What are Club Drugs?
Club drugs
(also sometimes called Dance Drugs or Designer Drugs) are drugs
which at one time were found most frequently in night clubs and
at raves, but have since become some of the fastest growing drugs
used by college students. These drugs include MDMA (ecstasy,
E, or X), ketamine (special K), GHB,
and crystal methamphetamine (speed, crank, crystal, tina).
What is ketamine?
Ketamine,
known as Special K, Vitamin K or Cat Valiums, is an injectable anesthetic.
It is most commonly used by veterinarians on large animals today.
In the 1980s it began to be used recreationally as an intoxicant.
How is ketamine used?
Ketamine
is either sold as a dry white powder or a clear liquid (in its original
pharmaceutical packaging). The powder is made by drying the liquid.
The residue from this drying process is then crushed and snorted
in small doses (called bumps). In rare cases ketamine is injected
intramuscularly or smoked with tobacco or marijuana. Whether smoked
or snorted, the effects begin in a few minutes and lasts less than
an hour.
Why
do people take ketamine?
In large
doses ketamine produces effects in humans similar to phencyclidine
(PCP) such as dream-like dissociative states and hallucinations.
It has a number of contradictory effects, including stimulant, sedative,
anesthetic, and hallucinogenic properties. Users describe feeling
like they are drunk, stoned, and tripping all at once.
What
are the short-term dangers of taking ketamine?
Ketamine blocks the neurotransmitter glutamate at one of its receptors,
causing a user to feel distanced from his/her environment. But ketamine
also causes the user to feel euphoric and insensitive to physical
pain. When ketamine is used as an anesthetic in humans, it is used
with another drug to prevent hallucinations.
As with
PCP, people can have bad reactions to ketamine. It impairs a person's
ability to drive and can cause violent paranoia, agitation, or confusion.
Ketamine can also put users in a state called a "k-hole"
where they become unable to move or communicate and feel very far
away from their body. Some users seek this state, which they consider
to simulate a near-death experience, while others find it frightening
and disturbing. Because it can render the user unable to move, ketamine
has also been used as a date rape drug.
It is
difficult to regulate a "dose" of ketamine, and there
is only a slight difference in dose between the desired effects
and an overdose. Ketamine is a depressant at higher doses and can
dangerously reduce heart rate and respiratory function. Combining
ketamine with other depressants, like alcohol,
valium, or GHB,
can lead to serious medical consequences. It can also produce delirium,
amnesia, impaired motor function or depression at high doses. Ketamine
was associated with 46 deaths between 1994 and 1998.
Are
there long-term consequences to taking ketamine?
Because ketamine has only recently been used as a recreational drug,
there are no studies available on its long-term effects. However,
there is some anecdotal evidence that low-dose intoxication can
impair learning ability, attention, and memory. Like other hallucinogens,
ketamine can also cause severe flashbacks. Frequent use and higher
doses can cause disruptions in consciousness, leading to neurosis
or other mental disorders.
Is ketamine addictive?
While no studies have been done to measure ketamine's physically
addictive properties, it is acknowledged, even by its proponents,
to be psychologically addictive. Timothy Leary himself has described
ketamine as the most powerful of psychedelic drugs. For people who
want to feel dissociated from their environment, this drug can be
dangerously appealing and there are many reported cases of addiction.
How
do I help a friend who's having trouble with drugs?
If you are concerned
about a friend's drug or alcohol use, this page contains
information about different ways to help them.
Dance Safe is a harm-reduction web site centered on drugs found
in nightclubs and raves. The site offers drug information, a risk
assessment, ecstasy testing kits and e-news.
This British harm-reduction web site provides extensive information
on ketamine, including the basics, dangers, mixing with other drugs
and links.
NCADI provides alcohol and drug facts, research briefs and related
resources.
This site provides drug information and answers questions on ketamine
use in the gay community.
Disclaimer: Health Education is part of Health Services at Brown University. Health Education maintains this site as a resource for Brown students. This site is not intended to replace consultation with your medical providers. No site can replace real conversation. Health Education offers no endorsement of and assumes no liability for the currency, accuracy, or availability of the information on the sites we link to or the care provided by the resources listed. Health Services staff are available to treat and give medical advice to Brown University students only. If you are not a Brown student, but are in need of medical assistance please call your own health care provider or in case of an emergency, dial 911. Please contact us if you have comments, questions or suggestions.
