A number of experts are warning of an alarming rise in bladder problems among young people in the UK due to chronic ketamine use.
Young people as young as 21 are undergoing major and risky surgeries to treat problems linked to addiction, doctors say.
Beth, an addict in her 20s, shared her experience with the BBC: “I can’t walk 50 meters without having to sit down or run to the bathroom.”
The latest government figures estimate that ketamine use in England and Wales has more than doubled since 2016.
And, in this period, the problem has more than tripled in the age group under 25 years of age.
Chronic ketamine use affects the lining of the bladder and can cause it to shrink. As a result, some urology departments have created specialist clinics to help the growing number of young people with bladder problems.
Southmead Hospital in Bristol, a city in the south-west of the United Kingdom, is currently helping around 60 patients from across the region, some of them as young as 19.
“If we offer major surgery to a 21-year-old person, the probability that they will suffer any type of complications after that surgery [en el resto de su vida] It is enormous,” says urologist Carolina Ochoa.
Beth is currently addicted to the drug, after having tried it as a teenager, “in the school classroom.”
“Visible in urine”
Beth says she now uses ketamine as a way to cope with traumatic events from the past.
“It’s just a bit of escapism. Unfortunately, after some things that have happened in my life that have led me to make these decisions, and PTSD, I also suffer from [con mi] mental health,” he tells the BBC.
“Ketamine was a kind of refuge.”
Beth is now also dealing with the physical impact of long-term use of this drug.
Its consumption caused the growth of a benign tumor in the bladder, which had to be burned. Beth also says that she could see the drug floating in her urine during a study at the hospital.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is widely used in the British National Health Service (NHS) as an anesthetic, sedative and analgesic, and is also commonly used in animals.
Due to its hallucinogenic effects, it is also considered a “party drug.”
Drugs were the main reason cited in the accidental death of the actor of the series Friends Matthew Perry.
Popularly known as Special K, It usually comes in the form of a crystalline powder or liquid.
Ketamine is classified by the government as a class B drug, meaning it is illegal to consume, carry, manufacture, or sell.
Tolerance is known to develop quickly, so users need more and more to feel its effect.
Chronic use affects the lining of the bladder and can cause it to shrink.
This can cause frequent urination, infections, bleeding, blockages, and incontinence.
Severe problems
Mohammed Belal, a doctor at the British Association of Urological Surgeons, is now producing a document to help other health professionals spot the signs of “ketamine bladder”.
“I think we’ve seen a big explosion of young people taking ketamine across the country, and that means they’re coming to us with significant urinary symptoms and these symptoms can include going to the bathroom every hour or even every half hour,” he says.
“Ketamine destroys the lining of the bladder and that can have very serious consequences,” he adds.
“We have noticed many young patients with severe bladder problems that we would not expect to see until they are much older.”
Pagan, from Oxfordshire, a county in the south of the United Kingdom, has recovered from his 12-year ketamine addiction and is sharing his experience to try to help others detox.
At his worst, he says he was taking more than 10 grams a day.
“I wanted to die”
“I wanted to die, yes, I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” she says.
“I didn’t want to be in the world with that pain, completely dependent on ketamine.”
As a result of his addiction, Pagan’s daughter was adopted.
The young woman underwent bladder surgery and ended up going to rehab for the third time in 2022.
“I spent eight weeks in hospital and felt like I had tempted fate too many times so I had to leave her, otherwise she would have ended up dead.”
Pagan says her road to recovery was “very, very difficult” at first, and she could not have done it without the support of drug and alcohol charity Turning Point, where she now volunteers as a mentor.
“It is never too late”
In a statement, the UK government told the BBC it is committed to offering support and tackling the supply of illegal drugs.
Jasmine King is a urology nurse specialist at Southmead Hospital, working to help people struggling with the impacts of chronic ketamine use.
King describes the rise in patients as “very worrying” and urges people to seek support through medicines charities, mental health services and hospitals if necessary.
“One thing I want people to be aware of is that if they come to see us, we are not judging them,” he says.
“We are here to support them and help them with their problems. “We just want to help.”
As for Pagan, he says, “No matter how much you think you’ve lost in life, it’s never too late to ask for help.”
Keep reading:
* Matthew Perry’s cause of death revealed; He died from “acute effects of ketamine”
* What are Prodrugs and why these drugs can evade police detection
* What is scopolamine: the psychoactive substance with which young people are being drugged in Mexico
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