Non -prescription use of ketamine is increasing abruptly across the UK

Increasing the non -prescription use of ketamine across the United Kingdom in recent years is a cause of concern, doctors in BMJ say today.

Irene Guerrini at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and its colleagues warn that its low cost has made young people popular and the number of people starting treatment for Ketamine addiction in 2023-2024 has reached 3609, more than eight times higher than 2014-2015.

They say that public awareness of the risks and long -term lesions associated with Ketamine remains inadequate and require better diagnostic criteria, national registry and sorting tools to support prior identification, guidance of treatment and contribute to evaluation.

Ketamine is usually used as a general anesthetic and lower doses are prescribed for chronic pain, treatment resistant depression and suicide, they explain. Endorrhin Esketamine is also licensed to treat depression.

But ketamine is also increasingly used in doses much higher than those prescribed for depression, which can cause serious health problems, such as irreversible bladder damage and kidneys and psychiatric conditions, they warn.

And as the use of ketamine increases, more people seek treatment for addiction. The number of people who started treatment for Ketamine addiction in 2023-24 was 3609, more than eight times higher than the 426 reported in 2014-15.

However, the authors point out that ketamine disorders remain insufficiently defined in psychiatric guidelines and there is a lack of evidence of potential drugs for treatment and prevention.

People who use ketamine also report that health services often do not have an understanding of ketamine addiction and offer minimal treatment options specifically for the drug, which means that treatment is often partially effective.

Balancing the medical value of ketamine by increasing non -prescription use presents a complex challenge, write the authors.

“The interior ministry is considering the reconstruction of ketamine as category A, but opinions remain divided.