Guide to using Ketamine

Getting Into More Detail

Safety

Ketamine is one of the safest recreational drugs. It is on the World Health list of essential medicines and one of the most widely used anesthetics (pain killers) in the world. In rural and developing countries it is often the only anesthetic they use for surgery.

It is used so widely due to it not affecting breathing or heart rate, making it extremely safe. Ketamine is administered medically to people of all ages, including young children, and also animals. When Ketamine is used recreationally, you are typically doing far less than would be used for surgery, making it extremely safe.

Ketamine does not kill brain cells, and in fact many studies have found that it promotes neurogenesis (the growth of new brain cells), meaning that it can actually be good for your brain.

Risks

Because too much Ketamine can cause you to lose consciousness, it is extremely dangerous to use in water as it can cause drowning. Never use Ketamine in a hot tub or pool or any body of water.

Ketamine can also be habit forming. This is because it is so relaxing to your nervous system. People struggling with anxiety, ADHD, depression, PTSD, and feelings of distress are more at risk for developing a habit as it can bring immediate relief from these symptoms.

In this sense it is similar to alcohol, although there is no hangover after ketamine use.

Regular heavy use can result in bladder and kidney damage. These effects are mostly reported in heavy daily users (over a gram every day) and rare for occasional users. People who use only on weekends, or who use less than a few grams a month, rarely report these negative health effects.

Effects

In lighter doses, Ketamine has similar effects to alcohol. It is relaxing, calming, and “floaty”. Many people prefer it to alcohol as it leaves no hangover and you sober up more quickly, so you can use it socially and then be completely sober at the end of the night.

In stronger doses it can be very psychedelic and euphoric. People can hallucinate and have powerful spiritual experiences. It can make you feel more connected to other people and the world in general.

In high doses you can go into what’s commonly called a “k-hole”. This is where you lose all sense of your body and are unable or barely able to move. If you accidentally do too much this can be very disorienting and scary. Trust that you are safe and the effects will begin to wear off within an hour.

On the other hand, many people love the experiences of these high doses and find the experience beautiful and therapeutic. Just make sure you’re in a safe space.

On the negative side, Ketamine can cause nausea. This can be especially bad if mixed with alcohol or other nauseating drugs. For many people the nausea is not too bad, but some people are especially sensitive and may even vomit.

Some people may also find it difficult to sleep after ketamine use. These effects usually wear off after a few hours.

Types

The vast majority of Ketamine produced through history is technically known as Racemic Ketamine, which consists of two types of Ketamine molecules that are mirror images of one another, known as S-Ketamine (esketamine) and R-Ketamine (arketamine).

In more recent years, people have learned to isolate and produce pure S-Ketamine. Although pure R-Ketamine technically can be produced, this is almost never done so as it is far more difficult to isolate the R molecule.

What is commonly referred to as R-Ketamine is actually Racemic Ketamine, which is a relative balance of S and R. Going forward when we refer to R-Ketamine, know that we are actually referring to traditional Ketamine which is a mix of S and R (eskatamine and arketamine).

S-Ketamine (Esketamine)

S-Ketamine is generally considered to be more psychedelic than R-Ketamine. For this reason it is often preferred by psychonauts and festival goers. The high is considered to be lighter than R-Ketamine, and some people report less feelings of nausea.

R-Ketamine (Racemic or traditional Ketamine)

R-Ketamine is generally considered to be a heavier of a high, where it may be more difficult to function socially. Studies that compare the use of the two types for depression show mixed results. Sometimes the results are the same, sometimes one type performs better, but there doesn’t seem to be any consistency.

Overall, it seems that different people respond differently to different types. For this reason, it is recommended to try both and see what lands with you the best.

Administration

Insufflation

The vast majority of recreational Ketamine users prefer insufflation (snorting). This is partly because of the ease of use and there is also more bioavailability compared to the oral lozenges that are sometimes used medically (meaning snorting is more efficient as you absorb more).

Dosage: Below is a rough guideline for dosage. Don’t worry if you don’t have a scale and are inexperienced, simply start with a very small amount, like the size of a small grain of rice or a peppercorn amount, then wait 15-20 mins and notice the effects.

Note that doing just a little too much can be very disorienting. Be very careful when measuring your dose, it’s always safer to be cautious and start lighter until you can roughly gauge the potency.

It’s also nice to slowly ramp up the experience over time, as larger doses can come on very strong and be very disorienting. It is strongly advised to remain cautious about dosing until you really learn how it affects you.

Note that dosage varies per individual, these are only rough guidelines and some individuals will be far more sensitive.

Insufflated / Nasal Ketamine Dosages

Threshold 10 – 15 mg

Light 15 – 30 mg

Common 30 – 75 mg

Strong 60 – 125 mg

The K Hole 100 – 250 mg

Onset : 5 – 15 minutes

Duration : 45 – 60 minutes

Normal After Effects : 1 – 3 hours

Nasal Spray

Some people prefer to dissolve their ketamine into a nasal spray and use it that way. This makes it more discreet to use in public (a common strategy at music festivals), and also easier to ramp up your experience in small doses, making it far less likely to accidentally do too much and end up in a K-hole at an undesired time.

You can find nasal spray bottles on Amazon at affordable prices. For the carrier liquid, simply use spring water or distilled water with a tiny pinch of sea salt. Your nasal passages are actually more welcoming of salt water, helping them to not get agitated. Too much salt will agitate though, so don’t overdo it.

You can also buy salt water or saline solution specifically for nasal rinse (Hydrasense and Salinex are two common brands), but making your own solution is cheaper and works just as well.

Another thing people will sometimes do is use an emptied out allergy nasal spray bottle instead of a generic one. This is simply to help avoid any public scrutiny of using an unlabelled bottle. Just be careful not to let anyone else use it accidentally thinking it’s allergy nasal spray. Also beware that not all allergy spray bottles open and reseal easily.

Dosage: A good starting dose would be to add 0.5g to 1g of Ketamine per 10 ml of water. That would mean 1.5 to 3g of Ketamine for a 30 ml bottle, depending on how strong you like it. Adding a small pinch of sea salt helps to avoid congestion (mixing it up to roughly the same content as sea water). Mix it up well (by shaking) before you start to spray, to make sure it’s all dissolved and doesn’t clog the tube.

Boofing / Rectal Administration

Although far less common, many people swear by rectal administration aka boofing. You basically dissolve the ketamine into water and then use an oral syringe (without a needle) to put it into your rectum. Because of the blood vessels there the onset is very quick.

You can find more details on how to boof online by searching. Just be very careful with your dosage as it can come on stronger this way, so start small.