All topics

Ketamine

Published on October 15, 2024 at 8:00 / Updated on October 31, 2024 at 8:01
Synonyms The most common synonyms are:
  • Cat tranquillizer, Horse tranquillizer, K, Ket, Kitty, Special K, Vitamin K.
Classification Central nervous system disruptor, dissociative anesthetic:
  • Disrupts mental processes, causes varying degrees of disturbances in brain function, perception, mood and cognitive processes.
Visual description
  • Capsules
  • Tablets
  • Crystals
  • White powder
  • Liquid
Mechanism of action
  • Non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist that blocks glutamate. Also thought to have an effect on dopamine, which would explain its effect on mood.
Routes of administration
  • Most often snorted. Can be added to a cigarette and smoked or mixed with liquids and ingested. Other routes of administration are possible but rare.

Desired effects sought by the user

  • Euphoria (heightened sense of well-being)
  • Floating sensation (dissociative effect)
  • Hallucinations
  • Insensivity to pain
  • Spiritual journeys

Common toxic effects

  • Altered state of consciousness
  • Blurred vision
  • Confusion
  • Decreased respiratory rate
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Fever
  • Hypertension (increased blood pressure)
  • Impaired motor coordination
  • Insensivity to pain
  • Memory loss
  • Muscular rigidity
  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Nose bleeds
  • Numbness in the extremities
  • Slurred speech
  • Tachycardia (increased heart rate)
  • Thought disorder
  • Unpleasant taste

Overdose effects

  • Coma
  • Death
  • Paralysis
  • Prolonged sedation
  • Respiratory depression
  • Seizures
  • Stroke

Effects associated with chronic use (using ≥3 times/week)

  • Colicky abdominal pain (K cramps)
  • Depression
  • Kidney damage
  • Severe urinary tract infection

Tolerance (need to increase the dose to feel the same effect)

Yes.

Addiction

Possible.

Withdrawal

Possible. A user may experience the following symptoms: anxiety, tremors, sweating, palpitations, depression, flashbacks.

Onset and duration of action
Route of administrationOnset of actionDuration of action
Ingested5 to 20 minutes90 minutesThe effect can last a few hours
SnortedA few minutes45 to 60 minutes
Injected intramuscularlyA few minutes60 minutes
Injected into a vein 10 minutes

Intoxication management

  • No antidote available
  • Treatment is mainly symptomatic
Many different street drugs are sold under the same name. Furthermore, nothing guarantees the quantity, purity or even the content of a street drug in spite of the fact that it may, in some cases, look like medication.

If you need help or want to learn more:

The drugs and pharmaceutical services featured on the familiprix.com website are offered by pharmacists who own the affiliated pharmacies at Familiprix. The information contained on the familiprix.com site is for informational purposes only and does not in any way replace the advice and advice of your pharmacist or any other health professional. Always consult a health professional before taking or discontinuing medication or making any other decision. Familiprix inc. and the proprietary pharmacists affiliated with Familiprix do not engage in any way by making this information available on this website.