Ketamine Addiction, Treatment & Side Effects

Ketamine Abuse and Addiction

Ketamine addiction can have serious implications for a person’s physical and mental health. When you have been living with an active drug addiction to ketamine, you have undoubtedly had moments where you have considered getting help for your addiction by either going to a drug rehab for drug addiction or attempting to quit on your own. However, many who attempt to quit on their own find that the drug detox process can produce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that can be hard to manage on your own. Seeking help within a drug detox and rehab program will provide you with the expert support and advice of addiction therapists and medical professionals that will allow you to safely and effectively overcome your drug addiction to enter into addiction recovery. 

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine, also known under the generic name Ketalar, is a dissociative anesthetic that is commonly used as a general anesthetic by physicians that are seeking sedation for procedures that do not require muscle relaxation. It is described as a dissociative anesthetic because it creates a feeling of dissociation and detachment from any presenting pain and environment around you. Ketamine is used not only with humans for sedation and pain relief but it is also used with animals for the same purposes. Ketamine, whether for animals or humans, is provided in an injectable anesthetic medication that is short-acting. 

Ketamine Effects

When you take ketamine, it produces feelings of sedation within the individual allowing them to feel relaxed and calm. Individuals may experience feelings of immobility, relief from pain, and, in some cases, amnesia where their memory becomes blurred or absent from certain times or events. In some instances, when individuals use ketamine, there are hallucinogenic effects that cause a distortion in their perception of sights and sounds around them. This sense of detachment and loss of control can become appealing to some that are looking to escape their day-to-day life and the world around them. 

Signs of Ketamine Abuse and Addiction

Although Ketamine’s original purpose is for medical reasons to support pain relief and sedation, ketamine has become a widely popular club drug that can draw a person into a substance use disorder quite quickly causing physical and psychological dependence. Ketamine addiction can produce many signs and indicators that will demonstrate that you or a loved one has developed an addiction to ketamine including: 

• Rapid eye movements 
• Depression
• Slurred speech
• Redness of skin 
• Irritability 
• Insomnia or changes in sleep patterns 
• Antsy or erratic behavior 
• Loss of coordination 

Ketamine Withdrawal Symptoms

Ketamine withdrawal symptoms are predominantly psychological symptoms for most patients, however, long-term or chronic ketamine abusers have reported experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms. Common withdrawal symptoms from ketamine abuse are: 

• Confusion 
• Rage
• Nausea
• Loss of motor skills 
• Insomnia 
• Shakes or tremors 
• Fatigue 
• Cognitive impairment 
• Psychosis 
• Agitation 
• Respiratory and cardiac functioning declines or impairment 
• Hearing loss 

Long Term Side Effects of Ketamine Abuse

Engaging in long-term ketamine abuse can cause significant impacts on your overall health and well-being. Ketamine users may experience the following long-term side effects: 

• Memory loss 
• Mood swings
• Respiratory distress 
• Bladder and urination complications 
• Digestive tract damage
• Liver damage 
• Brain damage 
• Seizures 
• Overdose 
• Flashbacks 
• Decreased sociability 

Ketamine Addiction Treatment

At Muse treatment centers, we offer patients an addiction treatment program that is centered around their individual needs for healing and personal growth. You will be provided with an individualized treatment plan that utilizes the latest in evidence-based therapy methods to assist you in healing from the physical and psychological dependence while supporting you to gain a better understanding of the underlying causes of your addictive behavior. Patients will be provided with individual therapy and group therapy processes to support them in exploring the emotions and traumas that have influenced their addictive behavior. As you heal from the past, you will be supported in developing the tools for relapse prevention to ensure you have long-term success in addiction recovery. Contact Muse treatment centers today to let us answer any questions you have about rehab and begin your road to recovery today.