Ketamine is classed as a dissociative drug used both medically in surgery and recreationally, with mildly hallucinogenic properties, meaning that those that use it can experience effects from relaxation and euphoria to detachment and out of body experience. Ketamine is an anaesthetic drug used both medically in surgery and recreationally.
Common names: ‘K’, ‘Special K’, ‘Wonk’ and ‘Donkey Dust’
Research. It’s really important to know what to expect when under the influence of ketamine and what the potential risks are. We would advise to spend at least a couple of hours getting to know the facts. The more you know, the better decisions you will be able to make. You can check out Crew 2000 or Drug Science for more more information, or why not chat to a trained support worker via our Live Webchat Service.
Do not use alone. As with any substance, the general rule of thumb is not to use alone or out of sight of others, and the same is true for ketamine. People can potentially become quite disoriented while under the influence, which could be stressful or scary for some. There may even be the need to seek medical assistance too, so if you do experience any adverse effects, you’d want someone around, ideally ‘sober’, to help you out.
Start Low and Go Slow. When starting a session, take a test dose and wait a couple of hours before taking any more. You can’t tell how potent or toxic your sample may be from just looking at it, or even what is in it. If you are able to get it tested before you use, that would be ideal, but if that’s not available, take your time and start low.
Should I eat before I use? Yes, but make sure you have food at least two hours before you use. The drug can act as an anaesthetic, so if you eat just before, or while it is in your system, it can lead to vomiting. So by planning ahead and eating well before you take your first dose, can minimise the risk of feeling sick or vomiting.
Plan ahead. It is always wise to think about how much you intend to use, where you are going to use and how you are going to end your session safely. Plan your doses beforehand, as your perception of a dose when under the influence may not be accurate and therefore you may take more than you intended.
Think about where you plan to use. Ketamine can impact your coordination and balance. It can also make people feel quite disorientated. So it’s worth thinking about your environment and using in a safe space. Therefore avoid using near sharp objects, water or heat. Ketamine can also affect your perception of pain too, meaning you may not realise how bad an injury you got when under the influence, until the next day.
How are you feeling before you use? If you are feeling quite anxious or nervous, or experiencing poor mental health, ketamine could makes these worse. Therefore your experience could be an unpleasant one while under the influence of ketamine. It might be best to skip using ketamine this time.
Do not mix. Avoid mixing ketamine with other drugs including alcohol. It can lead to you experiencing unpredictable, unwanted and dangerous effects.
Drink water. Stay hydrated as much as you can. Drink around half a pint of water an hour. If you are in a hot environment and dancing away, then maybe a bit more (up to one pint of water an hour).
Don’t share. Avoid sharing any bank notes or other forms of drug taking paraphernalia and only use your own. This also goes for your stash of ketamine too. This can significantly reduce the risk of transmitting any viruses such as hepatitis.
Snorting. If you snort ketamine, ensure you wash and rinse your nose out after each session. Continual snorting of ketamine can lead to nosebleeds or infections. Avoid injecting ketamine.
Think about consent and safe sex. Ketamine can affect your decision making. In the event of where you may have sex, ensure each person involved consents before and during sex. If someone says no, it means no. Also, be prepared. If you do end up having sex, carry contraception such as condoms or dams, to reduce the risk of transmitting and contracting various infections and viruses. Free condoms are available from any of our services. You can also get free home STI testing kits from Frisky Wales.
Look after your mates. If you notice your mate unable to move, asleep or unconscious, put them into the recovery position and regularly check on them, to avoid them choking on their own vomit. If needed, seek medical assistance.
Feeling unwell? Let someone know if you are not feeling well and let them know what you think you have taken and how much. If needed, seek medical assistance.
Take breaks. Regular use of ketamine can lead to you experiencing physical and mental health issues. It could also increase the risk of developing a dependency. Ensure that after every session, you take at least a few weeks off, to give your body plenty of time to recover.
Reach out if you are worried. If you are worried about your own, or a loved one’s ketamine use, get in touch with your local service. Here at Barod, we provide free, confidential support to anyone affected by substance use. You can chat to a trained support worker via our Live Webchat Service too.
Potential signs and symptoms of ketamine overdose include:
How to respond in the event of an overdose
The benefits to reducing your ketamine intake will vary from one person to the next. Some people will have specific things in mind such as improving their physical health, while others may want a bit of extra cash in their pocket to spend on other things.
Many people who have accessed Barod for support around ketamine use and achieved their goals have identified the following benefits:
Improvement of mental health: Ketamine has been identified to have a detrimental effect on their mental health, reporting panic attacks or depression.
Improvement of physical health: Avoiding long-term abuse will minimise the risk of any dangerous effects on cognition and kidney and liver function.
Improved relationships: Drug use can have a negative effect on relationships. Reducing ketamine can provide the chance to rebuild relationships that were impacted.
More money: Ketamine can be costly, therefore reducing your intake will lead to you have more money.
Reach out for support.Services like Barod provide free, confidential one-to-one support for anyone affected by substance use. We also facilitate mutual aid groups, such as SMART Recovery, where people can gain peer support, from people who may find themselves in a similar situation. While accessing services may not always be possible for some, we’d still recommend reaching out to someone you feel could help you achieve your goals.
Take breaks. Think about how many days each week you use ketamine and try reducing it by one day. For example, if you use everyday, identify one day a week that would be realistic for you not to use. Continue this until ideally you have more days without ketamine than with.
Track your usage. Using tools such as mood diary can help you identify any potential patterns to your ketamine use. Without knowing it, you could use ketamine more at a certain time of the day or week, or when you are with certain people. Therefore, this provides you with a starting point of where you can start to cut down.
Identify and develop strategies for managing triggers.If you are successfully reducing your alcohol use, there may come a time when you come across a ‘trigger’, something that could lead you to drink alcohol at that time. A trigger could be anything from a specific situation, a person or place, or a feeling and emotion. Building effective coping mechanisms will provide you with the best possible chance of overcoming these triggers. However, if you do lapse or relapse, it is not the end of the world, and it happens to many people. You could use it as a learning experience moving forward.
Plan ahead. There may be times when you know you are going to face one of those triggers, such as a potentially stressful, busy week ahead. So before you encounter those situations, plan to do something different. This could also act as a reward for getting through that day or week.
We provide support to anyone affected by ketamine use, including those affected by a loved one’s use. Below is the list of areas we currently cover. Just click on the service for more information including their contact details. Alternatively, access our Live Webchat Service and speak to one of our trained support workers.
DDAS (Adults) and Choices West (Young People) – covering Dyfed including Llanelli, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Cardigan and Aberystwyth and everywhere in-between.
Swansea (Adults) and Choices Swansea (Young People) – covering the City and County of Swansea.
CTDAS (Adults) and Cwm Taf Young Persons – covering Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf including Pontypridd and Aberdare.
BDAS (Adults) and Bridgend Young Persons – Covering the Bridgend area.
CAVDAS (Adults) and CAVDAS Young Persons – Covering Cardiff and the Vale.
GDAS (Adults) and Gwent N-Gage (Young Persons) – covering Gwent including Newport, Ebbw Vale, Monthmouth, Caerphilly and Torfaen.
Sometimes it is hard to know where to start when you are concerned about a loved one and their substance use, especially how to start and have a conversation with them about their use. Here are some tips we have put together which may make having that conservation a little easier.
Stay Calm – when talking to a loved one about their substance use it can often be a very emotive subject and they may become defensive and angry. Stay calm in order to reduce the conversation escalating into an argument. It is very difficult to argue with a calm person.
Time – choose a time that is good for both of you. If they are intoxicated or have had a bad day this may not be the best time to talk about their substance use. Choose a time when you are both calm and don’t have any distractions around so you can have a meaningful conversation.
Listen – it is important to allow your loved one to talk – that is the whole point of a conversation. Listen carefully to what they are saying and don’t interrupt.
Don’t be judgmental – your loved one probably knows that their substance use is having an impact on the people around them and often feel a great sense of guilt and shame. You may not agree with their actions but try not to judge or accuse them as they probably already feel judged by the people around them and may become defensive.
Ask open questions – ask questions where it is difficult to give one word answers. This can help a conversation flow and avoids an easy “yes” or “no” answer.
Positives – your loved one is probably very aware of all the negative things they may be doing. Try and let them know of the positives they are doing. Everyone likes to know when they are doing something good and it encourages us to keep doing that positive thing.
Knowledge – research information on drugs and alcohol. It may help you understand some of their behaviours and recognise when they are intoxicated and what support is available.
Get support – Barod offer support for loved ones who may be concerned or affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol use as well as support for loved ones who are using substances.
Sometimes a loved one may not be ready to have a conversation about their substance use. It is important to let them know you are there and ready to have that conversation. Don’t be disheartened if they don’t wish to talk about their substance use straight away, the fact you have approached the subject in a non judgmental and supportive way shows them you care.
You can also check out some of our top harm reduction tips for other specific drugs by clicking on each of the substances below:
