Many people with ketamine addiction do not seek GP help despite high levels of need

People addicted to ketamine may not seek help from their GP despite high levels of physical and psychological problems associated with their use of the drug, researchers have reported.

A study of 274 people with ketamine use disorder found more than half had not sought any support or treatment.

But the survey and interviews led by the University of Exeter and University College London found 60% had experienced bladder or nasal problems.

In addition, 56% reported K-cramps – a painful organ cramping linked to excessive ketamine use, with which can often drive people back to the drug for pain relief.

Symptoms of abstinence syndrome were also identified in the study, including cravings (71%), low mood (62%), anxiety (59%) and irritability (45%).

Among those who had sought treatment for their addiction to the drug, many felt services had little awareness of ketamine use and were only somewhat effective in the support they offered.

Writing in Addiction, the authors said this was the largest study to date looking at the experience of people with ketamine addiction.

Interviews with users of the drug highlighted they were not aware of the risks of addiction until their ketamine use was already out of control.

Participants were from the UK, US, Canada, Europe and Australia, with many reporting that they were too embarrassed to seek treatment.

For those that did they said healthcare professionals did not know enough about ketamine addiction.

One respondent told researchers: ‘I feel it is the heroin of a generation, and more information will become available once more time passes and more people my age begin to suffer so greatly from misuse that it can’t be hidden anymore.’

Another said: ‘GP doesn’t think ketamine is addictive, just told me to stop, doesn’t have a clue’.

Government figures suggest ketamine use has more than doubled since 2016, with a threefold increase among 25-year-olds.

Study author Professor Celia Morgan from the department of psychedelic studies at the University of Exeter, said: ‘We know that ketamine use is on the rise, with a number of high-profile tragedies linked to ketamine addiction.

‘Meanwhile, a growing number of clinical trials are finding therapeutic benefits involving ketamine in carefully controlled environments, combined with therapy.

‘Our research is the first to analyse in-depth the experience of people using very large amounts of ketamine, and shows the devastating physical health problems people can face with dependent ketamine use.  

‘[The research] also highlights the barriers that people with ketamine addiction face when they try to seek treatment, often being sent away from treatment services.’

Co-author Rebecca Harding, a PhD student at University College London, said: ‘Our study highlights the need for greater recognition of the significant physical and psychological risks associated with ketamine, both among healthcare professionals and the general public.’