Ketamine addiction can cause serious bladder problems (Picture: zlayamashina/Shutterstock)
Young adults addicted to ketamine are struggling with serious health effects amid chronic use of the party drug, including bladder damage.
People as young as 21 are having to resort to risky surgery to repair problems caused by ketamine addiction, doctors told the BBC.
They reported witnessing an explosion of severe bladder problems such as destroyed bladder lining and needing to go to the toilet every half an hour – symptoms usually seen only among older patients.
Beth, an addict in her 20s, first tried the drug as a teenager ‘in the classroom at school,’ she told the BBC.
She said: ‘I can’t walk 50 metres without either needing to sit down or needing to run to the toilet.’
Ketamine use among those under 25 has more than tripled since 2016 (Picture: chayanuphol/Shutterstock)
For Beth, ketamine is a way of coping with trauma and mental health problems.
She told the broadcaster: ‘It’s just that little bit of escapism.
‘Unfortunately, having had a few things that have gone on in my life that have led me to make these decisions and post-traumatic stress disorder, I do suffer [with my] mental health as well.
‘And so that’s [ketamine] kind of been my turn-to.’
Prolonged ketamine use has taken its toll on Beth’s health.
It has caused a large growth in her bladder, which doctors had to burn away.
When she was seen by urologists, the drug could be seen floating in her urine on a hospital camera screen, she said.
According to latest government figures, ketamine use in England and Wales has more than doubled since 2016.
Use of the drug has more than tripled among 16 to 24-year-olds since 2016, Office for National Statistics data shows.
Chronic ketamine use damages the bladder lining and can shrink it.
Due to an increased number of young ketamine users with bladder problems, some urology departments have now set up specialist clinics to help them.
Southmead NHS Hospital in Bristol currently has 60 patients across the West – some as young as 19, the BBC reports.
Dr Carolina Ochoa, consultant urologist, said: ‘If we are offering major surgery to a person who’s 21, then the likelihood of having any sort of complications after that surgery [in the rest of their lives] – it’s enormous.’
A young man from Warwickshire was sadly found dead in a shower following his ketamine addiction while he was on a waiting list to have his bladder removed.
Rian Rogers, 26, had suffered from ketamine addiction and attended rehab, but he relapsed soon after it.
An autopsy revealed his damaged bladder had shrunk to the size of a marble.
‘I didn’t want to live anymore’
Former ketamine user Pagan, from Oxfordshire, has recovered from a 12-year addiction to the Class B drug.
At the height of her addiction, she was taking more than 10 grams a day, she told the broadcaster.
Her daughter was adopted due to her addiction.
She said: ‘I wanted to die, yeah, I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.
‘I didn’t want to be in the world in that pain – completely reliant on ketamine.’
Pagan also needed bladder surgery, and she went to rehab for the third time in 2022.
‘I spent eight weeks in hospital and I kind of felt like I tempted fate too many times, so I needed to give it up, otherwise I would have would have ended up dead,’ she said.
The journey to get clean was ‘really, really difficult’ at first, she admitted.
She said she could not have done it without the support of the drug and alcohol charity Turning Point where she now volunteers as a mentor to help others.
Jasmine King, specialist urologist nurse at Southmead Hospital, said after hearing about Pagan’s situation: ‘No matter how much you think it’s taken your life, it’s never too late to reach out for help.’
She has witnessed the impacts of chronic ketamine use in her work, and said the increased use is ‘very concerning.’
The professional urged people to not struggle alone and to seek support from drug charities, mental health services and hospitals.
She added: ‘One thing I want to make people aware of is if they do come and see us, we are not judging them.
‘We’re here to support them and help them with their problems. We just want to help.’
Response to explosion of ketamine use in the UK
Experts are working to find ways to help doctors and health professionals recognise the signs of ‘ketamine bladder.’
Dr Mohammed Belal from the British Association of Urological Surgeons, told the BBC: ‘I think we’ve seen a huge explosion of young people taking ketamine throughout the country, and that means that they come to see us with a significant urinary symptoms and these symptoms can include going to the toilet every hour or even every half an hour.’
‘Ketamine destroys the lining of the bladder, and that can have very serious consequences.
‘We’ve noticed lots of young patients with severe bladder problems that we would not expect to see until patients are much older.’
Now the association is putting together a document for health professionals to help spot signs of ‘ketamine bladder’ in patients.
The UK government told the broadcaster it is committed to offering support and tackling the supply of illegal drugs.
What is ketamine
In hospitals, ketamine is often used as an anesthetic for pain relief and in surgery.
Ketamine is also known as a horse tranquiliser as it is commonly given to animals of all sizes at vets.
Recreational users call it ‘Special K’.
It has analgesic, stimulant and psychedelic properties.
Users say they feel detached from their surroundings and outside of body and self.
Ketamine powder (Picture: Ruchuda Boonplien/Shutterstock)
Pharmaceutical ketamine usually comes in liquid form, while street ketamine is commonly sold as tablets or crystalline powder.
Medical trials have successfully used ketamine to treat people with depression and alcohol addiction.
It was made a Class B drug in 2014, meaning penalties for possession are up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
Those caught selling ketamine illegally risk a jail sentence of up to 14 years and/or an unlimited fine.
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