How Addictive is Ketamine? A Comparative Guide to Dependence and Risk

How Ketamine Works

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used for pain relief and before surgery. Unlike other opioids that affect pain receptors or increase the dopamine level in the brain, ketamine blocks NMDA receptors that help in critical thinking and memory. This effect is called the K-holes effect. People often search for how addictive ketamine is and how to overcome ketamine addiction. So in this article, we will compare ketamine with other drugs to get a deep understanding of their effects.

Ketamine vs. Other Drugs

When compared with other addictive substances, ketamine has a unique profile. It does not severely affect physical health as compared to others, but its mental health effect is quite powerful. The table below gives a detailed comparison between ketamine and other addictive substances.

Drug Physical Hook Psychological Hook Primary Risk

Heroin Extremely High Extremely High Overdose / Respiratory failure

Cocaine Low Extremely High Heart attack / Intense "crash."

Ketamine Low Moderate to High Bladder damage

Alcohol High High Organ failure

The Effects on Mental Health

Like alcohol withdrawal symptoms, ketamine addiction does not show any physical health symptoms. Insead it affect central nervous system. As it has a hallucinatory effect, the patient does not identify the difference between the real and imaginary worlds. Whenever a patient faces any difficult situation, intense craving occur and the patient takes the doses to escape the situation. Due to regular consumption, the brain develops tolerance over a short period of time. As a result, the patient takes higher doses every time than previously to get the same feeling. It is necessary to know the effects on mental health so that it will be easy for you to identify signs early for better ketamine addiction treatment.

Therapy VS. Self healing

In rehab centers, doctors give small, safe doses in a prescribed time interval, so there is a low risk of getting hooked. Some people try to self-heal instead of going for professional treatment. They take doses after doses in short time intervals. These habits make them more addicted than healing.

The Red Flags of Addiction

Due to the least effect on physical health, people often miss the warning signs. One of the most common signs is tolerance. Over time, people take higher doses than previously taken. Another sign is prioritization. People with this addiction spend more money on ketamine than priority substances like food, cloths etc. Another major sign is disconnected from flashback. A patient with ketamine addiction often is not able to recall past events even after withdrawal. With overdoses, sometimes people face extreme abdominal pain.

The Long-term Effect on the Body

Due to long term use of ketamine with overdose, Ketamine Cystitis develops inside the body, which severely affects the bladder, even though there may be a need for surgery in a critical situation. It also severly affect the performance of the brain. Frequent intake can lead to memory loss and difficulty concentrating in daily activities.

The Way to Quit

Breaking ketamine addiction habits does not affect physical health as much as mental health. After some time of withdrawal, the brain tries to rewire its system and working function. Some rehab centers offer customized ketamine addiction recovery programs after monitoring patients' health conditions. Several therapies, like CBT, help to identify the triggering points. Along with this, several mental therapies are given to improve mental health and quick recovery. The patient also needs to go for regular check-ups for health monitoring and guidance.