KETAMINE has been dubbed the “heroin of a generation”; by one user as experts reveal how it ravages the body and mind.
The potent painkiller and sedative has become a hugely popular street drug due to its hallucinogenic and relaxing effects.
But Exeter University researchers warn it causes “high levels of physical and psychological consequences”;.
Hollywood actor , who played Chandler in the sitcom Friends, died in 2023 after an overdose.
A new study estimates nearly half – 44 per cent – of British users suffering devastating do not get professional help.
The research, in the journal Addiction, followed 274 addicts in the UK, using an average of 2g per day.
It found 60 per cent had or nasal problems, while 56 per cent had experienced organ cramps.
I feel this is the heroin of a generation
Anonymous study participant
The drug is known to be particularly damaging to the inner lining of the bladder, and heavy users can end up incontinent or needing to have the organ removed and replaced with a bag.
Six in 10 interviewees had problems and reported psychological issues including cravings, low mood, anxiety and irritability.
One anonymous ketamine user in the study said: “I feel it is the heroin of a generation.
“More information will only become available once more people my age begin to suffer so greatly from misuse that it can’t be hidden anymore.”;
Another added: “People know the risks of heroin and cocaine but not how addictive ketamine can become.”;
Office for National Statistics figures show 2.9 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds used ketamine last year.
An estimated quarter of a million adults of all ages took it.
About nine in 10 users snort the , but it can also be injected.
One of the study authors, PhD student Rebecca Harding, from University College London, said: “Our study highlights the need for greater recognition of the significant physical and psychological risks associated with ketamine.
“We need improved treatment programs and raised awareness of ketamine use.”;
