Long-Term Use of Ketamine Affects Memory, Researchers Say

Frequent, long-term use of the club drug ketamine appears to cause significant impairment in short-term and visual memory, according to researchers from University College London.

Reuters reported Nov. 20 that researchers tracked 150 users of ketamine, a.k.a. “Special K,” for more than a year. They found that while occasional users of ketamine seemed to suffer few ill effects, frequent users of the anesthetic drug experienced problems with memory and concentration as well as a decline in psychological well-being. Short-term and visual memory problems worsened over time, study author Celia J. A. Morgan and colleagues found.

“Despite the dramatic increase in ketamine use over the past decade, young people who use this drug are still largely unaware of its damaging health properties and its potential for dependency,” the study said. “Health education campaigns should target ketamine users to ensure that people are informed of the negative consequences of heavy ketamine use.”

The findings were published in the journal Addiction.