found this whilst researching articles on Brett Youngs murder case..
some rather dodgy allegations in there, never heard of anyone dying off a gram of K taken recreationally – although would agree that it can cause an amount of paranoia and dysphoria leading to potential mental problems…
there is also evidence of users going overboard and putting extra burden on the NHS by running to their doctors…. the acronym PCT is a Primary Care Team which is usually your local GP surgery
KETAMINE USE IS RISING IN ELMBRIDGE
20/10/2005By ANDREW MILFORD
EVIDENCE from youth workers, young people and health professionals in Elmbridge suggests that the use of the hallucinogenic drug ketamine is becoming increasingly popular.
Although Surrey Drugs Agency SADAS suggested there was not a problem in the county, the head of a project helping drug addicts rebuild their lives rebutted the claim.
Ketamine is a powerful general anaesthetic used in operations on humans and animals. Although not physically addictive, used in combination with other drugs or alcohol, it can suppress breathing and heart function. The growing popularity of the drug is a problem throughout the country.
Mike Blank, executive director of Surrey Alcohol and Drugs Advisory Service, told the News & Mail: “I don’t think that we are seeing much of it at the moment.
“I know that it has come on to the radar screen nationally in the last few weeks but we actually saw it in Surrey in a few people a number of years ago.
“It then dropped out of sight. I am not aware of us having very many people who are using ketamine.”
Martin Blakeborough, director of the Kaleidoscope drug project, which offers respite and rehabilitation to Elmbridge residents experiencing drug problems, rejected the suggestion.
He said: “To be honest, most drug agencies don’t have a clue – I don’t think there is any evidence to suggest that Surrey bucks the trend at all.
“The reality is that if there is a vibrant dance scene, which there is in Guildford and Woking, of course ketamine will be there and will be on the menu, as it will be everywhere else.”
Known as Special K, ketamine is a liquid. The most potent way of using it is through injection. However, it is most often sold as a tablet or a powder that can be snorted. The effects on a user can range from rapture to paranoia to boredom. It can produce hallucinations and render someone comatose. A ketamine ‘high’ usually lasts an hour, but can last for up to six and it takes one to two days before a user will feel normal again.
Large doses can result in vomiting and convulsions and may lead to oxygen starvation to the brain and muscles. One gram can cause death.
Rev Blakeborough said that the lack of knowledge of any extensive ketamine use in Surrey gives rise to a bigger problem.
“Drug agencies are not picking up what is happening,” he said. “This is why they have failed so dismally to pick up on the crack cocaine issues in places such as Surrey because they don’t have specialist workers looking at that issue.
“There is a real problem picking up on any drugs beyond opiates and, to a lesser extent, alcohol.
“There is a serious problem with the dance drug scene and we rely heavily on anecdotal evidence.”
Offering his advice on what could be done to improve the situation, he said: “The drug action team needs to support drug agencies to work with clubs and the Government has to allow us to test drugs for club-goers in a non-penalising way.
“The Government must recognise that there is a dance drug problem — and it has done — to enable drug agencies to bring in harm reduction strategies.”
A spokeswoman for East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT, which covers Cobham, Esher and Molesey, said that an increase in the number of ketamine users receiving treatment and support had been noticed.
“The use of ketamine can lead to panic attacks, depression and weight loss.
“It can also cause high blood pressure, so it is vital that we work with our partners and support agencies to ensure that young people are aware of the adverse effects ketamine can have,” she added.
“Locally, we are working closely with our colleagues at the Surrey Drug and Alcohol Action Team and other partners to raise awareness about the range of support services available in the local area.”
don’t know about the specifics, but what i got from this article is that drug agencies are failing all but heroin and alcohol addicts
this is certainly true in my area, where problems associated with overdoing it relate far more to speed and crack, and to a lesser extent mental health problems related to dodgy pills
thesame goes for most mental health services… unless you are ‘category A’ (need to be sewctioned) there is no funding for services to educate or assist you
which is very short sighted
well qualified friends who are trying to get involved in drug work cannot find any outlet for their skills, even on a voluntary level
it’s postcode lottery
with serious consequences
very little if any (I challenged this assertion from the paper in my previous post) for pure ketamine
just did a quick search and came up with a medline report – 100 x overdose by injection for small children and no adverse effects
that said there is a risk if the drug is combined with other substances that depress respiration (such as alcohol or some tranquilisers) and with the binge/polydrug culture about I can see how these rumours/misinformation spreads
but there is far more risk of other physical injuries whilst in a k-hole than actual overdose…
Departments of Emergency Medicine, Loma Linda University Medical Center and Children’s Hospital, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize the clinical manifestations, outcome, and etiology of inadvertent ketamine overdose in the emergency department. METHODS: We investigated cases of inadvertent ketamine overdose in children seen in the ED solicited through electronic mail subscription lists or reported to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. The clinical manifestations, outcome, and reported cause for each case are described. RESULTS: We identified 9 cases of inadvertent ketamine overdose in children treated in the ED. Patients received either 5(n=3), 10(n=5), or 100(n=1) times the intended dose, either by the intramuscular (n=5) or intravenous (n=4) route. All 9 experienced prolonged sedation (3 to 24 hours). Four experienced brief respiratory depression shortly after administration, and assisted ventilation was performed in 2. Two children without respiratory difficulty or hypoxemia were intubated by their physicians as a precaution. In 5 children, the dosing error was not discovered until late in the sedation, often when the child was not waking at the expected time. No adverse outcomes were noted, and all children were normal neurologically on discharge and longer-term follow-up if available. CONCLUSION: No adverse outcomes were noted in 9 healthy children treated in the ED who inadvertently received 5 to 100 times the intended dose of ketamine. Toxicity manifested as prolonged sedation in all 9 and brief respiratory depression in 4. The margin of safety in ketamine overdose may be wide, although less common and more serious outcomes cannot be excluded by this small, self-reported sample.
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