Management of disorders of ketamine use

The dissociative and analgesic effects of ketamine can put a person at risk of serious injury and deathWeaver, 2019, and risk the safety of others. For advice on managing these risks, see Ensuring the safety of a person with a disorder of substance use or addictive behaviour.

Heavy and regular use of ketamine can result in chronic harms such as hallucinatory flashbacks, headaches, abdominal cramping and painful ulcerative cystitisWeaver, 2019. Tolerance (a requirement to use more drug to achieve the desired effects) may occur; however, stopping ketamine does not appear to produce a classic withdrawal syndrome. Nevertheless, people trying to reduce or stop regular use of ketamine may experience cravings to use the drug and should be offered harm reduction advice for substance use (including a printable patient leaflet) and referral to a specialist service.