Dangers and side effects.
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Street ketamine usually originates from legitimate pharmaceutical sources that have been illegally diverted onto the black market. This means that the problems of purity and chemical content, usually associated with street drugs, are absent. However, this does not mean that ketamine is a 'safe' drug. |
The dissociative actions of ketamine mean that it is often considered to be a 'date rape drug'. A date rape drug is one that is slipped into a persons drink. When the drink is consumed, the person is rendered unconscious and is at great risk of attack. For more on date rape drugs click HERE.
Dangers of recreational ketamine use include;
Increased heart-rate
Depressed consciousness and breathing
Can lead to oxygen starvation to the muscles and brain
Vomiting
Temporary paralysis
Coma and eventually death
Ketamine is also known to be psychologically addictive, it is not uncommon to find users taking it daily.
Other problems:
Ketamine is often obtained in the comercial form Ketalar ®. This contains a preservative,benzethonium chloride, which is itself a potentially psychoactive ingredient.
Most brands of ketamine contain the same proportions of S(+) and R(-) stereoisomers (racemic ketamine), however, at least one brand has been found to contain only the S(+)stereoisomer. According to researchers, S(+) ketamine is more likely to suppress breathing and induce a faster loss of consciousness than R(-) ketamine.