{"id":5704,"date":"2023-02-02T02:52:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T07:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lantanarecovery.com\/?page_id=5704"},"modified":"2023-11-23T20:57:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T01:57:04","slug":"overdose","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lantanarecovery.com\/addiction\/drugs\/ketamine\/overdose\/","title":{"rendered":"Ketamine Overdose | Can I overdose on Ketamine?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The drug ketamine is a sedative used in medical settings for its anesthetic effect, but it has become increasingly popular as a recreational drug due to its hallucinogenic properties. In recent years, there\u2019s been a rise in the number of people using ketamine, and this has led to an increase in the number of reported overdoses. So how dangerous is it to overdose on ketamine? Let\u2019s take a look.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Does Ketamine Do?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ketamine<\/span><\/a> is an anesthetic drug that has gained a lot of attention lately for having highly promising effects on treating mental health issues. It belongs to a class of drugs called NMDA antagonists which essentially means it blocks receptors in the brain from responding to glutamate, which is linked to depression and addiction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While considered controversial at first, due to its past use as a party drug, studies have found that it can be profoundly effective in treating severe depression, PTSD, and other disorders such as OCD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s more surprising is that the relief offered by ketamine may start within hours of taking it, compared with weeks or even months for traditional antidepressant treatments. This makes ketamine a potential breakthrough for people who are suffering from these conditions and for whom other treatment options don’t appear to be working.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you overdose on Ketamine?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Ketamine is a synthetic tranquilizer often used by veterinarians to sedate large animals, and as an anesthetic for humans before surgery. However, it has become increasingly popular as a recreational drug due in part to its hallucinogenic effects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the drug has such an intense high, users may be tempted to take more in an effort to get a stronger effect. Doing this, however, puts them at risk of overdosing very quickly. Therefore, it is critical for users of this drug to take precautions regarding dose limits and seek medical help immediately if they experience any symptoms of overdose.<\/span><\/p>\n

Normal dosage vs. lethal dosage?<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the clinical setting, ketamine is usually administered intravenously or intramuscularly in small doses to produce sedation and analgesia. The normal dose of ketamine depends on the patient\u2019s age and weight; however, the typical dose range for adults is 2-4 mg\/kg body weight. When given through intramuscular injection, ketamine produces its effects within 2-3 minutes and can last up to 25 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ketamine has the potential to be lethal in high doses. Generally speaking, it would take 10 times the recommended therapeutic dose (20-40 mg\/kg) to reach a lethal level of toxicity for an adult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A much smaller dose can cause potentially fatal cardiac arrest if given intravenously with no other medication. Therefore it is highly important to use ketamine responsibly and one should always strictly adhere to recommended dosages when administering this drug.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ketamine<\/p>\n

Symptoms of Ketamine overdose?<\/span><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s important to note that a person can overdose on any amount of ketamine; however, the higher the dose taken, the more severe the symptoms tend to be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When someone overdoses on ketamine, they may experience dangerous symptoms such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n