Download DESCRIPTION COMBINATIONS SAFER USING TIPS MORE INFO

SAFER USING TIPS
COMBINATIONS
• It is best not to eat within 1½ hours prior to using
ketamine as it can cause nausea and vomiting
• Try to use with friends
• It is best to have a sober friend or experienced
user present
• Use in a safe and comfor table place
• Try to remain seated or lie down during the
experience
(Possible outcomes - what works for one person may not
work for another. We recommend you proceed with caution.)
• If snorting:
• Snor t water before and after to avoid damaging
the protective lining in your nose
• Use your own straw to prevent risk of BBV
(blood borne viruses) transmission via tiny
amounts of blood
• A clean straw is preferable to a rolled note
- money is unhygienic
• If injecting:
• It is much safer to us IM (injecting into muscle)
rather than IV (injecting into a vein) due to
serious risk of vein damage (collapse)
• Intravenous use of ketamine can also present a
greater risk as it comes on so quickly - you don’t
want to drop into a K-Hole with a needle
hanging out of your arm!
• If plugging:
• Make sure all equipment is new and sterile
• Lubricate the syringe to avoid tearing skin
• Use sterile water to mix with crystal/powdered
ketamine
• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after
• Find a discreet and safe place to do it
Ketamine combined with...
• Alcohol = nausea and vomiting, at low doses.
It can lead to more seirous effects at higher doses
• GHB (and other depressants including alcohol and
benzos e.g. valium) = combining depressants can
cause difficulty breathing and respiratory failure
which can lead to death
It is not recommended to use ketamine if you suffer
(or have suffered) from:
• Increased spinal fluid pressure
• Increased pressure in the eye
• Head trauma or injury bleeding in the brain
• Eye injury
• Hear t problems
• Severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Thyroid problems
• Recent stroke
KNOW YOUR MIND, KNOW YOUR BODY,
KNOW YOUR SUBSTANCE AND KNOW YOUR LIMITS!
This resource has been developed for par ty goers
and people who are already using drugs. The role
of DanceWize is to provide factual, relevant and
practical information to assist you to make informed
choices about different drugs and to promote harm
reduction, safer par tying and safer drug use.
MORE INFO
DESCRIPTION
This resource is designed to give a brief overview
and it is recommended that you do fur ther
research. The following websites may provide you
with useful information.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic, developed
in the mid 1960’s, and used primarily for veterinary
anaesthesiology. Ketamine is liquid in its original form
but it is commonly sold as a white powder for
recreational use. Ketamine is used for therapeutic,
psychedelic and recreational purposes. Because
Ketamine is a dissociative substance, the psychedelic
experience is different to many other psychedelic
substances. People who use Ketamine can find
themselves completely disconnected from their
surroundings, their body and sensations. A wellknown effect of ketamine at higher-range doses is
the ‘K-hole’, where the user is removed from reality
and set adrift in an introspective dream-like world,
often involving complete dissociation, immersive
visuals and out-of-body experiences.
www.dancewize.org.au
www.hrvic.org.au
www.erowid.org
www.bluebelly.org.au
www.bluelight.ru
www.dancesafe.org
www.tripproject.ca
Produced by DanceWize, a project of Harm Reduction Victoria
With the suppor t of FebFast Australia 2012
DOSAGE TIPS
EFFECTS
Emotional
Depending on administration and purity, a standard dose
of ketamine is anywhere from 15 to 300mg. Because of this
huge variation, it is best to:
• Star t with a very small amount to test strength
• Give it plenty of time to work
• Due to the potency of ketamine, it is commonly
used in small doses (bumps) rather than one large
amount, such as a line
• If injecting, IM (intramuscular) is much safer than IV
(intravenous) (See Safety Tips)
(The following is a list of possible effects, which may
vary from person to person)
• Euphoria
• Meaningful spiritual experiences
• Frightening or untimely distor tion or loss of sensory
perception
• Enhanced sense of connection with the world
(beings or objects)
• Disconnection from the world (beings or objects)
• A peculiar feeling of loneliness
ADMINISTRATION
Most commonly snor ted but can be swallowed,
injected and plugged (administered rectally using a
syringe without needle)
DURATION
Total Duration:
Onset:
Peak:
Coming Down:
After Effects:
45 - 60 minutes
5 - 15 minutes
20 - 60 minutes
30 - 60 minutes
1 - 3 hours
Half-life: Ketamine will remain active for another 3 hours
after the effects have worn off.
Roadside drug test: While ketamine itself cannot be
detected using a saliva test, the powder can be easily
cut with other substances (such as speed) which may be
detectable
Physical
• Pleasant body high
• Increased energy
• Analgesia, numbness
• Ataxia (loss of motor coordination)
• Increased hear t rate
• Slurred speech
• Nasal discomfor t after snor ting
• Discomfor t, pain or numbness at injection site
(with IM)
• Nausea, vomiting
• Susceptibility to accidents (from loss of coordination
and change in perception of body and time)
• Loss of consciousness
• Increased or decreased blood pressure
• Reduced hear t rate and breathing (risk increases
with increased dose or when combined with other
CNS [central nervous system] depressants)
• Possible lower urinary tract symptoms (increased
frequency of urination, urinary incontinence, pain
during urination, passing blood in urine)
• Headache
• Increased salivation
• Seizures
• Palpitations
STREET NAMES
K, Special K, Ket,
Vitamin K, Kit Kat,
K-hole
CHEMICAL
COMPOUND
2-(2-chlorophenyl)2-(methylamino)cyclohexanone
Psychological
• Sense of calm and serenity
• Pleasant mental high
• Distor tion or loss of sensory perceptions (common)
• Open and closed-eye visuals (common)
• Dissociation of mind from body
• Significant change in perception of time
• Confusion, disorientation
• Amnesia
• Out-of-body experience
• Shifts in perception of reality
• ‘K-hole’; intense mind-body dissoci ation, out-of-body
experiences, highly realistic visuals
• Risk of psychological dependency
• Sever confusion, disorganised thinking
• Paranoia and egocentrism (with regular use)
• Severe dissociation, depersonalisation
• Nightmares
• Delirium
LONG TERM EFFECTS
• Psychological addiction
• Can lead to cognitive impairments including
memory problems
• Possible severe degeneration of the bladder and
urinary tract