Structured programs could theoretically mitigate these risks by addressing compulsive behaviors, but direct evidence of their efficacy for ketamine withdrawal is limited. If ketamine has interrupted your life, we’ll guide you through detox, therapy, and beyond, arming you with tools to maintain recovery over the long haul. Addiction Experts is a group of addiction and behavioral health specialists dedicated to providing helpful, and free, addiction treatment guides. While ketamine can be hard for those suffering from addiction to detox from, fortunately, professional help is available. This type of assistance is critical for those dealing with dependence on this drug. It is a collaborative treatment plan as a psychologist works collaboratively with the client.
If someone is struggling with ceasing ketamine use on their own, self-help groups, individual therapy, intensive outpatient treatment, and residential treatment can be considered. It is sometimes used off-label for pain relief and can provide sedative effects. After a few minutes, your heart rate speeds up and your blood pressure begins to go down.
Medically Reviewed By: Dr. Mohsin Ali, MD
If you have been suffering from depression, you know how debilitating it can be. You may have a history of drug abuse, and upon trying ketamine, you liked how it made you feel — disconnected from your feelings. Research is currently limited, as there isn’t much evidence indicating physical dependence among ketamine users. The issue is that users build a tolerance, taking more and more ketamine to achieve the same effect. MentalHealth.com is a health technology company guiding people towards self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities.
Process Addiction
Tapering dose considerations can minimize severe distress, though abrupt cessation may be necessary in certain cases. Post-withdrawal mental health support through counseling and support groups remains essential, as relapse risk peaks when emotional disturbances aren’t adequately managed. Individual factors substantially influence your withdrawal duration and intensity. If you’re in Chattanooga, TN, and need help with ketamine withdrawal, Iris Wellness Group is here to assist. Our center, surrounded by a calming environment, offers a holistic approach to substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. We offer top tier medical detox to ensure your detox from ketamine is both secure and effective.
People might still encounter cravings or sadness, especially if ketamine was used as an emotional crutch. Without effective coping strategies, they could return to ketamine use. However, the withdrawal process can become dangerous if you combine several substances of abuse or if you have a pre-existing health condition. Ketamine withdrawal may also be dangerous if you have a severe mental health disorder, as psychological withdrawal symptoms can hinder your ability to think clearly.
These will include nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, and psychiatrists or addiction specialists. They treat medical problems and underlying conditions that led to addiction. While a treatment facility will vary in terms of luxury and amenities, the staff and rehab they provide are the best examples of how good they are.
Medications and Therapies That Support Safe Withdrawal
Because tapering is typically not utilized when it comes to ketamine dependence, users stop using the drug cold turkey. This can result in intolerable symptoms of withdrawal and intensive cravings that can be difficult to endure alone. If patients don’t have a supportive, stable environment to detox in, they may be at risk for relapse or adverse side effects. When considering the duration of ketamine withdrawal, symptoms aren’t always as distinct as other substances of abuse. Since ketamine causes very few, if any, physical withdrawal symptoms, it’s challenging to determine how long someone will experience psychological symptoms. If you have been struggling with ketamine use and other substances of abuse, it’s vital to seek the help you need to ensure a safe, comfortable withdrawal period.
- Ketamine is a street drug being sold mostly at clubs, parties, and raves.
- The most common treatments for ketamine withdrawal are talking therapies combined with medical management.
- This case study, where ketamine dependence developed in an anesthesiologist, shows that ketamine use is not isolated to a particular group, just as substance use disorder does not discriminate.
- When considering the duration of ketamine withdrawal, symptoms aren’t always as distinct as other substances of abuse.
Other Types of Support
If not managed, the use of the drug can lead to psychological dependence. When someone needs to take ever larger doses to achieve the same effects, that is a sign of addiction. If someone who is dependent on ketamine stops taking it, withdrawal can occur as the brain’s opioid receptors have changed in response to the drug. This is due to the fact that people with an addiction very likely have a mental illness as well. Substance abuse, including ketamine abuse, often is used to help manage a mental illness, like depression.
- We offer individualized, extended-term treatment in an intimate setting.
- These circumstances can be frightening and dangerous if a user is unaware.
- Since ketamine causes very few, if any, physical withdrawal symptoms, it’s challenging to determine how long someone will experience psychological symptoms.
- When it comes to ketamine detoxification programs, there are a couple of different options that you have.
Cognitive impairment, dizziness, hallucinations, and slowed reaction times create unsafe driving conditions and greatly compromise impaired work performance. Health authorities strongly advise against operating vehicles or machinery during this period. ketamine detox symptoms and timeline You’ll need medical supervision and temporary leave from safety-sensitive duties. Most people can gradually resume normal activities after 1-2 weeks, once severe symptoms diminish.
Ketamine is a dissociative and hallucinogenic drug that can make users feel detached from reality. In low doses, it can produce feelings of relaxation or produce a dreamlike state. However, in high doses, it can make users feel out of touch with reality, have hallucinations, and experience psychosis. This case study, where ketamine dependence developed in an anesthesiologist, shows that ketamine use is not isolated to a particular group, just as substance use disorder does not discriminate. However, illicit ketamine is also often formed from pharmaceutical ketamine using a process that creates crystals from a liquid. Once ground into powder, it is often cut with other drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, or methamphetamine.
Ketamine Withdrawal Symptoms
Physical ailments might be tolerable for some, but the deep depression and anxiety that often follow can drive people back to drug use. Stopping abruptly without a plan can heighten the chance of severe emotional distress or relapse. Generally, a structured approach—like tapering off the drug under professional guidance—reduces complications. In some situations, an outpatient detox or partial hospitalization program can balance daily responsibilities with consistent medical care. Seeking advice from healthcare providers is strongly advised before attempting any abrupt changes in your ketamine usage.
They address the fact that this type of addiction is mainly psychological in nature. While at this point, withdrawal symptoms have either dramatically lessened or ceased altogether, there may be persistent psychological issues as well as brain damage that must be addressed. While ketamine is not as likely to cause addiction as opioids, it can still cause dependence issues, particularly if not used specifically as prescribed by a doctor.
Doing so increases the likelihood of addiction and complicates withdrawal. Once someone becomes dependent, ketamine withdrawal can appear daunting and hard to manage. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, has been proven effective in the treatment of many behavioral issues. It is used to treat depression and anxiety as well as for those dealing with substance abuse issues. Sometimes, these factors are related, so CBT can address multiple issues for a particular client.
We address mental health challenges by educating, supporting, and empowering. Through reliable resources and accessible services, we guide people toward self-understanding and connection. Most ketamine detox symptoms are psychological, not physical, which means that it’s unlikely you’ll suffer a serious physical event—such as a heart attack—while you detox. Brie works closely with the leadership team to develop and implement effective HR strategies that support our organization’s goals and values. Treatment facilities will have a variety of staff that will be able to help you with many of the problems that come with ketamine addiction. They will include counselors, psychologists, and clinical social workers.
These facilities can also provide 24-hour support and supervision, thereby minimizing the risk of relapse or severe psychological symptoms. Throughout detox, the patient’s respiratory function and heart rate will be closely monitored to ensure their safety. The first step toward recovery involves detoxing from drugs and alcohol.