Ketamine deaths surge by 650% with one person dying a week – as experts warn of ‘next drug pandemic’
KETAMINE deaths have soared by 650 per cent since 2015 – claiming a life almost every week across the UK.
Experts warn the drug is claiming lives nationwide and fear it could be the next “pandemic” to hit UK streets.
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request, seen exclusively by ITV News, lay bare the scale of the crisis.
Dubbed Special K, K and Kit Kat, the general anaesthetic, which is used on humans and animals, became popular on the party scene in the Nineties.
It has dissociative effects, meaning people can feel detached from reality or euphoric, light and happy if they take it recreationally.
In high doses, users can go into a “K-hole” – a state of extreme disassociation in which they cannot move or talk properly.
A K-hole can be considered either desirable or the worst outcome, depending on the person using the drug, but can also be fatal.
Shocking data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and The UKAT Group reveal ketamine deaths among women have tripled since before the Covid pandemic, while fatalities among under-30s have skyrocketed by 300 per cent.
Last month, it emerged that drag star The Vivienne, who won RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019, died after taking ketamine.
They had previously been treated for addiction pre-fame.
The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, 32, suffered a cardiac arrest and was found dead at home near Chester on January 5.
The UKAT Group’s analysis, also seen by ITV News, shows just seven people in England and Wales lost their lives to ketamine in 2015.
By 2023, that number had rocketed to 53.
Every year except 2019 has seen a steady rise in deaths.
The worst year for teenage fatalities was 2021, when four males aged 15-19 died with ketamine listed on their death certificates.
The South East had the highest number of ketamine-related deaths in 2023, with seven recorded.
The “club drug” is currently the centre of a spiralling addiction crisis in youngsters across the UK.
According to a wastewater sampling report published by the Home Office last week, ketamine use has risen by 85 per cent over the past year.
In January, the Government announced plans to seek expert advice on reclassifying ketamine as a Class A drug, this would put it in the same danger category as cocaine and ecstasy.
This came in response to illegal use hit record levels in the year ending March 2023.
THE TOLL 'K' TAKES ON YOUR BODY
KETAMINE can lead to death by putting pressure on the heart and respiratory system.
But its other effects on the body, which are often irreversible, are horrifying, too.
“Ketamine bladder syndrome is one of the worst symptoms,” addiction specialist Dr Catherine Carney, says.
This is where the breakdown of ketamine in the body causes inflammation in the bladder wall.
It leaves people unable to hold urine and passing chunks of their bladder tissue.
Some users face the prospect of having their bladders removed entirely.
Dr Carney explains: “The lining of the bladder can shrink over time and be extremely painful for those experiencing it.
“This can often lead to lower abdominal pain and pain when passing urine, as well as bleeding.
“It’s usually what has forced people to get help because they can’t tolerate it any more.
“We’ve had young men in agony, wetting the bed.
“Their whole life is focused on where there’s a toilet because they can only hold urine for ten minutes.
“For a teenager or someone in their early 20s, that’s absolutely life-changing.
“In some cases, the bladder damage progresses to the kidneys and people get kidney failure, too.
“This is developing in people who have been using for two years, so it is relatively quick.”
Dr Carney adds that the urine samples of new guests checking into the clinic are often just a “pot of blood”.
This is followed by weeks of agony coming off the drug. An irony of ketamine use is people tend to take more and more to numb the pain of the side-effects it causes.
Dr Carney says: “There’s nothing that we can give which is as strong as a medical anaesthetic (the ketamine). We can use codeine-based products or anti-inflammatories.
“Some antidepressants help at night, but the pain is hard to manage in the early days.
“Most people that come to us, the bladder will improve to the point that they don’t need to have it removed.
“But once you’ve got a bladder that has shrunk to the size of 70ml, that’s never getting better.”
Currently, ketamine is a Class B drug, with suppliers facing up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
Use of the drug has surged. An estimated 299,000 people aged 16-59 reported taking ketamine in the year ending March 2023 – the highest on record.
The new figures come after Friends actor Matthew Perry was found dead in his hot tub in October 2023, with a coroner finding ketamine was his primary cause of death.
In controlled medical settings, ketamine has gained a reputation as a groundbreaking treatment for depression and chronic pain.
But it can cause irreversible bladder and kidney damage and is a key drug in spiking incidents.
It is also frequently found in ‘pink cocaine,’ a dangerous cocktail of synthetic drugs consumed by users unaware of its contents.
Zaheen Ahmed, Director of Addiction Therapy at The UKAT Group, urged the Government to take action: “Ketamine deaths are rising and they shouldn’t be, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“This is a drug that has flown under the radar for far too long. If this data goes unheard, these figures will continue to rise and rise, and it will be our younger generation who will lose their lives because they’re so unaware of the severity of this drug.”
A Home Office spokesperson told ITV News: “We are seeking advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on reclassifying ketamine to become a Class A substance.
“Through our Plan for Change and mission to make the nation’s streets safer, we will work with public services including health and policing, to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply.”
WHERE TO GET HELP
IF you or a loved one needs help you can get help at your local drug treatment service either by seeing your GP or making a self-referral.
The NHS recommends the Frank website; Visit www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you to find your nearest service using your postcode or call 0300 123 6600 to ask for advice.
Your treatment will depend on an assessment and may include therapy, medicines or support groups either at home, in hospital or a rehab centre.
You can also contact charities such as Changing Lives, Humankind and WithYou.