Warning of increase in ketamine use as seizures of drug spike

Ketamine can affect cognition, result in seizures, and sometimes lead to renal failure.

Addiction services are warning of a concerning increase in ketamine use as Revenue seizures of the drug rose sharply over the past 12 months.

Limerick-based addiction counsellor Michael Guerin said that young drug users are coming across ketamine through the party scene and are "doing mad stuff while they are on it”.

In 2023 Revenue seized 41.2kg of the drug, valued at €2.47m. The drug, known for its use as a horse tranquiliser, has become popular among revellers at festivals and parties.

The previous year Revenue, which has primary responsibility for the prevention, detection, interception, and seizure of controlled drugs, seized 7.86kg of ketamine, while in 2021 officers seized 25.19kg of the drug.

The figures do not include quantities of ketamine that have been confiscated by gardaí.

Fine Gael TD Colm Burke has now called on the HSE to "step up its efforts" to alert people to the dangers of ketamine.

Concerns have been expressed recently about a rise in usage amongst younger people, with emerging evidence suggesting that frequent or long-term use could be linked to bladder damage.

"When used with other stimulants, ketamine can also put extra strain on the body’s organs and can slow down the heart rate and breathing," Mr Burke said.

Mr Guerin cited one incident in which a user walked in the middle of the southbound M50 in Dublin after taking the drug.

Addiction counsellor Michael Guerin says young drug users are coming across ketamine through the party scene and are 'doing mad stuff while they are on it'. Picture: Brian Arthur

He said users are predominantly male and they are primarily taking the drug as part of poly-drug use, alongside drugs such as cocaine.

In December, a paper by the National Social Inclusion Office raising concerns at "the noted lack of knowledge of users about the drug’s effects" was carried in the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

The paper cited a 2021 European survey on drug use which reported that 23% of Irish respondents said they had used ketamine, which the article said was “considerably higher” than in 30 other participating countries. It highlighted that of the 266 substances that were surrendered to the HSE at festivals in 2022 and 2023, 117 were MDMA, 40 were ketamine, and 34 were cocaine.

Dr Garrett McGovern, a Dublin-based GP specialising in addiction treatment, said people need to realise that they do not always know what they are getting when buying drugs.

He said an increase in use of ketamine is now emerging in treatment circles, although he said he is not seeing it on a regular basis.

He acknowledged that through his work with the HSE and in his private practice, he has come across use of it, mostly as part of poly-drug use.

"What we are seeing though, is that it is something that seems to be emerging at festivals, where younger people are taking it," said Dr McGovern.

“When it is taken with other things, or in large quantities, that is where the problem arises.”

It can affect cognition and result in seizures, as well as sometimes leading to renal failure, according to Dr McGovern.