Patients & CaregiversHealthcare ProfessionalsWorldwide
HomeAbout MerckProductsNewsroomInvestor RelationsCareersResearchLicensingThe Merck Manuals
THE MERCK MANUAL MEDICAL LIBRARY: The Merck Manual of Medical Information--Home Edition
Tips for better results
ABCDEFGHI
JKLMNOPQR
STUVWXYZ

Section

Subject

Topics

Ketamine

Pronunciations

Ketamine (Special K, Super K) induces a lack of awareness to pain and to one's general surroundings, leading to a scattered feeling or to a feeling of detachment. Ketamine is usually snorted but may be injected intravenously.

Ketamine reduces pain perception and causes sedation. Ketamine distorts the user's perceptions of his body, the environment, and time. At higher doses, hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and a complete sense of detachment from the world may occur (ketamine users often refer to these experiences as a k-hole). Ketamine also can disrupt memory for several hours.

Treatment

Usually, reassurance and a quiet, nonthreatening environment help a person to recover. The drug's effects generally abate in less than 2 hours.

Last full review/revision February 2003

Back to Top

Previous: Hallucinogens

Next: Marijuana

Audio
Figures
Photographs
Pronunciations
Tables
Videos
Contact UsSite MapPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseCopyright 1995-2007 Merck & Co., Inc.