Ketamine has had renewed interest as a drug used in the treatment of severe depression or treatment resistant depression. Those who have a motivation to relieve their depressive symptoms should talk to their doctor about ketamine. Unfortunately, ketamine is also used recreationally as one of the club drugs of choice and is often mixed with other drugs and alcohol. Taking ketamine recreationally, even in low doses, can lead to drug addiction.
Whether you or one of your loved ones is suffering from the psychological symptoms of drug abuse, ketamine addiction can be crippling. While the doses of ketamine may affect a person’s level of required treatment at a residential inpatient recovery center, even low doses of ketamine use can lead to addiction. Abusers of ketamine would benefit from exploring their treatment center or online therapy options.
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What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a pain management drug that has dissociative anesthetic properties. It was originally a veterinary anesthetic and then later was approved and available for prescription in humans in 1969. Ketamine is a fast-acting pain killer that affects a person’s mental state by removing a person’s sense of self (causing them to “disassociate”) so that their experience feels out of body.
Ketamine Effects
A ketamine user may experience out of body sensations. While some amounts of ketamine may depress anxiety, taking it even at a low dose can be psychologically numbing. Distorted perceptions of light and sound may occur, and the person will likely become sedated.
Signs of Ketamine Abuse and Addiction
There are several symptoms of ketamine abuse and addiction. While someone is abusing Ketamine, they:
- may appear sleepy, or even be immobile
- may have amnesia, not remembering the events the following day or even a few hours later (impaired memory and attention)
- may have slurred speech
- may have difficulty breathing
Effects of ketamine addiction can include:
- Social withdrawal
- Irritability
- Depression
- Insomnia
Ketamine Withdrawal Symptoms
Ketamine withdrawal symptoms include:
- Cravings for the drug
- Heart palpitations
- Shakes
- Tiredness
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
Chronic ketamine abuse can make stress and pain management much harder to control. As a result, those with an addiction to ketamine may transfer their drug addiction behavior to drugs, alcohol, or porn.
Long-Term Side Effects of Ketamine Abuse
Ketamine abuse can result in memory loss and other ill health effects. A ketamine overdose may occur as a person becomes tolerant to previously used doses and increases their dose from low to high to achieve the same effect.
The health effects are cumulative and vary from person to person. It’s a good idea to speak with a physician about the long term side effects that you or a loved one may be experiencing.
Ketamine Addiction Treatment
There are a large range of treatment and relapse prevention options for ketamine addiction. Taking advantage of a person’s motivation to quit is paramount. When the negative consequences of addiction have piled up to a point of frustration and a dissatisfaction that is so strong that a desire to quit emerges, that must be capitalized on immediately.
Addiction treatment centers, also called residential inpatient treatment centers, are a fantastic resource on the path to sober living. Inpatient treatment for ketamine addiction and abuse can take a patient through cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, or online therapy and treat other psychological symptoms and disorders such as bipolar disorder, eating disorder, etc. Motivational enhancement therapy is another tool used at treatment centers for ketamine addiction. These tools will help the addicted person establish some momentum and behavior change, which can eventually lead to sobriety.
There are pros and cons for inpatient treatment versus outpatient treatment. The specific ketamine addiction treatment that you choose will depend on the offerings at the addiction center, and these options should be discussed with the center ahead of time.
Our Ketamine addiction treatment center provides comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment through a multitude of Ketamine addiction treatment programs and addiction therapy services. Upon your admission into a Ketamine addiction treatment center, our addiction treatment professionals will determine the unique underlying mental health conditions that cause your addiction to Ketamine. Our addiction therapy services and addiction treatment programs in California include: