The K-Hole Legacy: Understanding the Neurological Impact of Long-Term Abuse
Introduction
Ketamine, commonly known as KET, super K & vitamin K, is an anaesthetic and dissociative addictive substance. Researchers synthesised this medicine in the lab in the early 1950s. Ketamine is FDA-approved and used for increasing the effect of low-action substances like nitrous oxide. Although it is similar to cocaine, its efficiency is much higher than that of cocaine.
Now comes to ketamine addiction. People often search topics related to what is ketamine addiction or how ketamine addiction impacts mental health etc. People who are going through anxiety, depression, or a mental health problem are often addicted to ketamine. AT first, people take it to get rid of depression or anxiety, but due to daily intake, it converts into a habit, and then they take it even though they are not facing any issue. Now you have a basic idea of what ketamine is and how people get addicted. So let's discuss the risks associated with it and the effects of ketamine addiction.
The Fog: What Ketamine Does to Your Brain
During the initial days, when you take ketamine, it will relax your brain and nervous system. But slowly, due to regular intake, it turns into an addiction. At that stage, it does not provide the same relaxation as before, so your brain urges you to take extra pills to get the relaxation phase. Due to its anaesthetic property, the patient is unable to find the difference between imagination and the real world.
The Bladder Crisis: When the Damage Becomes Permanent
Along with the brain, it also affects your bladder. It came out of your body through urine. Due to its toxic effects, your bladder gets thin and shrinks. Your bladder is unable to hold urine for more than 10 to 15 minutes. It is often seen that patients go for a pee in an interval of approximately 15 minutes. Sometimes, along with urine, blood also comes out. Sometimes the patient needs to remove his bladder through surgery.
The Effect on Your Heart and Liver
Our body is not used to this kind of anaesthesia addiction. When you take it regularly and become addicted, it then affects your heart and liver. Due to heavy intake, your heart rate and blood pressure spike higher, and over some months and years, it leads to serious cardiovascular diseases.
Your liver acts as a filter system. When you take heavy doses, the amount of toxicants increases in your body. Then the liver tries to filter these by absorbing the toxicants, which leads to the accumulation of toxins in the liver. This might create a bile duct issue and liver damage in future.
The Mental Spiral: Feeling Flat and Tired
Due to Ketamine addiction, the patient’s brain and nervous system are damaged. The medicine that is used to treat anxiety and depression works in the opposite direction while addiction. It makes the patient feel more depressed and anxious. Patient feels sad and lonely. Due to excessive intake, the patient become unconscious for a long time and sometimes does not determine what is real and what is imaginary. The patient remains silent most of the time and become isolate from family and friends.
Path leading back to Normal Life
Several rehab centres provide ketamine addiction recovery therapy. Patients can go through different therapy sessions and one-to-one interaction with a professional to find their triggering points and their remedy. Along with this, the patient can join yoga and meditation centres for the healing of the brain and nervous system. The main goal is not just to get relief from the addiction issue, but to live your life in the real world and prevent yourself from becoming addicted in future. Your brain and body may take time to recover and heal, but anyone can live with their family and friends in the real world again after a successful treatment.
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