Woman warns of 'ketamine bladder' after drug use scarred hers for life

Woman warns of 'ketamine bladder' after drug use scarred hers for life3 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMolly FinlayBBC ScotlandBBCEllie Wight started taking ketamine five years agoEllie Wight started taking ketamine when she was 18.It made her feel like she had "no worries" and "no cares", helping her to relax in social settings.She thought it was a "safe option" compared to other drugs, and "didn't think she'd have any issues".Five years later, the 23-year-old is living with permanent damage to her bladder caused by repeated use of the powerful class-B drug.Ketamine is widely used in the NHS as an anaesthetic, sedative and pain reliever, and is also commonly used on animals.Because of its hallucinogenic effects, it became known as a "party drug" though there is evidence that its recreational use is on the rise – and users are getting younger.Ellie says ketamine was very cheap and very easy to get."You're paying, like £10, £20 per gram.""At my worst I was taking 3.5g every day. That was for £40, if not less."Within six months, Ellie, from Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, started experiencing symptoms of ketamine urinary tract syndrome, also known as 'ketamine bladder'."Inflammation, constantly needing a pee, I started off getting UTIs (urinary tract infections) quite a lot," she says."It's not something I'm really proud of, but when I was 18 years old and I'm sitting in traffic in Aberdeen, and I'm bursting for the toilet and you just physically can't hold it."It's a lot mentally going through that."Ellie says the pain was a lot to go throughKetamine is illegal to take, carry, make or sell unless for licensed medical uses.As the drug is processed by the body and passed through urine it can cause the walls of the bladder to become irritated.Scarring, or fibrosis, leaves the usually stretchy organ tight a...