Ketamine is widely known as ‘ket’, 'Vitamin K', 'K' or 'Special K'. Ketamine typically comes in liquid form which can be injected, or as a white, grainy powder which can be snorted or swallowed as a tablet. The effects of the drug include hallucinations and dissociative anaesthesia (known as 'out of body experiences' and referred to as the 'K hole' by users of the drug).
Prolonged use of the drug can result in a ketamine addiction, as tolerance and cravings for the drug increase. Ketamine addiction usually follows the same 'binge-crash' pattern as cocaine misuse, and often needs professional addiction treatment.
Ketamine addiction rehab takes place as part of Priory’s comprehensive addiction treatment programme. This consists of a 28-day residential stay at one of our specialist hospital sites, where you'll be able to undergo a medically assisted detoxification process if this is required, before commencing with an intensive programme of group and individual therapy. Twenty eight days is the recommended treatment time for addictions, but the length of the addiction treatment that you receive at Priory can be flexible according to your condition, requirements and commitments.
All of the addiction treatment that we offer at Priory is based on the renowned 12-step addiction treatment philosophy. This model was first pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and is an abstinence-based approach that focuses on your motivation to change your addictive behaviours, whilst also drawing upon elements of spirituality in the treatment journey.
We offer a comprehensive medically assisted drug detoxification process for your ketamine addiction, if this is required. The purpose of this is to remove all traces of ketamine from your body, while controlling withdrawal symptoms. Detox involves:
The withdrawal symptoms you experience as part of the detox process can vary depending on how long ketamine stays in your body.
Ketamine withdrawal can result in a wide range of severe and sometimes distressing withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms appear when your body is no longer receiving a substance that it's used to having, causing severe psychological and physical effects.
Psychological symptoms of ketamine withdrawal may include:
Physical symptoms of ketamine withdrawal may include:
Everyone who seeks ketamine addiction support with us will benefit from a tailored treatment experience. You'll be placed at the centre of your treatment and rehabilitation journey and will be involved in decisions that are made about your care, in order to produce the most positive post-treatment outcomes.
If you think that you've developed a problem with ketamine addiction, it's essential that you seek professional help. Below are some additional tips you can use to help you to cope with the initial stages of ketamine addiction:
Priory’s customer service team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that those in crisis can be signposted to the best possible support, as quickly as possible. The specialist teams at our residential facilities can help to stabilise those in need of immediate assistance, including providing access to medically assisted detoxification for alcohol and drug addictions, where required.
