Psychological effects of ketamine use *looking for daily K users* (UK, London)

[K study]

hi

i'm a researcher at university college london, and we are currently undertaking a study looking at recreational ketamine use, and its psychological effects. i have been given permission by the administrator of this forum to post messages to see if any one would like to take part in the study – a lot of people have already come forward to help, so thankyou! at the moment we are specifically looking to recruit people who take K daily – if that’s you or someone you know, then get in touch via this website or on the email below.

the study involves an interview and some cognitive tests and takes about 2 hours. testing takes place at ucl (near goodge st tube), and i can meet with you pretty much anytime - weekdays and evenings, and weekends. you will be paid £15 for your time. the study has been approved by the UCL Research Ethics Board, and all information collected about you is held in accordance with the 1998 Data Protection act, i.e. your confidentiality will be assured. also, i think it is important to say that it is not being funded by any pharmaceutical / drug companies.

if this sounds like something you'd be interested in taking part in, let me know and i can pass on more information. you can contact me on this site or at:

[email protected]

thanks for taking the time to read this - look forward to hearing from you

suzanna

 

[tambourine-man]

You'll need to have 20 posts before your Private Messaging system comes online.

Best of luck.

 

[K study]

i had a private message asking about the long-term / CHRONIC effects of ketamine, but for some reason wasnt able to reply directly to it. so here's my reply (hope you find it!):

so far the majority of research into ketamine has looked at ACUTE effects (i.e. what happens to someone just after they have taken ketamine; k-hole stuff really). there are hardly any studies looking at the long-term effects of ketamine use, and mine is one of the first in this area. that's why its so important for people to participate - to help inform others about the long-term effects! so far the limited studies looking at CHRONIC ketamine use have mainly looked at its effects on specific memory systems, and have shown that it does impair memory. my study is investigating how CHRONIC ketamine use effects other cognitive abilities, and also psychological processes.

TAKE PART!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Suzanna

 

[Slay]

^^ hey i wonder will we have a chance to read the study after it ccomplished? good luck

 

[ghostshipIV]

I'd hate to take ketamine daily, it would lost it's specialness to me.

We get paid £15? Enough to go out and score some more Ket(y)

 

[oldskoolz]

hmmm
does it have long term side effects

or

can it will it does it change you/ unlock abilities.....

he he he heeee
would you believe me if i told you?!

 

[neversickanymore]

Completed Thesis: Chronic ketamine use and psychotic symptomatology.

Published Study:Neurocognitive function and schizophrenia-proneness in individuals dependent on ketamine, on high potency cannabis ('skunk') or on cocaine.

Related

NSFW:

Ketamine as a primary predictor of out-of-body experiences
associated with multiple substance use
Leanne K. Wilkins a
Todd A. Girard a,⇑
J. Allan Cheyne b

51) Abstract 131
CHARACTERIZATION OF COGNITION AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
ASSOCIATED WITH RECREATIONAL
KETAMINE USE
Oren M. Weiner, B.A., Pediatric Public Health Psychology Lab,
Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, Leanne K. Wilkins,
M.A., Madelaine C. Burley, M.A., Todd A. Girard, Ph.D, Psychology,
Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

Ketamine has received increasing attention as a potential
pharmacotherapeutic agent for affective disorders and in
pharmacological models of psychosis, and is also a popular drug of
abuse. While effects of acute, chronic, and medicinal ketamine
exposure have received empirical focus, less is known about its
recreational users. To this end, we explored general cognition, past
psychopathology and current clinical symptomatology in twenty
recreational ketamine users. Given our earlier findings of particularly
high cannabis consumption among ketamine users, we also recruited
cannabis users (n=20; no ketamine use) and drug-naïve participants
(n=20) for comparison.

The mean age of the total sample was 22.4 (range: 17-55) years; 43%
male. There were no significant differences among groups on age, sex,
education, or cognitive abilities, and all ketamine users also reported
cannabis use. Sixty percent of the ketamine sample met for a past Axis
I diagnosis, 92% of whom had a history of major depression, but none
met for current depression. In contrast, only 30% of the cannabis and
5% of the drug-naïve groups had a past diagnosis. Ketamine users
scored significantly higher than the drug-naïve group across scales
probing schizotypy, delusional ideation, and perceptual anomalies
experienced outside acute drug exposure; cannabis users scored
intermediate, but closer to the drug-naïve group. While groups did not
differ on a measure of dissociative experiences, ketamine users
endorsed significantly higher rates of out-of-body experiences (74%)
and illusory vestibular sensations (80%), compared to 32% and 25% of
cannabis users, respectively.

These results suggest that links between ketamine and psychopathology
extend to recreational use and anomalous experiences beyond its acute
effects. The strong association with past, but not current, depression is
noteworthy in light of ketamine’s recent use as an antidepressant. The
mechanisms underlying these results are worthy of further
investigation.

Source Page A-64 American Psychosomatic Society 71st Annual Scientific Meeting March 13-16, 2013