Ketamine: What are the ‘acute effects’ of the drug that killed Matthew Perry and has become the narcotic of choice for thousands of British youth?

Last night it was revealed that Friends will star Matthew Perry died from the ‘acute effects’ of the drug ketamine and drowning.

Mr Perry54, was found face down in the hot tub adjacent to his pool Los Angeles home at 4:17 pm on October 28.

The autopsy revealed that he had similar amounts of ketamine in his system as a hospital patient under general anesthesia.

And now many people are wondering about the ‘acute effects’ of ketamine, what it is and why it has become a more popular drug among British young people in recent years.

What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a class B drug used as an anesthetic for humans and animals, which informs one of its nicknames, horse tranquilizer.

According to the government’s Anti-Drug Advisory Service, the narcotic is also known to users as ket, special K, super K and vitamin K. FRANK.

When used for legal medical purposes, ketamine is a clear liquid.

But it is usually sold by illegal drug dealers as a grainy white or light brown powder that resembles cocaine, but the effects are very different. It is less commonly sold in tablet form.

It has an unpleasant and bitter taste.

What are the ‘acute effects’ of ketamine?

Ketamine is a general anesthetic and thus reduces sensations in the body. And the effects can last for a few hours.

According to FRANK, users can feel dreamlike and distant, chilly, relaxed and happy, or confused and nauseous.

Ketamine can also alter your perception of time and space and cause hallucinations, causing users to stop feeling pain, putting them at risk of hurting themselves without realizing it.

If users use too much ketamine, they can fall into a “k-hole,” meaning they lose the ability to move. The “scary experience” feels like an out-of-body experience that you have no control over.

If you take too much ketamine, you can lose the ability to move and end up in a “k-hole.” This feels like your mind and body are separated and you can’t do anything about it – which can be a very frightening experience.

Ketamine is a very powerful anesthetic that can cause serious damage or be fatal, especially when mixed with other medications.

It can increase heart rate and blood pressure. It can make you confused, agitated, delirious and disconnected from reality. It can make you feel sick and can damage your short- and long-term memory.

Symptoms of ketamine overdose may include sedation or decreased consciousness, respiratory depression (slowed breathing), periods of stopped breathing (apnea), low blood pressure, slow heart rate, cardiac arrest, seizures, stupor, and coma. US Addiction Centers.

Matthew Perry was given ketamine infusion therapy as a treatment for depression, the medical examiner reported — but the last session was a week and a half before he died, and the ketamine is only in your system for three to four hours, which means it was. not directly lead to his death.

“At the high concentrations of ketamine found in his post-mortem blood samples, the main lethal effects would be due to both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” concluded the medical examiner, Raffi Djabourian.

What are the long-term effects of ketamine?

The long-term effects of regular ketamine use can cause agitation, panic attacks, damage to short- and long-term memory, and depression when used frequently.

There is also increasing evidence that regular and heavy ketamine use can cause liver damage. The liver has a number of important functions, such as cleaning your blood and removing toxins.

Long-term use can also pose mental health risks, including flashbacks, memory loss and concentration problems.

Regular use can cause depression and sometimes psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations. Ketamine can also worsen existing mental health problems.

Ketamine can also be addictive, with regular users having the potential to develop a tolerance, meaning they have to take more to get the same effect they want.

There are no physical withdrawal symptoms from ketamine, so ketamine addiction is also called psychological dependence.

Is ketamine illegal in Britain?

Ketamine is a class B drug in Britain, meaning it is illegal to possess, give away or sell.

Possession can carry a prison sentence of up to five years, an unlimited fine, or both.

If you provide the drug to someone else, you could face up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

Like drunk driving, drunk driving is dangerous and illegal. If you are caught driving under the influence, you can receive a heavy fine, driving ban or prison sentence.

If police catch people supplying illegal drugs into a house, club, bar or hostel, they may be able to prosecute the landlord, club owner or any other person involved in the management of the premises.

Why is ketamine becoming increasingly used in the UK?

In the year to March 2022, record amounts of ketamine were seized by police and border forces in Britain, an increase of almost 900 percent from 208kg to 1,837kg.

Use is also increasing: one in twenty young people admits to having used ketamine Time-out.

It is most popular in the cities of Manchester and Bristol, with London also being one of the top locations.

Although ketamine has a two-decade history as part of rave and club culture, its use has changed significantly since the pandemic.

It used to be used as a drug to take at the end of a night out, but as people sought mind-altering experiences that weren’t ‘upper’ during lockdown, they turned to ketamine’s calming effects, an expert has claimed.

Adam Waugh from the charity The Loop told TimeOut that ketamine is “a narcotic drug, so it puts people into a dissociative state”, which “might be desirable at home”.

The drug is also significantly cheaper than other drugs used in the rave scene: around £20 per gram, compared to £40 per gram for MDMA and £100 for cocaine.