Clubbers warned over long-term effects of new recreational drug

Specialists are reporting growing numbers of young people seeking hospital treatment after taking the drug ketamine, also known as Special K or K.

The drug is used in anaesthesia for large animals as well as humans. It has now become a popular recreational drug for its hallucinogenic properties and is widely – and cheaply – sold in clubs, in powder, tablet or capsule form.

But hospital doctors say they are finding increasing numbers of young people seeking help for symptoms similar to the infection cystitis, only to be told it is a side-effect of ketamine.

The president of the British Association of Urological Surgeons and a consultant at St James's Hospital, Leeds, Adrian Joyce, said examinations of patients revealed characteristic pictures of inflammation, and in severe cases ulceration, in the bladder.

"One of the first questions I now ask a patient in their late teens or early 20s is whether they are using ketamine," he said. "The toxic effect of the drug is to markedly reduce bladder capacity. The long-term consequences are serious, including the development of a small contracted bladder, and kidney failure – often irreversible – with the need for major reconstructive surgery to restore bladder capacity and to try to preserve kidney function.

"This has major consequences for the rest of their lives. Explaining these facts to a young person often evokes disbelief. But the severity of their symptoms often forces them to understand the reality of their predicament.

"The effects of such drugs on the central nervous system and respiratory and cardiovascular functions are well known. The use of ketamine introduces a new syndrome affecting the bladder, with long-term consequences for the kidney and bladder."