Ketamine is an anaesthetic used in veterinary and medical settings, as well as recreationally. Its a drug that is in the news a lot in the UK nowadays. Its psychedelic effects, which create a “high” for users, are well publicised.
The drug can be abused by men or women who are seeking to achieve a dissociative state, sometimes referred to as the “K-hole.” The K-hole is a state of being that gives a feeling of detachment from reality, hallucinations, and a loss of physical sensation.
People who take ketamine for fun might swallow pills, inject it, or snort the drug. Misusing it can lead to feeling sick, throwing up, and getting dizzy. It can also make your heart race, which could be risky if you have heart issues.
Using ketamine for a long time can cause worse problems, like bladder troubles forgetting things, and getting hooked on it. Many people are noticing this now.
Even though it’s dangerous, more and more people are still using ketamine. In recent times, it’s moved beyond just clubs and into other social groups. This shift has people worried about how it might affect everyone.
In the UK, Ketamine was made a class B drug in the UK in 2014 and is illegal to buy or sell
How Long Does Ketamine Stay In Your System?
Whether you’re considering taking ketamine, you’ve recently taken it, or you’re simply interested to try it out, it’s important to know how long it could stay in your system. The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think because several factors determine the length of time the drug remains in your body.
Ketamine is fat-soluble, meaning that it’s easily stored in body fat. As a result, it can stay in your system for some time. Research on how long ketamine remains in the body is limited, but some of the research says that the drug’s effects can typically last for about one to three days.
The duration of ketamine’s effects can be determined by a number of factors, including:
- The amount of ketamine taken
- The user’s metabolism
- The user’s body composition (body fat and muscles)
- The user’s tolerance level
- The user’s renal and hepatic functions
- Whether the drug was taken in combination with other drugs
These personal factors can affect how quickly a person can metabolise ketamine and eliminate it from the body.
In a 2017 study, researchers found that the average elimination half-life of ketamine is 2.5 hours. This means that it takes approximately 2.5 hours for the body to metabolise and eliminate half of the amount of a given dose.
It typically takes five to six half-lives for a drug to leave your body. This means that ketamine can take up to 15 hours to leave the body completely. However, the elimination time may differ for each person.
Ketamine can also be detectable in a person’s system for some time after taking the drug. Its metabolites can be detected by a urine drug test up to 14 days after administration. Ketamine can be detected by a saliva drug test for up to 48 hours after it was last taken.
Although ketamine’s effects typically last for one to three days, it can remain in the body for a longer period of time. Therefore, you really need to be aware of the drug’s potential side effects and the dangers involved in taking it.
Photo by Anthony Cunningham for Zoom Testing
Zoom Testing is a leading UK drug testing company and a supplier of Drug Test Kits.
This post was originally published in 2015. It was last updated in December 2024.
