The clinical toxicology of ketamine
Clinical Toxicology June 2, 2023 Leo J. Schep, Robin J Slaughter, Martin Watts et al. 63 citations
Ketamine is a dissociative drug used in emergency medicine that also has become popular recreationally. Acute adverse effects include impaired consciousness, dizziness, irrational behavior, hallucinations, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Chronic use can impair verbal information processing and cause cystitis and cholangiopathy. Diagnosis of acute intoxication relies on patient history and clinical features such as vomiting, sialorrhea, or laryngospasm; chronic effects are confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for cholangiopathy and cystoscopy for cystitis. Treatment of acute toxicity is supportive, with benzodiazepines recommended for agitation and excess neuromuscular activity. Chronic effects are typically reversible with abstinence.