Ketamine Side Effects

As a hallucinogen, Ketamine causes hallucinations, “out-of-body” experiences and euphoria when injected, snorted or otherwise consumed. Users often report feeling “distant,” “serene” or “surreal” while high on ketamine. Ketamine is said to alleviate the symptoms of depression and has been studied as a potential prescription anti-depressant. In spite of these benefits, Ketamine is a highly addictive drug, and people using it quickly need more and more of it in order to experience the same feelings as they did during their initial high. As a result, people can become dependent on Ketamine. Ketamine is a dangerous drug to be dependent on or addicted to since it comes with a long list of side effects. And Ketamine use can quickly lead to severe damage of the lower urinary tract symptoms that may ultimately require surgery and even, in some cases, bladder removal. These permanent impacts are far more common than people realized in the early days of Ketamine abuse.

The side effects of Ketamine can be classified as short-term and long-term effects. From the initial dose, people taking Ketamine can experience the following short-term effects:

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Nausea and vomiting
• Numbness
• Respiratory problems

Long-term effects of Ketamine are, in general, similar to short-term effects but can become more damaging over time.

While most of the short-term effects of Ketamine fade when the person is no longer using Ketamine, some of the long-term effects of Ketamine do not, which is one of the greatest dangers of continuous use of the drug. Long-term use of Ketamine can cause damage to several major internal organs, especially the bladder.

According to Medscape, “Two studies have shown that the recreational use of the drug Ketamine can result in bladder damage. The damage occurs through drug-related toxicity in the urine, which leads to erosion of the bladder’s epithelial lining.” And studies have shown that Ketamine-related bladder damage is even more common than initially thought.

If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to Ketamine or a similar drug, we invite you to contact our compassionate and well-trained team at The Recovery Village. We’re here to answer your questions and ready to help in any way we can.