Ketamine Detox & Withdrawal: Symptoms, Centers & Support

Who Needs Ketamine Detox?

Ketamine is a popular club drug, that provides mild euphoria, hallucinations, and relaxation. Although it is available as a prescription medication, it is sold on the streets and in clubs illegally. Being a psychoactive substance, it has addictive and mind-altering properties that can be dangerous. This is worse because the main users of ketamine are youth between the ages of 12-24.

Connect with a Ketamine Detox Help Center for Addiction Services

Ketamine detox is typically the first step when someone wants to quit and seek addictions treatment. But how do you know if you need detox? If you are addicted to a drug, most likely you will experience withdrawal symptoms. Detox will support you and help you through those symptoms.

If you are addicted to ketamine you will most likely:

• Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than you’re meant to.
• Wanting to cut down or stop using the substance but not managing to.
• Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance.
• Cravings and urges to use the substance.
• Not managing to do what you should at work, home, or school because of substance use.
• Continuing to use, even when it causes problems in relationships.
• Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of substance use.
• Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger.
• Continuing to use, even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance.
• Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance).
• Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.

People that experience two or more of these symptoms will most likely need to detox off ketamine. If you find yourself having more than two of the above symptoms, please talk to us for help!

Withdrawal and Detox Symptoms

Withdrawal is the difficult part of detoxing from ketamine. These are the symptoms you experience when your body does not have ketamine in it after you have become addicted to it. Ketamine is a Schedule III drug, which means that it’s a type of controlled substance.

It is addictive, although due to its nature, is more likely to be psychologically addictive than physically addictive. Some of the potential withdrawal and detox symptoms you may experience include:

• Cravings for ketamine
• No appetite
• Tiredness
• Sleep disturbances
• Chills, sweating
• Double vision
• Restlessness, tremors
• Nightmares, anxiety, depression
• Irregular and rapid heartbeat

The severity of the symptoms will depend on how long you have been using and the quantities you have been taking. The longer the use, the more severe the symptoms. Although this is often used as a rationale to keep using, we can help.

While ketamine detox is challenging, it does only last 4-6 days. Detox units and treatment programs are staffed to help you get through the worst of it.

Types of Detox Units

When it comes to ketamine detoxification programs, there are a couple of different options that you have. This is to help you find the service that fits your specific needs. Detox units include social detox units and medical detox units.

A social detox unit is designed for people who do not have medical complications. They most likely have not been using for a long time.

Here within a social detox unit, the staff provides support and encouragement. Their job is to help you get through withdrawals, and then help you get into an addiction treatment programs. There will likely be medical staff available for monitoring and emergencies.

The Medical Detox Unit

The other type of detox program is a medical detox. A medical detox unit is for people who have been using a long time or taking large amounts. They may also have other health problems. This is for people who may have some physical health problems as a result of their ketamine abuse.

In a ketamine medical detox, it will be staffed with medical personnel. They will be monitoring all the patients in detox, and help to stabilize them. Their job is to help patients be healthy enough to receive treatment.

What to Expect At a Detox Unit

When you enter a ketamine detox unit, they are going to help manage the withdrawal symptoms. This is important to remember. They are treating detox symptoms, not the addiction.

Entering into a medical detox, the staff will ask questions about how much and how long you have been using. They will ask other health questions as well. Answering these questions honestly is vital, as they are trying to keep you safe through the withdrawal process.

You can expect they will take your vitals and give you a brief physical to assess your current health and level of functioning. The detox unit will also ask about your mental health. This is to better serve you. By asking these questions they can provide the right treatments for any conditions you may have.

The Goals of Detoxing

The main goal of detoxing from ketamine is to keep you safe, stabilize you, and encourage you to take the next step, which would be addictions treatment. Emotional and psychological support is provided. Behavioral health and mental health care may be provided as needed.

Detox symptoms are often treated with medications when they are intolerable. These can be over the counter meds like anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea, OTC pain relievers, vitamins, and supplements.

Other Types of Support

Prescription medication may be available as well. These can include antidepressants, anti-anxiety, sleep aids, or stronger medications when OTC medications are not strong enough.

Antidepressants are a common prescription given in detox units. This is due to the fact that people with an addiction very likely have a mental illness as well. Substance abuse, including ketamine abuse, often is used to help manage a mental illness, like depression.

Ketamine Treatment Centers

Ketamine is a street drug being sold mostly at clubs, parties, and raves. It creates relaxation, a mild euphoria, and gives slight hallucinations. Although it is a prescription medication used to treat real conditions, it is being used for nefarious purposes as well.

The danger comes in that it is mainly youth using it. National trends show that over one percent of all 12th graders in the nation will try ketamine. Treatment centers are aiming to stop this. Ketamine addiction rehabilitation centers offer a continuum of care for treatment. There are multiple programs that can assist you in kicking the addiction.

If you have questions about your ketamine use or think treatment may be right for you, please contact us today. Let’s look at the partial hospitalization level of care, to help you understand treatment better.

The Facilities Themselves

Amethyst is located on Florida’s coast, with newly built, state of the art addiction treatment facilities accepts people from across the country. You are just minutes from the ocean in Port St. Lucie. We offer semi-private rooms, to help provide you the comfort and confidentiality you need to focus on your recovery from ketamine addiction.

Each room will also its own TV and Xbox for comfort and entertainment during off hours. Other entertainment options are available, like a recreation area with a ping pong table and readily available snacks. There are also outdoor games and recreation areas as well so that our clients can enjoy the amazing Florida sunshine.

We also offer semi-private group lounge rooms, where you and others can relax and talk during after hours. There are both indoor and outdoor lounging areas.

The Relaxing Amenities

Our outpatient and day/night treatment program facilities offer similar comforts and sunshine. There are semi-private group rooms for meetings and treatment activities. With a relaxation tranquility fountain and meditative area, as well as outdoor picnic areas, this will be a peaceful spot to reconnect with healthy living.

Feel free to look around our facility. We offer privacy and tranquility that are instrumental in helping you overcome ketamine addiction.

While a treatment facility will vary in terms of luxury and amenities, the staff and rehab they provide are the best examples of how good they are.

Licensing & Accreditation

One of the things that you should look for in a treatment facility for ketamine is that it as an accredited facility.

Accreditation means that an organization or other body has come in and examined the policies, procedures, and treatment strategies of a ketamine addiction treatment facility. It is a stringent process. Some accrediting bodies are:

• Joint Commission: Accreditation, Health Care Certification (JCAHO)
• Commission on Accreditation of Rehab Facilities (CARF)
• National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP)

At our facility, we are accredited by JCAHO and NAATP. We strive to hold the highest standards in substance abuse treatment. Always check if the rehab you are looking into is accredited.

You can often look up accreditation and licenses on the treatment center’s website. Other licenses you can find online on governmental websites, or the accrediting body’s website.

Treatment Facility Staff

Treatment facilities will have a variety of staff that will be able to help you with many of the problems that come with ketamine addiction. The therapy staff will all be licensed and experienced professionals. They will include counselors, psychologists, and clinical social workers.

Caseworkers will be there as well, and their job is to help you: find services outside the facility, access services where you are, find medical professionals outside the facility, manage appointments and coordinate any services that you may be receiving from outside providers.

Their job is to help keep lines of communication open so everyone knows how to help you best. The rehab center may also have medical staff available to you. These will include nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, and psychiatrists or addiction specialists. They treat medical problems and underlying conditions that led to addiction.

The intake staff is the group of individuals that assist you with getting into treatment. They are knowledgeable about the services that the rehab facility offers and help you decide on a level of care. You can often chat with them on the facility’s website.