Side Effects Of Liquid Ketamine -

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine hydrochloride, also commonly referred to as ketamine, is a short-acting general anesthetic that is injected into patients to produce loss of consciousness before and during surgery or other medical procedures. Ketamine can be found as a white powder or clear liquid ketamine for sale .

The off-label use of ketamine has also been utilized for the successful treatment of chronic and acute pain, procedural sedation, and alcohol withdrawal management.^6-8 A nasal spray form of the drug, called esketamine, has been recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depression.⁹

Ketamine is a dissociative drug that distorts perceptions of sight and sound, produces hallucinations, and provides the user with feelings of detachment from both the environment and self.

Due to these effects, the recreational use of ketamine has gained popularity among teens and young adults as a “club drug” that is used at dance clubs and raves. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the liquid drug is usually injected or mixed in drinks, or it is heated and provided as a powder that can be snorted or smoked.¹⁰

Ketamine Side Effects

When properly administered by a doctor, a therapeutic dose of ketamine will leave a patient feeling calm and relaxed. During their state of sedation patients will also experience immobility, amnesia, and relief from pain.

The recreational misuse of ketamine can be physically hazardous and poses many dangers to the user, especially at higher doses.¹ Individuals who take a high enough dose of ketamine are at risk of entering a “K-hole,” an unpleasant experience characterized by intense visual and auditory hallucinations coupled with a frightening detachment from reality.²

The onset of ketamine effects depends on how the drug is administered. If the drug is smoked, it takes effects immediately. Snorting produces effects in 5-10 minutes, and oral administration will produce effects in 15-20 minutes. The effects will last 30-45 minutes after injection, 45-60 minutes after snorting, and 1-2 hours after oral ingestion. Because ketamine is a relatively short-lasting drug, some people use in a binge cycle, in which they repeatedly use the drug to get high and re-administer the drug when they begin to crash.

The most common adverse side effects of ketamine use include:³

Mental Side Effects

Sedation
A dream-like state
Colorful dreams
Feelings of intense strength and power
Decreased focus
Agitation
Anxiety
Dizziness
Hallucinations
Difficulty thinking
Out of body experiences
Alterations in discernment
Amnesia
Confusion
Reduced awareness of environment
Disorientation
Drowsiness
Dissociation
Decreased ability to feel pain
Forgetfulness
Decreased coordination

Physical Side Effects

Double vision
Involuntary eye movements
Seizures
Impaired motor function
Nausea
Vomiting
Slowed breathing
Cessation of breathing
Elevated blood pressure
Decreased heart rate
Tachycardia
Irregular heartbeat
Motionlessness
Excessive salvia production
Garbled speech

Some people may also experience nervousness, chest pain, tremors, worry, flashbacks, disorientation, psychosis, lightheadedness, vomiting, nausea, seizures, and paranoia.

Long-Term Effects of Ketamine Use

Frequent, repeated abuse of ketamine can cause damage to various major organs, including the digestive tract, urinary tract, and brain. Drug abuse also strains the liver and kidneys, and it can lead to permanent damage to these systems. According to a study published by the journal Addiction, some of the major physical harms caused by ketamine are ulcerative cystitis and memory deficits.

Long-term side effects may include impaired memory, mood swings, respiratory distress, bladder and urination issues, rapid heart rate, seizures, overdose, and more.

The most serious long-term effect of repeated, high-dose ketamine abuse is a physical tolerance to, and dependence on, the drug. Tolerance means that the person will need to take more of the substance to feel the original effects, and in the case of ketamine, that may lead to very harmful practices to get a more intense high.

The chronic abuse of ketamine can result in psychological dependence, causing users to experience intense cravings when not taking the drug. Someone who becomes psychologically dependent on ketamine may go through withdrawal if use of the drug is suddenly stopped. This can result in anxiety, depression, insomnia, and flashbacks.⁴

People who take ketamine typically ingest the drug orally or nasally; however, it can also be injected, either intravenously or intramuscularly, which increases the risk of damage to veins, muscles, skin, and internal organs. Injectable drugs are more likely to cause skin infections, transmit HIV or hepatitis through needle-sharing, or lead to endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves.

Other long-term effects associated with ketamine use include memory impairments, bladder and kidney problems, and depression.⁵

Long-Term Mental Issues

Many intoxicating substances lead to cognitive decline, memory difficulty, and mood changes when they are abused for a long time, and ketamine is no exception. People who abuse this anesthetic have trouble with memory, issues with thinking clearly, and mood swings. Impairments in creating new memories, accessing old memories, verbal memory (e.g., forgetting words, names, and conversations), short-term memory, and visual memory continue while the person abuses ketamine. These are likely to improve when a person gets help overcoming ketamine addiction.

Long-term mental side effects specific to ketamine include:

Decreased sociability
Attention deficit or dysfunction
Impaired memory recall
Flashbacks

Hallucinogenic drugs are often associated with flashbacks even if they are used once; however, drugs like PCP, DXM, and ketamine can all cause flashbacks too. Also like these other drugs, ketamine can trigger psychosis or schizophrenia in those who are predisposed to these mental health disturbance