Ketamine Addiction
Ketamine is a drug that has traditionally been used as an anesthetic in veterinary medicine. It has also been used in pediatric medicine for this purpose. Not only can it relieve pain, but “Special K” has powerful hallucinogenic qualities. The ketamine available on the street and in clubs are most likely procured by theft from a veterinary hospital or clinic.
When ketamine is used as an anesthetic, it is injected or given intravenously. It can be converted into a powder by allowing the liquid in the injectable form to evaporate. The white substance is usually snorted, but some users choose to inject it.
When ketamine is injected, the user starts to feel its effects within a few seconds. Snorting the drug means there is a lag time of between 5-15 minutes before the drug starts to take effect.
Ketamine is not physically addictive, but, psychologically, thanks to its desirable effects and short duration, it can be extremely habit forming. There is now clear evidence of tolerance and dependence.
It should not be taken if you're anything other than emotionally stable and robust. Many regular drug users are completely surprised by the "first addictive psychedelic they have ever encountered". Psychedelic drug use tends to magnify and increase the emotional state of the user.
Taking these kinds of drugs when you are feeling happy and content means you are more likely to have a good trip. The other side of the equation is that if you use ketamine or one of the other drugs that causes hallucinations when you are feeling anxious or depressed, its effect can magnify those feelings. A bad trip is similar to a nightmare, in that you may see disturbing or even frightening things. The difference is that unlike a nightmare, you will need to ride it out to the end of the trip - however long it takes.
Tolerance to Ketamine
Once a user starts to develop a tolerance for a particular drug, he or she needs to take more of it to achieve the same effect. Larger dosages increase the risk of harm to the user. This is true of drugs like heroin, and the same goes for Ketamine.
Bodily tolerance rises quickly with regular use and lasts for about three days. Taking the regular dose of “Special K” during this time frame means you will not get the effect you are looking for. Frequent users require increasing doses and many report a diminishing of the ketamine high over time, so that the effect becomes more like a combination of cocaine and cannabis.
Chronic users - mainly those who inject - develop something close to permanent tolerance so, after months of use, are unable to experience the psychedelic effects ever again.
Psychological Addiction
Rather than creating a physical addiction, ketamine is a drug that creates a psychological dependency on it. After taking ketamine for a while, you will start to associate the drug with pleasurable experiences. Not having access to it when you want to can trigger emotional withdrawal symptoms, such as depression, irritability and insomnia. In some cases, the psychological addiction can lead to binge behavior, where the user keeps ingesting the drug to continue in the experience longer.
Withdrawal from “Special K”
Ketamine does not appear to produce physical withdrawal symptoms in chronic users. There are anecdotal reports of tension, twitchiness, poor attention span, and restlessness in abstinent long term users, but this may be due more to the sedative norketamine (a breakdown product of ketamine) lingering in the blood stream.
The Have I Got A Problem website is a free online resource to help people better understand any issues or concerns they may have about mental health or addiction. The website includes resources specifically focused to; general Mental Health, Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insecurities, Self-harm Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Anger Management, Eating Disorders, Coping, general Addiction, Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis) Ecstasy, PCP, Mephedrone, Ketamine & Crystal Meth.
The site was created to give the public information to help them understand mental health and addiction issues and to assist people in making better informed decisions about their life and personal choices.
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