Are you concerned that someone you know is addicted to Ketamine?
Below is a guide to what you should look out for if you suspect someone close to you is taking Ketamine and how to get the right treatment for them from professional addiction counsellors.
What is Ketamine Addiction?
Ketamine, also known on the street as special K or KitKat is a drug that is generally used as an anaesthetic in veterinary practice.
When used by humans for recreational purposes it can produce a strong hallucinogenic experience.
The trip ketamine produces is often influenced by the user’s state of mind whilst taking the drug, if they are feeling low then the trip is likely to be negative and if they are feeling good then the trip likely to be a positive experience.
Although this isn’t always the case, mood is commonly associated with influencing the outcome of many psychedelic drug experiences.
Ketamine comes in powder form and as such is most commonly snorted although it can be made into a liquid and injected.
The only real difference between injecting and inhaling Ketamine being the time it takes for the drug to take effect and when used intravenously Ketamine affects the user faster.
Since Ketamine is a medicine used in veterinary practice it’s likely that most of the Ketamine people use on the street today comes from a stolen source.
Signs, Symptoms and Risks of Ketamine Abuse and Addiction
The positive effects that ketamine users feel coupled with the short duration with which they last means that this is a drug that is highly habit forming.
Tolerance is developed very quickly with Ketamine and frequent users will find in order to achieve the same trip as they have previous experienced they will now need to take more of the drug.
Clearly as the dosage increases so do the risks of harm involved to the user.
Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms from Ketamine include insomnia, restless leg syndrome, depression and mood swings, lack of ability to focus properly, anxiety and tension but this list is not exhaustive and individuals do vary in their ability to tolerate certain symptoms.
Ketamine Addiction Treatment
It’s important to seek professional medical help when treating Ketamine addiction.
In order to make the process as simple and pain free as possible for the patient and also to enhance the likelihood of a positive prognosis, a number of steps are involved which could include some or all of the following treatments but beginning with drug detoxification.
Detox, as its name implies works by removing all traces of the chemical toxins from the patient’s body.
Once Detox is completed it will be followed up by a combination of group therapy and individual drug addiction counselling.
Outpatient rehabilitation as a part of ongoing aftercare is recommended as relapse is always a real possibility when coming off of any substance so follow up and after care treatment is a important part of staying on the road to recovery.