I had no idea ketamine was a problem with kids

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

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...

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.

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

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.

This is why I just don't do drugs

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

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

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

I'm so sorry, @amylou8 .

How?

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).

Thanks, horrid, very addictive I am guessing?

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.

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.

Some parents are deluded like that. Or simply shameless.

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.

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.

Yes, I’m aware of that.

I was into the raver scene for a little while in my late teens (am 46 now so quite a while ago). Did lots of different drugs but was never tempted by ketamine. I remember walking into a room at an after-party once and there were just piles of people drooling all over themselves. Looked very unappealing and I swerved it in favour of other options (probably equally unsafe but at least much more fun)

My daughter is 13. Massive rule follower and an athlete so very different to who I was at her age but I'm sure there's plenty of other options on offer at her school. It's really terrifying and quite sad too.

There’s a lady local to me called Sarah Green who’s daughter Honor took her life due to Ket addiction. A very affluent and supportive family which shows that this drug does not discriminate
shes doing a lot of work raising awareness on the addiction to this drug and side effects. She has a charity called H23
i work in healthcare and ket addiction among young people is rife

I knew about ketamine bladder because I have a friend who works in the MH sector, but I don’t think most people/kids know how bad it can get. Sounds like we need a scary public information campaign? I saw one about ecstasy when I was about 11 (in the 90s) and it scared me so much I have never taken a pill in my life despite dabbling in other stuff. I know those campaigns don’t work on everyone but they did on me

I voted YANBU as it was covered extensively in the news (radio) including ketamine bladder and hospitals in some areas developing specialist services to deal with bladder issues (including surgical removal of the bladder and creating a stoma with bag for urine).
It’s very easy to take (e.g in the loos at school) and very very addictive.

I don’t know if heavy use is a regional thing? A lot of the stories and press I’ve seen has come specifically from NW England

I watched that, Leah Betts video. Scared the life out of me, never touched a pill despite being offered plenty in my lifetime. Tbh, that video put me off all drugs tbh. I’m not one of those cool mumsnetters with a drug taking history. I was always offered them on nights out but I was never tempted.