A typical intranasal dose ranges between 25 and 400 mg, while oral doses would be higher. Within 10-20 minutes of consumption, depending on the dose, its effects begin to manifest, with different durations for each. The total duration of the effects of consumption is around two hours. Its effects depend on the composition, the dose, the context in which it is consumed, and the characteristics of the user (weight, age, etc.). Ketamine is metabolized in the liver and eliminated through urine.
Effects of Ketamine Consumption
The effects experienced by the person taking this drug depend, as mentioned before, on the characteristics of the individual. Although these effects may appear 15 minutes after consumption, full physical recovery is not effective until one or two days later. As it is an analgesic, the user under its effects has no sensation of pain. This carries the associated risk that the person could suffer a significant injury and not notice it. The effects produced by ketamine include:
- Altered consciousness. This can cause disorientation and a loss of the sense of time.
- For example, the user may perceive a floating sensation and feel as though they are leaving their own body. This experience can be lived as positive and spiritual or as negative and terrifying due to the sensation of leaving the body. In this case, we would refer to a “bad trip.”
- Disinhibition
- Panic attacks and anxiety
- Psychotic episodes
- Seizures, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Amnesia
- Physiological effects. It causes bronchodilation and increases blood pressure. In high doses, it can also cause cardio-respiratory arrest.
A person who has consumed ketamine may fall into a state of unconsciousness. In these cases, it is best not to provide visual or tactile stimuli, as they can increase negative symptoms. Consumption of the substance from 60 or 70 mg upwards can be considered an overdose. Even so, this is approximate, as the purity of this drug can never be known because it is often adulterated with other substances. Short-term effects can be severe and unpredictable, and in the long term, irreversible brain effects can occur.
One Step Away from Addiction
As noted at the beginning of this article, the popularization of ketamine use has been closely linked from the start to electronic music scenes. The NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse), a center under the U.S. Department of Health, included ketamine among “club drugs” in its first report on the subject. Other substances of this type include MDMA, LSD, or methamphetamine. Generally, the ketamine user begins using this drug in their twenties. It is common for them to have previously used other substances of abuse within a context of active poly-drug use.
Ketamine causes psychological and, in the long term, physical dependence. It also produces tolerance, meaning the individual must increase the dose to achieve the same effects. Furthermore, this drug carries a high risk of addiction. Data from various Western countries indicate a progressive increase in ketamine consumption from the mid-nineties until the late 2000s. Even so, these figures do not approach the prevalence of more traditional drug use. However, this does not change the fact that we are facing one of the most addictive drugs in existence, the risks of which cannot be hidden. When faced with addictive behavior, the solution lies in treatment to regain self-control.
