I had no idea ketamine was a problem with kids

[Lelophants]

I don’t remember this when I was younger, or was I just naive?

did anyone else not realise the growing problem with ketamine with kids as young as 12? Mostly girls. Scary stuff.

please warn your kids about bladder problems

This. It isn’t just a bit of dribbling or smelling like urine. The effects are severe and lifelong.

There is not enough information on the dangers of ketamine.

It has been a monumental waste of time, as it wasn't designed for actually tackling drug use. Same for the American WoD.
We'll spend another 50 years killing and criminalising people worldwide, and drug use will continue to get out of hand. You have to deal with the appetite for the drugs.

I saw a news article about it a few months back and it was very disturbing -,the use amongst relatively young teens . There are also special bladder clinics in a lot of areas to deal with the growing problem .

We appear to have drifted into a twilight world where nobody will even try to admit the War on Drugs has achieved anything, and yet - almost because it hasn't - we can't do anything else.

It's a big problem round here. Wasn't a thing when I was young ( back in the dark ages)
Some kids at my dc's school would off their heads on ket at school day in, day out.
School must have been aware but I think it was a bigger problem than they wanted to acknowledge so made a big thing about vaping instead.

There was a panorama documentary on it a year ago. The bladder issues alone are horrific.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002gtgn

This is bloody awful.

I don’t remember it being a thing when I was young hash, speed and ecstasy were easily available.

I had it once in hospital ( I had a nasty break and they wanted to manipulate it to ensure blood supply) in all fairness I was pretty high on morphine too but it just made me blank out which didn’t seem all that fun.

I was so shocked this morning. I'd had no idea it was rife among children. I mean, not good at any age, but 13 year olds!

"Peeing a jellyfish" refers to some of the bladder lining being stripped off and passed out.

Child ketamine users getting bladder damage describe 'peeing a jellyfish'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqgk52ln68xvo

This. It was a clubbers thing. Now it’s popular among young teens, who are from normal and nice families

Absolutely

It destroys the bladder to the point that a lot of teenagers who use it are now incontinent to the point nappies are held in stock at most youth offending services in my area.

it’s a huge safeguarding concern as much as young parents using it and neglecting their kids and teenage use

@Doubleknowwhere do you think? Same place as they get weed etc.
It’s pretty common - my kids went to private school and I’d say many kids at least tried it.

To be fair plenty of 90s ravers were from nice families. The younger ones were just bored AF living in the suburbs and it was some kind of escape. But you didn't get kids taking 10 grams a day in the secondary school toilets.

Bloody hell.

Bulk deliveries of nappies to young offenders' services?

That's something that needs to be shoved in all our faces, particularly youngsters' before they get onto ketamine.

I can't understand why it's become a recreational drug. I work in veterinary. It's an immobiliser.
I've seen people on it, literally stuck to the wall/sofa unable to move. I mean we use it as an anesthetic to operate on animals., although we have to add other drugs to relax the muscles otherwise it can cause rigidity.
I can't imagine the appeal of making yourself so vulnerable that you cannot physically move your body!

I don't get the appeal either, especially as it inevitably results in serious bladder problems. I suppose we're older and wiser though, but still - the bladder issues it causes!! Even know it all teenage me would not have wanted to risk that FGS!!

Sounds like we need a War on Drugs

My DD is 21 and I knew it was an issue at her school when she was about 14 (so in flipping lockdown). We live in a rural area so I don’t know if that’s why it was more common. Young Farmers parties are notorious for it.

The anaesthetist gave me an injection of ketamine before the rest of my drugs for surgery last year. Made me feel immediately dizzy, faint and nauseous.

It’s the drug of choice now and it’s rife. If you have a young person they will be offered ket. It’s very frightening the Viscious cycle these young people get into, only taking Ketamine in the end to dull the bladder pain. It is so sad.

Cocaine has had its hey day. We need more education in schools surrounding ketamine.

I am mid 40's and it was very much around when I was in my 20's - big on the party scene. I know multiple people who had serious, long term addictions. Some who had bladder issues but mostly mental health issues. One friend burnt her stomach holding a hot water bottle on her to ease the cramps. One guy friend was pissing blood. Another died in the bath after taking it...

The appeal comes from being able to be really off your head for a short period of time. Like being really drunk for 1-2 hours and then sober. This is one of the reasons it appeals to teens. They can get off their heads and then go home and be normal. Can't do that with drink or e or coke even.

It's also mad cheap. In the 00's it was £20 a gram but for medical grade - bought in India and shipped over. Now it's cheaper - like £5 - £10 but it's cheap Chinese crap stuff. The kids take loads of it as it's not very strong. And the volumes of it are making it more harmful.

It was thought that it was not addictive in the 00's. It very, very much is.

A girl I know has 2 kids- she is a senior teacher and at a complete loss wondering where she went wrong. She has a DS and a DD both completely normal background- both ket addicts.
DD wears nappies because her bladder is fucked.
It’s unfathomable how bad this shit is 🥺

A few of the boys in DDs circle use it. Dd says it makes them weird and boring at parties. Her group is a mix of state and private all professional middle class families so not a thing that’s “over there” in certain demographics necessarily.

Thanks @wishingonastar101 it's useful to understand why this one is attractive. I wasn't aware tbh.