and sold under the names "ketamine," "special K", or "K." Ketamine is rated as a schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act which means that ketamine has a potential for abuse less than the other drugs rated as Schedule I or II, ketamine has a currently accepted medical use in the US (which it does, it is used as an anaesthetic), and abuse of the drug may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.
Ketamine comes in three main forms: powder, tablet and liquid.
The most common form is a white powder which is snorted. It looks like cocaine powder but is smoother and less likely to form hard rocks when damp. Most users start out by taking ketamine in its powdered form as it allows them to introduce themselves to the drug with small amounts. The common range of doses of ketamine is 15-200 mg with lower doses producing a mild, dreamy feeling that is similar to the effects of nitrous oxide. Numbness in the extremities is common. At around 100mg, the user may experience sensations such as a hallucinogenic effect and the user may feel like they are separated from their bodies. This effect is referred to as entering the "K-hole." Ketamine can also be sold in a tablet form which often looks like a pill of Ecstacy. The effects of ketamine in tablet are very similar to those in powder form but vary slightly because the tablet often is combined with a stimulant like ephedrine which can produce a quick mild, trippy effect. Ketamine is also used recreationally in liquid form. The liquid form of ketamine is often used in hospitals but recreational users use the liquid form to inject it into themselves intravenously. Injecting liquid ketamine intravenously could cause you to pass out immediately. All forms of ketamine will have similar effects of: feeling like you are dreaming, numbness in the extremities, hallucinations, feeling separate from their bodies, and feeling like you went …show more content…
through a near-death experience.
The short term effects of ketamine include an icnrease of heart rate, slurred speech, confusion, out-of-body experience, shifts in perception of reality, nausea, sedation, cardiovascular effects, respiratory depression, hypersalivation, euphoria, distortion or loss of sensory perceptions, open and closed eye visuals, dissociation of mind from body, analgesia, loss of motor coordination, and double vision.
The long term effects of ketamine include cognitive impairments such as memory problems. There was an experiment with ketamine and its effects on rats by John Olney and it showed irreversible damage to two areas of the brain but the same damage was not seen in human
brains.
Ketamine is not physically addicitive but it is psychologically because of the extreme effects and pleasure that ketamine users feel when high on the drug. The drug will produce a trip depending on how you are feeling like before the drug is taken. Feeling happy and emotionally stable, a "good" trip will occur but if you are feeling nervous or depressed, a "bad" trip will occur and will be similar to a nightmare but it's a nightmare that you can't wake up from.
Ketamine will create a psychological dependence after a while as the user will start associating ketamine with pleasurable experiences and therefore, will think that's the only way to have fun. Not having ketamine around will cause the user to experience withdrawal symptoms such as depression, irritability, and insomnia.
Ketamine has not been proven to cause any damage to a fetus. Ketamine has not been formally assigned to a pregnancy category by the FDA and studies with animals have not shown any evidence of impairment to fertility. There is also no evidence if ketamine can be transferred in breast milk and its also uundetectable in maternal plasma for approoimately 11 hours after use.
Ketamine is illegal and can cause you to face serious prison time if caught with possession and intent to sell.