What is ketamine?

Ketamine (K, Special K or vitamin K) is used as an anti-pain agent and as an anesthetic agent in surgery, both in humans and animals. When the anesthetic agent PCP (angel dust) appeared to have too many side effects, manufacturer Parke-Davis went looking for an alternative. This created ketamine. Ketamine also has side effects such as hallucinations when used as an anesthetic.

When using ketamine as a drug, one can actually look for the side effect of hallucinations. It is therefore not surprising that ketamine ended up on the drugs market.

As a drug, it is a dissociative trip agent. Dissociation means separation: the spiritual consciousness is separated from the physical. Examples of other dissociative agents are: PCP, DXM, nitrous oxide and Salvia Divinorum.

POWDER AND LIQUID KETAMINE

Ketamine is available in powder form and in liquid form. When used as a drug, it is usually sniffed. Liquid ketamine can be injected into the muscles (intramuscular). Whether the liquid is boiled, leaving powder. As a pill it is rare.

WHAT DOES KETAMINE DO AS AN ANESTHETIC?

When used as an anesthetic, people are put in an uneasy sleep. In 15 to 40% of cases people recover from hallucinations and nightmares after recovering from the narcosis. An advantage of ketamine is that it does not suppress breathing and heartbeat. Most other narcotics do.

Ketamine also suppresses pain. It is also used to combat (chronic) pain, such as nerve pain and cancer pain.

WHAT DOES KETAMINE DO AS A DRUG?

As a drug, ketamine is snorted or injected. After sniffing it works within 5 to 15 minutes. The effects last one hour. After effects can last up to 2 hours.

Low dosage

With a low dose of ketamine, people end up in a dreamy, vague state. They become disoriented. They can lose coordination and sometimes it feels like they are walking next to their bodies. The effect is a bit like seasickness. People can also suffer from nausea.

High dosage

At a high dose, dissociative effects occur such as:

• The feeling that your hands no longer belong to your body.
• The feeling as if your body was made of wood, rubber or plastic (changed 'body consistency').
• The feeling that body parts are much larger or smaller than in reality.
• No longer know where your arms or legs are
• The feeling of 'dissolving' in the environment
• No longer feel whether a body part is yours or someone else's
• The idea that your mind is in a totally different dimension than your body
• The idea to leave your body ('out-of-body experience').

Visual hallucinations (especially with closed eyes) and a changed idea of ​​time are common. Sometimes it can be difficult to move and talk. A ketamine trip can be a very anxious experience. The ketamine’s in fact resembles schizophrenic psychosis.

BUMP

A low dose is a very small line and is also called bump. Bumped - the accumulation of successive doses in a certain time - slowly leads to a trip effect and eventually to a dissociative state.

K-HOLE

A k-hole is a very strong ketamine experience. K-holing is regularly compared with a near-death experience: exit and going through a tunnel in the direction of a light. You cannot move and not talk.

How someone experiences the effects is very dependent on experience, mood, expectation and the like. K-holing can be a spiritual experience but also extremely frightening. Users therefore undergo a k-hole, preferably sitting or lying down.

PHYSICAL EFFECTS KETAMINE

Ketamine increases heart rate and blood pressure, it causes more saliva production and dilates the airways (1). The muscle coordination decreases.

ADDICTION CHANCE

Tolerance may occur with repeated use of ketamine. Withdrawal symptoms do not occur. Given the severity of the effects, the chance of mental dependence is small. Nevertheless, the dependence of ketamine cannot be excluded (1).

OTHER RISKS

• Be very anxious and get a bad trip. At high doses you can even temporarily become psychotic.
• Heavy use can cause memory problems (2).
• Ketamine is numb. This makes you feel no pain; you can therefore injure yourself without noticing it 
•  Reduced muscle coordination: increases the risk of falls and injuries
• Get sick and vomit. If you can no longer move and lie on your back, the danger comes to suffocate in your own vomit. To limit vomiting, you should therefore not eat for at least 3 hours before taking ketamine.
• The combination of ketamine with downers such as alcohol and GHB can lead to unconsciousness and respiratory suppression. The combination with stimulants such as amphetamine or cocaine can be risky for people with cardiovascular disease.

LIMIT RISKS

Ketamine is difficult to dose. So be extremely careful with the dose. The risks can be limited if users:

• Do not use when they are unwell and have psychological and / or physical problems.
• Use only in a familiar and safe environment.
• Do not go out on the street and do not participate in traffic.
• Do not just use and ensure that there is always someone with them who is sober and can keep an eye on them.
• Do not combine Ketamine with other drugs.

THE LAW

Ketamine is subject to the Medicines Act and may only be provided by doctors.