Ketamine has a rapid action that diminishes sensation, prevents pain, induces sleep, and inhibits memory. This drug can cause a sense of dissociation from reality and may lead to fleeting hallucinations. There have been reports of veterinary offices being robbed for their ketamine stock. Also, according to the DEA, a major U.S. source of the illicit drug arrives across the border from Mexico. Most illicit use of ketamine appears to be from illegal diversion from legal sources. The risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne infectious diseases exists for those who share needles when drugs are used recreationally.
Ketamine Overdose: Dangers, Effects, and Treatment
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Binge use, where the user indulges in the drug in excess amounts in a short period of time has been reported, as well. High doses may dangerously reduce breathing, lead to muscle spasms or weakness, dizziness, balance difficulty, impaired vision, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, and severe confusion. The available strengths include 200 mg/20 mL (10 mg/mL), 500 mg/5 mL (100 mg/mL), and 500 mg/10 mL (50 mg/mL). It is essential to dilute ketamine with an equal volume of normal saline, sterile water, or 5% dextrose. For more information about what to expect in inpatient rehab and outpatient treatment in Mississippi, or to ask questions about using insurance to pay for rehab, call us today at .
Ketamine can be administered during abdominal operations, orthopedic procedures, surgical burn treatment, some dental procedures, and many other types of surgery. This medication is used for different types of anesthesia, including general anesthesia and spinal anesthesia. It can have effects within seconds, and the effects wear off within 15 to 20 minutes. This action can differ for people who have medical issues, such as liver disease or kidney impairment.
Mixing Ketamine With Alcohol or Other Drugs
These effects have seen a growing and worrying use of this drug for date rape. Most surgeries also require anesthetics that reduce muscle tone and movement. It is used in major and minor substance abuse games for groups surgeries and for planned and emergency procedures.
Extent of Abuse
Ketamine overdose symptoms are similar to those of PCP overdose, although the effects of ketamine tend to resolve more quickly. Physical signs and symptoms are dose-dependent through the loss of consciousness. Patients may be unable to provide a relevant history, and clinicians should seek pertinent clinical information from witnesses. The best way to prevent ketamine overdose and addiction is to avoid recreational ketamine use. If group therapy ideas for addiction you or someone you care about need some help with ketamine or other substance misuse, please call our admissions navigators today at . Addiction can negatively impact quality of life, physical health, mental well-being, and relationships.
- Coupled with its ability to produce an out-of-body experience, this drug can cause visual and auditory perceptual changes.
- A ketamine overdose can occur when the substances is taken in large amounts or when combined with other substances.
- Ketamine use or misuse comes with significant risks, including the risk of overdose.
- Currently, ketamine is not FDA-approved for treating any psychiatric disorder.
- Dissociative anesthetics like ketamine distort perceptions and cause feelings of detachment from the environment and body.
Deterrence and Patient Education
Overdose and adverse effects of illegal ketamine use include nervousness, chest pain, seizures, and respiratory depression. Prolonged or repeated use can lead to psychiatric issues, including psychosis and flashbacks. Ketamine use can be fatal in people who are alcoholics or acutely intoxicated with alcohol. There are animal reports of an increased risk of toxicity when ketamine is combined with caffeine.
Ketamine was involved in 0.033% of the United States Emergency Department visits involving illicit drugs in 2005, with this proportion increasing slightly to 0.12% in 2011 (Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011). Ketamine-related emergency department visits often involved other drugs, with 71.5% of ketamine-related visits in the United States in 2011 involving alcohol (Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011). The national survey-based ‘Monitoring the Future Study’ in the United States reported that ketamine use decreased between 2012 and 2002, from 2.5% to 1.5%, and from 1.3% to 0.4%, among 12th graders and college students, respectively. In the United Kingdom, where ketamine has been classified what is salvia trip as a Class C drug since 2006,9 ketamine misuse has also decreased during the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization fact file on ketamine, the percentage of adults and young adults in the United Kingdom who used ketamine decreased from 0.6% to 0.4% and from 1.8% to 0.8%, respectively, between 2011 and 2013.
Lorazepam is typically given 2 to 4 mg intravenously or intramuscularly, and diazepam dosing generally is 5 mg to 10 mg IV. Butyrophenones, including haloperidol, have been used to treat psychotic episodes and agitation.8 Haloperidol is typically given in doses of 5 mg to 10 mg IM and can be administered every 10 to 15 minutes until adequate sedation is achieved. However, providers should exercise caution when using haloperidol, as lowered seizure thresholds, QT prolongation, and torsades de pointes correlate with the prolonged use of haloperidol.