Ketamine

Published on April 12, 2024 at 8:00 / Updated on May 1, 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 administration	Onset of action	Duration of action
Ingested	5 to 20 minutes	90 minutesThe effect can last a few hours
Snorted	A few minutes	45 to 60 minutes
Injected intramuscularly	A few minutes	60 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:

Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

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