In D.M Turners book, the ultimate psychedelic guid, he rated K on a scale of 10, 10 – infinity. above dmt, shrooms, lsd etc etc. However, this guy was injecting it straight into his muscles. He died in the bath with a needle in his arm, drowned though. It wasnt an overdose as such.
K-damaged cells grow back, but give them time, and be careful with what you do on the stuff.
IT’S FUN!
It’s so sad to see so many people doing K!
The guy you’re talking about who killed his dealer for his stash, was that in New York? I have a friend from there who told me a similar story about a club owner who was killed for some heroin . His ‘friends’ put him on ice in bathtub & stayed at his house for like two weeks. It stunk like hell and they wouldn’t let anyyone who came over use that bathroom and they all started to wonder why he had ‘left town’ suddenly. Anyway the killers / friends even actually threw him party called something like ‘BloodFeast’ @ his club… crazy shit… thats where drugs will get ya!
Well he had nice friends didn’t he. K is hOrrible with a big fat sweaty ‘O’. Forkin Orrible. It’s for Horses for Christ sake. Get on ye Mushies 🙂
Ketamine is certainly the stuff used by the James Herriot massive to Tranquilize horses and other animals – there’s a debate about it’s effect on the scene. One thing I’ve noticed is in gnarlier parties that Ket-heads are often subjected to robberies and sexual assaults when they is sketched out so may be worth only taking the stuff in the right setting!
Plus its supposed to give you dain bramage – Check http://www.erowid.org (I think someone posted the link here) and although Ketamine may not be an immediate killer it is one of those drugs which can get people thinking on the darkside and contemplating suicide – and yes I lost a friend that way…
Hmm. Loads of young kids (err I’m 41, so class myself as an OLDER kid). I mean ones of 15 – 20, are doing Ketamine regularly at after parties. Wonder what their heads are gonna be like in ten years time? Just hope they understand the term, “moderation”. Still, guess we’ve all been there…
I’ve moved this thread to our drugs forum…
The Drug for a New Generation
By thisisnottingham – 30 April 2002
Ketamine was the anaesthetic of choice for war medics treating the casualties of the Vietnam conflict. But today it is better known as the designer drug of Nottingham’s dance-floor generation. Health correspondent M. BRINDLEY examines why clubbers are risking their lives for this addictive psychedelic high
ASK most people if they’ve tried ‘Special K’ and they assume you’re talking about the popular low-fat breakfast cereal.
But on the street the term refers to ketamine – the latest drug to appear on the city’s dance scene.
Ketamine is enjoying something of a renaissance in Nottingham after it was made popular by American psychiatrist Dr John Lilly in the 1970s.
Just a couple of years ago it was the main ingredient in fake ecstasy pills, but now clubbers are asking dealers for the drug by name on a night out.
It’s right up there with ecstasy and cocaine as the drug of choice and, for many ecstasy users, particularly among gay club-goers and new age travellers, it is seen as an “up-market” drug.
And, it is completely legal. There is no criminal offence for possessing ketamine, unlike cocaine and ecstasy which both carry up to seven years’ imprisonment for simple possession.
People are choosing to take this powerful animal tranquilliser for its psychedelic properties, searching for the infamous out-of-body and near-death experience it is reported to induce.
But some are dicing with death by taking a potentially lethal concoction of ketamine and alcohol, in a dangerous attempt to accentuate this out-of-body high.
This emerging trend of mixing the drug, also dubbed vitamin K, and booze has drugs workers worried.
Neil Brooks, of the drugs agency Chill Out Sound Support, which works with clubbers in Nottingham, said he knew of a number of instances where clubbers had collapsed after taking ketamine and alcohol.
And Mick Morledge, who runs the local Tranx Release helpline, said: “I’ve taken calls from people who have used it.
“Ketamine is a deadly drug, I can’t believe that people are using it with alcohol.
“Even taking normal tranquillisers and sleeping tablets with alcohol is deadly – it’s as simple as that.
“People are very lucky to get away with mixing alcohol and ketamine.
“You can’t say it’s worse than taking heroin but it’s on a par with it. It’s a deadly concoction.
“It’s dangerous and people need to be aware about those dangers. Ketamine is a prescription drug and should only be used by medical professionals and never mixed with alcohol.”
Notts police confirmed they are aware of the increase in usage but despite ketamine’s growing popularity it will remain a legal drug for the foreseeable future.
The Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs believes there is no evidence of a social problem but has recommended that the Home Office and European agencies monitor its use.
Detective Sergeant Steve Holme, of Derbyshire Police’s drugs squad, has a wide knowledge of the drugs scene and emerging trends across the East Midlands.
He told the Evening Post: “We’ve noticed a massive increase in the number of people using ketamine – it’s become more widespread over the last couple of years.
“Ketamine use, and particularly mixing the drug with alcohol, is something we’re worried about, but because of the legal status of the drug our hands are tied.
“In the past ecstasy users knew they shouldn’t mix ecstasy with alcohol but it seems the same knowledge and message about the risks of ketamine and alcohol isn’t getting across to users.
“They know ketamine is legal so they don’t think it’s harmful.”
Clubbers use ketamine, which was developed by the University of Michigan as a safe anaesthesia in 1965, for the psychedelic effect it produces in low doses.
Ketamine – a prescription drug but manufactured on the black market in back-street drug laboratories for sale on the street – belongs to a set of drugs called “diassociative anaesthetics” which separate perception from sensation.
Users say it creates a mild, dream-like feeling, similar to the effects of laughing gas.
One clubber and regular ketamine user said: “K is really fun. It’s dreamy.”
But at higher doses it produces an hallucinogenic effect as ketamine blocks the chemical messengers in the brain that carry sensory input – the brain fills the resulting void with visions, dreams and memories.
The clubber, who did not want to be named, added that he once thought other people on the dance floor were headless after he snorted the powder form of the drug.
He knew they really did have heads but he said: “It was so weird.”
Users can also feel as though they are far away from their bodies – often referred to as entering a K-hole – and the sensation is frequently compared to a near-death experience.
Just two tenths of a gram – a gram sells at anything between £6 and £25 on the streets – is enough to enter a K-hole.
Physical addiction to ketamine is rare but users can quickly become psychologically dependent on the drug. Users who take too much too often can also develop ketamine psychosis.
Drugs workers visiting Nottingham’s clubs have seen the effects of ketamine and alcohol first hand and have had to help several people who have collapsed after taking this “deadly concoction”.
At high doses ketamine can depress the consciousness and breathing and it is extremely dangerous to mix with alcohol, as alcohol accentuates the anaesthetic effect of the drug.
And there is some evidence in the UK to suggest that ketamine, when mixed with alcohol, has been used as a date-rape drug because it produces a powerfully sedative effect similar to the most well-known date-rape drug – Rohypnol.
The combination of ketamine and alcohol can cause the lungs and the heart to stop functioning, causing people to collapse and slip into a catatonic, or comatose, state.
A spokesman for the Chill Out Sound Support project, which works with Nottingham’s clubbers, said: “It’s very dangerous to mix ketamine with alcohol and if anybody does it’s important that they seek medical help.”
Alcohol Problems Advisory Service (APAS) development officer Steve Youdell added: “Ketamine is a general anaesthetic and produces anaesthetic effects.
“If you’re mixing it with alcohol it can produce a catatonic state where someone is effectively in a coma and nothing will wake them.
“Both ketamine and alcohol are suppressants and unlike the classic situation where you’ve had too much to drink and you throw up, if you are under the influence of ketamine and you have gone into a catatonic state the body’s normal reactions, which will wake you up if you are going to vomit, won’t work.
“There’s a very real risk of choking on your own vomit which can be fatal.
“Anyone who is taking drugs should be doing it with their eyes open and take a balanced decision about it.
“But ketamine, particularly with alcohol, is a definite no.
“It’s a highly dangerous drug.”
The Government’s response
KETAMINE usage is being monitored by the Home Office to see if it constitutes a “social problem”.
But for the time being it will not be reclassified under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Instead it will continue to come under the control of the Medicines Act.
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs’ current view is that there is little evidence of a social problem arising from the misuse of ketamine in the UK. But it has recognised that ketamine is misused and it will continue to be monitored.”
European agencies have also pledged to monitor ketamine usage.
Designer drug GHB is due to be reclassified as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act later this year.
It has sedative properties but can also produce feelings of euphoria and has been linked to the date-rape drug phenomenon.
The spokesman added: “Ketamine does not do the same things as GHB.
But if it turns out to be a problem and needs to be reclassified we wouldn’t hesitate to act by asking the advisory council to look at it again. Our advice about ketamine is that it is an anaesthetic used in the treatment of human beings and animals and people should not be using it.”
Know the score
WHAT IS IT? An anaesthetic used by vets and doctors during the Vietnam War, it has pain-killing properties and can induce psychedelic experiences.
Common street names: ‘Special K’, Vitamin K, K.
It usually comes as a liquid in small pharmaceutical bottles. It can be injected into the muscles, but is most often cooked into a powder and snorted through the nose.
Ketamine increases the heart rate and blood pressure and eating or drinking before taking the drug can induce vomiting.
Excessive doses carry some risk of breathing problems and heart failure, and ketamine is very dangerous when mixed with other drugs, particularly alcohol.
Very little is known about the long-term effects but some research has shown that ketamine users may suffer an impaired memory and mild schizophrenia several days after taking the drug.
Campaign to outline risk of injecting
THE UK has the highest number of drugs-related deaths in Europe.
Now the mother of student Rachel Whitear, who died from a heroin overdose in May 2000, is backing a new campaign to reduce this toll.
Pauline Holcroft released photographs of her 21-year-old daughter’s corpse earlier this year in a bid to highlight the shocking reality of drugs addiction.
DrugScope’s two-pronged campaign aims to highlight the dangers of injecting drugs such as heroin.
Britain has the highest number of drug deaths in Europe – of 7,266 deaths from overdoses of illegal substances across the European Union in 1999, 39% were in the UK.
Mrs Holcroft, who lives near Hereford, said: “When Rachel first used heroin she smoked it and at that time was very opposed to the idea of injecting.
“Some time later, she did however do so.
“Like many others she must have received instruction or assistance in taking this step.
“We wholeheartedly support this initiative by DrugScope to raise awareness of the potentially lethal dangers of injecting and overdose, and hope their efforts will help to break the cycle in the future.”
The first part of the project, Break the Cycle, will tell drug users they play a major part in introducing other users to injecting and aim to help them change their behaviour.
Research shows addicts who inject heroin are about 14 times more likely to die than their peers.
The second part of the campaign, called OD, will help raise awareness of the risks of injecting and overdose – the largest cause of death among injecting users in the UK.
DrugScope chief executive Roger Howard said: “Given the worryingly high figure for drug-related deaths in the UK, I urge those working with drug users to support these public-awareness campaigns and pass on the facts about the risks of injecting to users.
“We hope this campaign will start to make a difference and stop the shameful waste of so many lives.”
Rachel died in a Devon flat in May 2000 after two years of drug abuse.
The graphic photographs released by her family show her lying dead with a syringe in her hand.
Ketamine use on the rise in Asia
By The Straight Times – Monday, July 29, 2002
Copyright: The Straight Times
In 2000, there were a total of 167 ketamine offences. That figure rose to 207 last year. K.C. VIJAYAN and SUHAILA SULAIMAN examine this worrying trend.
HIS fun-filled night out in a trendy club became a nightmare. In under three hours, the 32-year-old downed alcohol as well as an Ecstasy pill, snorted several lines of ketamine and a couple more of speed.
‘I was dancing when my body suddenly froze up on me. I was down on my knees. My tongue felt knotted and my cheeks were stuck to my teeth. The dryness in my throat was working all the way into my lungs,’ said the clubber, who wanted to be known only as Brendon.
‘I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move, I was a rock. I started floating out of my body to a place I didn’t want to go and there was nothing I could do about it.
‘I felt dead but my mind told me I was not.’
Brendon had gone through what abusers of ketamine refer to as entering a ‘K-hole’. A fast-acting ‘dissociative anaesthetic’, ketamine shuts down nerve pathways but leaves respiratory and circulatory functions intact.
At high doses, it becomes a paralysing psychedelic, leading abusers to believe they are having an out-of-body or near-death experience.
In Singapore, ketamine – also known as K, Special K and Vitamin K – which made its appearance here in 1999, is gaining popularity among club-drug abusers, going by the number of arrests and finds during raids.
From a total of 167 ketamine offences in 2000, the number of people arrested for using, possessing or trafficking the drug increased to 207 last year.
Prior to 1999, ketamine was classified under the Poisons Act and could be bought over the counter at pharmacies. Those who sold it illegally got a maximum fine of $10,000 and two years’ jail – but there was no punishment for abusers.
In September 1999, ketamine was reclassified as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
A Straits Times report in May stated that the number of first-time ketamine abusers caught almost doubled from last year, with 55 per cent being younger than 25. One in three is a female, as compared to one in 10 among all drug abusers.
Though the trend is for abusers to snort ketamine at night entertainment spots, a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) spokesman said there was no specific area where most arrests are made.
Operation Dragnet carried out on July 15 saw drug-enforcement officers swooping down on areas like Woodlands, Jurong, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Bedok and Tampines. They also targeted specific budget hotels in Joo Chiat and Geylang.
In the three reported raids in the last three weeks, officers seized almost 300 Ecstasy tablets, almost 400 g of ketamine and more than 1,300 Erimin tablets. Only 4 g of heroin were found.
The largest single seizure was made in an operation conducted in September last year in which 2.5 kg of ketamine was seized.
Like other synthetic drugs, ketamine is not known to be produced here. It is created in secret laboratories in regional countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia before being smuggled into Singapore.
Besides its increasing availability on the streets, a reason for the rise in ketamine abuse is that, unlike heroin and just like Ecstasy, it is not addictive, said Dr Brian Yeo, a psychiatrist in private practice.
And as it is with Ecstasy users, abusers of ketamine get the impression that it is safe because they do not go through the bad physical withdrawals that heroin addicts do, he added.
Indeed, most club-drug abusers get away with nothing more than fatigue and dehydration, which can be put right with plenty of rest and water after a night of partying.
But when they dabble with ketamine, they are dealing with a different kettle of fish from Ecstasy, said Dr Yeo.
‘You have progressed up the ladder and are taking a more dangerous substance for thrills.’
Ketamine found its first practical use during the Vietnam War and remains a popular anaesthetic in Britain and the United States.
Produced in liquid form, it can be injected into the body, snorted or smoked with tobacco or marijuana. Depending on the dose, it induces delirium, hallucinations and impaired motor function.
Because it physically incapacitates, ketamine is also used as a ‘date-rape’ drug.
A paper written and presented by Swiss physician Ernst Aeschbach at this year’s Global Conference on Drug Abuse Prevention states that higher doses of ketamine can also bring on amnesia as well as fatal respiratory problems.
But abusers remain blind to such information and deaf to advice, said Brendon, who, since his ‘near-death’ incident, has stayed clean and has taken it upon himself to discourage his friends.
In fact, the latest practice among ketamine abusers here is to snort the synthetic drug and then gulp down bottles of cough syrup. They believe that substances in cough syrup will ‘mess up’ urine tests, should the club get raided.
According to Dr Yeo, cough syrup contains an opiate traceable with the standard urine test, which detects opiates (heroin, opium, morphine, codeine), cannabinoids (cannabis, marijuana, hash) and drugs under the amphetamine group such as Ecstasy, speed and Ice.
He said: ‘Should they test positive for opiates, they can just show the receipt or prescription for the cough syrup and they are off the hook.
‘They also hope they won’t be subjected to another round of urine tests, which will include ketamine.’
If a person is arrested on suspicion for consumption of ketamine, CNB will send his urine sample to the Health Sciences Authority to test for its presence, said the CNB spokesman.
She also said that although figures show a rise, the drug situation is under control.
‘There have been tougher enforcement measures and this has resulted in more arrests. CNB will continue to work with other agencies like the National Council Against Drug Abuse to strengthen efforts in drug abuse prevention.’
The courts are coming down hard on ketamine users.
In April, Chief Justice Yong Pung How raised a woman’s jail term from 11 to 16 months for being caught with ketamine. He also upheld an 18-month jail term for a 28-year-old man caught for taking ketamine in a club.
In other words, consumption, possession and trafficking of ketamine are criminal offences and provide the offender with a one-way ticket to jail.
And that’s not a cool place to be.
I agree with whoever said Ketamine was wicked because it is! But I don’t know anything bout it either,sorry…
Ket can be great if used in a safe environment, with people you trust! The thing is – every time you take it the results can be different, so stay away from sharp stabby things and serial killers – just in case you go into a k hole! – and of course – as with any brain altering chemical – moderation is the key!
Originally posted by lincoln_imp
Ket can be great if used in a safe environment, with people you trust! The thing is – every time you take it the results can be different, so stay away from sharp stabby things and serial killers – just in case you go into a k hole! – and of course – as with any brain altering chemical – moderation is the key!
aye – good advice. If u must do it its better as a “sunday afternoon” treat away from a party environment – especially a gnarly urban party in an inner city which may not always have “nice people” around. Plus u do not spark out in a stairwell or corridor and get trampled on by people trying 2 get past!
As some1 who has been on the scene 4 some years now (since early 1990s) I have 2 say (and this is admittedly my personal opinion) I do not particularly like its use in excess at parties.
Look at the boffins’ term for the stuff – a dissociative. This sums it up – it puts people (or groups) into their own “holes” rather than *associating* with the wider event around them. Perhaps I am old-fashioned(!) 🙂 and it may also be personal views because I am actually a shy person who can easily hide away in a “hole” *without* drugs – but I prefer stuff which increases social interaction!
Ket is evil shit. I was spiked with it when I was 15 and it had an awful effect on me. I got home (god knows how), my boyfriend put me to be and my boyfriend had a call saying my grand mother had just died. I blacked out and started screaming for three days solid. So be careful if you’re on that stuff, it screws you up big style!
Lets face it – you take a risk when you take anything! Dont use it too much myself, but I have seen people go into ‘K holes’ where they just cant move or do anything for up to 30 minutes or more! I’ve had good experiences on it but everyones different! The message i was trying to put across was – if you do use it, be careful or you could find yourself hurt!
Ketamine as a pure medical grade drug is safe (physiologicaly speaking). The disassociative anaesthetic is licensed for human use in the UK. Its primary use is as a for repeated anaesthesia of young children. It is used less frequently in the adult population because of the psychological effects. Ketamine should not be used if you have hypertension or suffer from hallucinations (at least the ones you dont induce yourself). Ketlar (ketamine hydrochloride) by Parke-Davis is the product available in the uk. It is available in 10mg/ml vials of 20ml, 50mg/ml vials of 10ml and 100mg/ml vials of 10ml.
It is a prescription only medicine but not a controled drug. I cannot advise on dosage. However, this drug should not be snorted. If you do not want to inject, then dont take it. Ketamine can be injected IV or IM. Most problems regarding Ketamine seem to arise from a poor quality of compound and snorting. This aside, the experience could be psychologicaly disturbing possibly to the point of isues developing from prolonged use – this is dependant on your mind and how stable you are.
Avoid use along with other drugs.
All the information here is purely for general interest, I cannot guarentee its accuracy. I am not a doctor.
Regards to all.
For lots of good drugs information especially on psycho-actives. Some good points made but also some tosh. The majority of Ketamine in this country is imported from India in liquid form and then cooked into a powder (all I will say is I had the nickname ‘psychedelia smith’ for a while due to my prowess on the cooker!).
Like all psychoactives, K can be particularly dangerous for people with a history of mental health or depression. I think the rule her is like most other recreationals; don’t go rushing into something new, try a wee bit at a time to see if it is a drug that suits you and doesn’t fuck you up.
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