I had no idea ketamine was a problem with kids

With the exception of things like heroin or crack, the vast, vast majority of people who use drugs recreationally don’t end up with a drug problem or any lasting effects.

Ketamine is used routinely in hospitals and isn’t physically addictive with no withdrawal symptoms. The people who are suffering with incontinence or “peeing jellyfish” by losing their bladder linings are doing absolutely huge quantities.

There are a lot of people on MN. Some will have done drugs when younger, some won’t. Some will take drugs now, some won’t. Same as the people you know in real life.
Ive never taken an illegal drug. I have friends who have.

Some parents are deluded like that. Or simply shameless.

Not really initially, it’s psychologically addictive rather than physically. But if you do physical damage to your bladder/kidneys, it can block out the pain which puts very heavy users on a downwards spiral.

I personally knew some very heavy users when we were younger and none of them developed issues. I don’t know if it’s less pure now? If not then people must be doing a LOT, like multiple grams a day over a sustained period, to become unwell. It’s sad that this is happening to kids.

My child's friend was found dead in his room at uni from a ketamine overdose. This young man was the local drug dealer both at college and uni. He helped get many kids, including mine, addicted to drugs from a young age. His drug addiction and dealing also effected me personally and he put me and my family in danger and when I said I would go to the police or his parents I was threatened. I was told i didn't know who i was dealing with and was told tales of guns and gangs. He came from a good family, we all lived rurally and I've no idea how he got hold of ketamine and other drugs but I suppose I'm naive. I constantly see posts on Facebook from his parents saying what a great guy he was, the kindest heart etc I don't know if they're kidding themselves but it makes my blood boil knowing what he was really like. I don't see the point in telling his parents as what good would it do and they have suffered enough already.

Thanks, horrid, very addictive I am guessing?

They take it because it’s a very quick, cheap high. You can be out of it but then completely fine a couple of hours later.

It’s cooked, crushed and snorted. It can be bought pre-cooked; it’s a powder either way but if not cooked, it’s harsher.

It used to be £15-20 a gram but I think it’s cheaper now (probably cut with cheaper drugs).

How?

I'm so sorry, @amylou8 .

This. I'd go even further. Young people are seriously neglected/mistreated/abused by society and schools.

Consider me 100% ignorant.

Why do they take it?
How do they take it / consume it?
Who with? sir fiends? mixed boy girl friendship groups
How much does it cost
How old are you the young people when they take int

i have heard about it before and i saw a programme re the effects it has on your body. google it or you tube.

This is why I just don't do drugs

One of reasons it’s popular with young people is because it has a similar effect to being drunk but you don’t get moved on by the police for drinking in public. You can just go into the toilets, take ket and go back out and be with your friends without being hassled for under age drinking.

Young people don’t have places to be where they don’t get judged and looked down on by society.

we have a real disconnect between the generations at the moment and it’s made worse by the current trend for schools to be draconian in behaviour policies.

Easily available apparently. Comes with a whole host of complications/health threatening side affects. Assuming it is Ketamine and not something pretending to be.

My daughter is in her 20s and a ket addict. She has liver damage, kidney damage and tubes in her kidneys as her urtheras are so blocked she can no longer pee normally. She's been in and out of hospital and has nearly died of sepsis caused by kidney infections.
I'm in a support group of parents and the problem is huge. Once they're on it it's almost impossible to get them off it. Our kids are dying and it's heartbreaking.

I think parents need to know what to look out for. It's not like smoking fags and drinking alcohol where you can smell it on them - and hiding bottles or cigarets is much harder than hiding a tiny little wrap or baggie.

They have to take much larger volumes of white power than, say, coke.. so look out for white powder around their nostrils. Also a constant snotty nose and sniffing - sounding bunged up. very urgent needs to go for a wee and spending a long time going.... stomach cramps, weight loss, stomach bloating.

Spot out for rolled up notes - white power on surfaces etc...

Wonder why all the public information films we used to get have stopped?

I know most young people don't watch 'tv', but surely there could be more information campaigns on platforms like YouTube. Sure stories of 'ketamine bladder' would put some people off

It was a niche drug in the music scene 20 years ago, associated with free parties and so on. Lots of my friends took it but it got a really bad reputation as people would take too much and be zombied and vulnerable to people robbing them and worse etc.

It made the atmosphere pretty bad when you have people slumped everywhere and feeling like you had to keep an eye on people you don't even know because they were totally comatose. An absolutely shitty antisocial drug.

It makes sense that the scene has moved on to young teens and house parties in that sense. It was always cheap. I don't know any "grown ups" who still do it. It's a total mugs game, the bladder issues started being talked about not long after it became popular, which was another nail in the coffin for it among people my age back then.

MN has up to 10 million monthly users from all countries and backgrounds. I would say the majority are human and that's about as far as I go with my assumptions about people who use MN 😂

If drugs were legal, I imagine children would be able to partake safely and under direct supervision of teachers/parents in school and at home. Removing barriers is part of enriching peoples lives so that they can be their authentic selves and not feel looked down upon by authorities for their choices in life. Let people be who they want to be.

Would you say the majority? There are so many who are proud of it

Some MNers @Ridink
Just because some people on MN have done something, doesn't mean everyone on MN has done the same, obviously.

Horrible drug with awful long-term effects. And you are correct that it is rife.

I work in sexual health and I’ve actually started asking patients who come in with urinary symptoms (male or female) whether they have ever used ketamine because I’ve seen so many people with ketamine cystitis recently.

I was shocked at how many people admit to using ketamine, and how young they usually are. All walks of life, too.

It's stupid. They didn't need to take it. No good ever comes of it as proved.