K-Hole

What Is A K-Hole?

A k-hole is a dissociative experience caused by high doses of ketamine.

Like other drugs that cause hallucinations or dissociation, a k-hole, meaning the “trip” experienced with ketamine, can be a euphoric experience, but it can also be unpleasant or dangerous.

What Does A K-Hole Feel Like?

Taking enough ketamine to fall into a “k-hole” will cause a person to have an out-of-body experience that may feel either enlightening or terrifying.

Similar to trips from other psychedelic drugs, people may come out of it with a perception of increased clarity concerning themselves or the world around them. They may feel happy during the “trip” and think they are dreaming or floating outside their body. Others may be horrified and have a near-death or very negative experience.

Lower doses of ketamine bring a person to “k-land,” an experience of relaxation and pleasant sensations.

K-Hole Symptoms

While in the “k-hole,” a person may face the following symptoms:

• Vivid dreams
• Hallucinations
• Flashbacks
• Relaxation
• Mood changes

The exact symptoms a person experiences with high doses of ketamine may vary according to their personal factors, including fears, environment, past experiences, or relationships.

When Do The Effects Set In?

The effects of ketamine set in at different rates depending on how the drug is taken.

Ketamine begins to work as quickly as 10 minutes after smoking or snorting the drug and about 20 minutes after oral ingestion. IV use of ketamine may produce even quicker results.

A k-hole trip may last as long as 1 hour, with the effects fading for another hour after that.

Are There Any Risks Involved?

High-dose, unsupervised ketamine misuse, such as seen when seeking a k-hole, can have dangerous health consequences.

Foremost among them is severe respiratory depression, where a person’s breathing becomes extremely slow and shallow. Combined with the other effects of ketamine use, it can be life-threatening. A person’s risk of life-threatening symptoms increases when ketamine is used with other drugs, such as opioids or GHB.

Ketamine Effects

The short- and long-term effects of ketamine depend on the dose, if other drugs are consumed alongside it, and how frequently and how long a person engages with it.

In general, ketamine changes the way a person perceives sights and sounds, making it useful as an anesthetic and analgesic drug. Other than a k-hole, short-term effects that may be experienced with ketamine use include:

Long-term ketamine misuse can have consequences as well. Memory problems, depression, anxiety, and psychosis (including persistent delusions) may all result from effects on the brain. Ketamine may also cause problems in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, including pain, cramps, and uropathy.

Signs Of Ketamine Overdose

Ketamine overdose can be life-threatening. A person who has overdosed may exhibit:

• Unconsciousness
• Dangerously slowed breathing

Taking ketamine alongside other drugs (polysubstance use) is a common practice that may increase the likelihood of overdose or other dangerous effects. MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine, GHB, and heroin are other drugs commonly distributed in the club scene that may increase the danger of toxicity.

If you believe that you or a friend have overdosed on ketamine or another drug, call 911 immediately. Little can be done without professional medical help, but your call could save their life.

How Does Ketamine Work?

Ketamine works quickly because its unique chemical structure allows it to travel throughout the body extremely efficiently and enter the brain cells with minimal resistance.

It binds to a variety of receptors, including those that control muscles in the airway, opioid receptors, and other system receptors that control the body’s automatic functions. Its interaction with opioid receptors may account for its pain-reducing effects. Its inhibition of the brain’s thalamus, an area that plays a large role in the perception of senses and movement, consciousness, and memory, is thought to be responsible for its dissociative effects, leading to a k-hole experience.

Why Do People Take Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that is legally used in surgical anesthetic settings; some derivatives, like Esketamine, are FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression in adults.

Off-label, it is sometimes prescribed outpatient as an alternative to opioids for pain. However, the long-term effects of off-label uses can lead to significant health consequences.

Illicitly, ketamine is taken in liquid or powder form and often in rave, nightclub, or festival settings to enhance a person’s experience with positive mood changes, sensory changes, dissociation, or hallucinations.

Ketamine Addiction

Alongside an increase in ketamine misuse over the past 15 years, people are at an increased risk for ketamine addiction. Ketamine is known to interact with the brain in ways that addictive drugs typically affect the brain, and regular ketamine use is associated with typical symptoms of addiction, such as tolerance development.

However, the precise addiction potential of ketamine is still being studied, and further research is required to understand exactly how it may affect the people who use it long-term. But, if you or a loved one are having difficulty controlling your ketamine use, addiction treatment can help.

Call and speak with a treatment provider today to discuss your rehab options or explore our rehab directory to find a treatment center in your area that can address ketamine addiction.