"About a year ago I went to a party and got into a K Hole. The last thing I remember was talking to a girl and two guys. The next thing I was aware of was being outside by the pool and my mouth being full of water which it turns out was blood.)
It felt like I'd been there about a minute, but I guess it was almost a half an hour.
Somebody took my wallet and either kicked me in the face, or hit me with something. So now I'm twenty and I have three false teeth. I'm not saying it's like this for everybody, but for me, taking Special K was so far, the dumbest thing I've done. I'd say if you're going to do it, make sure you know everybody you're with cause you're gonna' have to really trust them."
Ryan - Sudbury, Ontario
"Two years ago, I went down to Mexico for Spring Break. And one night, we were drinking tequila, Jack Daniels and draft beer. And I woke up the next morning and had the worst headache I had ever experienced in my entire life. I swear, I wanted to die.
About a year later, me and two friends did some Special K. And I'm not exagerrating, the headache was four times as bad as the one in Mexico. I do not like this drug at all."
Kelly - Warren, Ohio
Drug Factoid
A national survey conducted in the United Kingdom determined that one in four young women who regularly go to clubs and pubs had their drinks spiked during the year 2003.
Street Names: K, Ket, Special K, Vitamin K, Vit K, Kit Kat, Keller, Kelly's day, Green, Blind squid, Cat valium, Purple, Special la coke, Super acid, and Super C. Slang for experiences related to ketamine or effects of ketamine include, "k-hole," "K-land," "baby food," and "God."
Short History Of Ketamine Ketamine, or ketamine hydrochloride, is a non-barbiturate, rapid-acting anesthetic used on both animals and humans. It has been used in human medicine for pediatric burn cases and dentistry, and in experimental psychotherapy. It is being abused by an increasing number of young people as a "club drug" and a "rape drug," and is often distributed at "raves" and parties. It's considered a "dissociation," or disassociation" drug which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. During the period of time when a person is dissociating, certain information is not associated with other information as it normally would be. In other words, your mind is pulled away from your body and puts an "Out To Lunch" sign up. As a result of it's effects, it's real easy to get injured while using Ketamine because basically, you're not there and can't feel anything. How It's Used: Ketamine is a liquid and the most potent ways of using it are by injecting it intramuscularly or intravenously. There is the risk of losing motor control before injection is completed, but usually it takes four to five minutes for the high or buzz to kick in. Ketamine also can be made into a tablet, or a powder by evaporating the liquid and reducing it to a fine white powder that can be smoked or snorted, but the effects of using it in this form are lowered. Because of its appearance, Ketamine is often mistaken for cocaine or crystal methamphetamine. Some reports indicate it is sometimes sold as MDMA (Ecstasy) and mixed with other drugs such as ephedrine and caffeine. "Cafeteria use" -- the use of a number of hallucinogenic and sedative/hypnotic club drugs such as MDMA, GHB, LSD, and illegally used prescription drugs -- is reported almost everywhere in the U.S.
Symptoms Of Use: The user feels its hallucinogenic effects and experiences impaired perception. Ketamine commonly elicits an out-of-body or near-death experience; it can render the user comatose. Ketamine is similar on a molecular level to phencyclidine (PCP--or "Angel Dust") and thus creates similar effects including numbness, loss of coordination, sense of invulnerability, muscle rigidity, aggressive/violent behavior, slurred or blocked speech, exaggerated sense of strength, and a blank stare. There is depression of respiratory function but not of the central nervous system, and cardiovascular function is maintained. Since Ketamine is an anesthetic, it stops the user from feeling pain, which could lead the user to inadvertently cause injury to himself/herself. Ketamine may relieve tension and anxiety, is purported to be a sexual stimulant, and intensifies colors and sounds. The effects of a Ketamine 'high' usually last an hour but they can last for 4-6 hours, and 24-48 hours are generally required before the user will feel completely "normal" again. Effects of chronic use of ketamine may take from several months to two years to wear off completely. Low doses (25-100mg) produce psychedelic effects quickly. Large doses can produce vomiting and convulsions and may lead to oxygen starvation to the brain and muscles; one gram can cause death. Flashbacks may even occur one year after use. Long-term effects include tolerance and possible physical and/or psychological dependence. Date Rape As stated, Ketamine is strongly implicated in a great many date rape cases. Of the three date rape drugs (Ketamine, GHB & Rohypnol) Ketamine is the strongest and longest lasting. This drug can render someone unresponsive for as long as 24 hours which is obviously extremely dangerous from a variety of perspectives. A new kit is now available called "The Drink Detective." This new kit costs $ 7.00 (USD) and is used to determine if your beverage was spiked with any of the three main date-rape drugs which as we mentioned are GHB, Rohypnol, (known as roofies) and Ketamine hydrochloride. ( known as Special K.) If you suspect that perhaps your drink has been contaminated by one of these drugs, you can use a small dropper to test a sample of the drink on three chemically sensitive patches on a card. The spots change color in about 30 seconds if the drink is indeed spiked. The Drink Detective is just one of a few new products on the market that perfrom a "litmus test" for the presence of drugs, and this particular product won Popular Science magazine's "Best of What's New Award." We haven't actually tested this product, (or any others like like it) nor are we endorsing it. However, we are in the business of education and awareness and thought you should know. More information on these types of kits is available via a Google search.
Possible Outcomes Of Long-term Use: Effects of chronic use of Ketamine may take from several months to two years to wear off completely. Low doses (25-100mg) produce psychedelic effects quickly. Large doses can produce vomiting and convulsions and may lead to oxygen starvation to the brain and muscles; one gram can cause death. Flashbacks may even occur one year after use. Long-term effects include increased tolerance and possible physical and/or psychological dependence. Treatment Options: This is a relatively new drug on the scene and few formal and properly documented studies have been conducted. Yet while we haven't yet accurately measured Ketamine's physically addictive properties, it is acknowledged, even by its proponents, to be psychologically addictive. Timothy Leary himself has described Ketamine as the most powerful of psychedelic drugs. For people who want to feel dissociated or removed from their environment, this drug can be dangerously appealing and there are many reported cases of addiction. Cognitive-Behavioral type therapy is generally recommended, and support groups have formed.
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