Ketamine Addiction Treatment Centers California -

Ketamine

Ketamine is a powerful dissociative anesthetic drug that can be injected, snorted, smoked and swallowed. It may come in a powder or liquid form. It is commonly referred to as Special K, Vitamin K, K, Super K and Cat Valium. Ketamine is commonly used in hospitals for medical procedures and by veterinarians due to its anesthetic benefits. It can be snorted, smoked, swallowed in a pill form or injected, which can produce effects in as few as one to five minutes.

Researchers believe that people who take dissociative drugs like ketamine affect the activity of certain brain chemicals such as glutamate, which plays a major role in cognition (learning and memory), emotion and pain perception. This is just one of the many reasons that ketamine drug abuse can be so dangerous.

Ketamine abuse

The side effects of ketamine abuse can be highly unpredictable and frightening symptoms of detachment and sensory distortions, although these effects usually occur at higher doses.

The dissociative effects of ketamine abuse can make people feel like they are, in a sense, detached from reality, while the hallucinogenic properties of the drug can lead to sensory distortions such as feeling, tasting, seeing or hearing things that actually are not there.

Ketamine has highly unpredictable qualities and can lead to unexpected effects. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that side effects of ketamine abuse depend largely on the dose that is taken. Some of the short-term effects of ketamine include:

Increased blood pressure, body temperature, breathing and heart rate
Confusion or coordination problems
Numbness
Sedation
Terrors
Violent behavior
Rigid muscles

Increased heart rate
Lethargy and sedation
Chest pain
Amnesia
Respiratory depression
Learning, speaking, attention and memory problems
Being unable to move

People who take higher doses of ketamine may experience what is known as a “K-hole,” a terrifying out-of-body experience similar to a bad LSD trip in which people may feel almost completely detached from their senses. People who take too much ketamine can also overdose, although deaths due to ketamine overdoses are rare.

Long-term effects

Ketamine produces the same long-term effects as PCP. The drug can cause brain damage and is highly addictive. Ketamine abuse can lead to a higher tolerance and the person may require more of the drug to get high. Over time, ketamine abuse can lead to dependence and lead to withdrawal symptoms.

Some of the other long-term consequences of recreational ketamine use include:

Problems with motor function
Cognitive impairments
Difficulty sleeping and insomnia
Memory and learning problems
Mental health problems like depression
Kidney problems
Bladder and stomach pain

Ulcers in bladder
High blood pressure
Heightened risk of sexual assault
Lower urinary tract symptoms
Fatal breathing problems
Increased risk for infectious disease due to shared needles (e.g., HIV)
Paranoia and psychosis

Withdrawal symptoms may occur in people addicted to ketamine such as chills, drug cravings, and hallucinations when they try to stop taking the drug.

Ketamine addiction

Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance that it has a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” The drug is dangerous, unpredictable and can lead to physical or psychological dependence if abused or taken for long periods of time. Ketamine addiction is associated with a strong desire to use the drug, drug-seeking behavior and high tolerance to the drug. People with ketamine addiction may take more of the drug to achieve the same high, which can lead to psychosis, hallucinations and frightening experiences.

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Why Choose Sovereign Health of California?

Sovereign Health of California’s holistic and individually tailored approach to ketamine treatment assists patients in overcoming their ketamine addiction so they can live a happy and fulfilling life. Our highly trained clinical staff provides thorough medical and biopsychosocial assessments to each of our patients during the intake process and uses the information from these detailed assessments to design a treatment regimen, diagnose the primary and any co-occurring conditions, and individualize treatment plans to meet each person’s specific needs.

At Sovereign Health, patients with ketamine addiction receive individual, group and family therapy while they are in treatment. Evidence-based treatments for ketamine addiction as well as alternative therapies such as equine therapy, yoga and mindfulness are taught to patients while they receive their treatment. As part of our ketamine treatment programs, Sovereign Health of California offers the following treatments in addition to many others:

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Case management
Relapse prevention
Stages of change

Art and music therapy
Neurofeedback
Stress management
Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Ketamine addiction recovery is possible. Patients who receive ketamine treatment at Sovereign Health are provided with insurance verification as part of the admissions process. We take a large number of private insurers so patients and their families can afford the costs of treatment. As an option, Sovereign Health works with My Treatment Lender to offer treatment loans to patients and their families who need assistance paying for services.

For more information about ketamine or another substance use disorder, or to learn more about our ketamine treatment centers, call Sovereign Health’s 24/7 helpline.

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