(Bela Szandelszky/Associated Press)

If you ask a teenager about 'Special K' these days, don’t expect them to immediately reach for a cereal bowl. That's because it's the nickname of the drug du jour — ketamine.

Although immensely popular with younger people, few parents are savvy about the new recreational drug that's giving teenagers a quick, dramatic high.

Ketamine is used by veterinarians, doctors and dentists as a dissociative anaesthetic and painkiller, but is appearing increasingly on the streets.

"Kids are taking it at clubs, but it's also a date rape drug," Det. Sgt. Howie Page of Toronto police explains. "GHB, the most popular date rape drug, renders the victim unconscious — they don't remember anything. Ketamine puts them in a semi-conscious state, paralyzing them so they can't fight back. Young women who willingly take it are putting themselves in danger."

Wende Wood, a psychiatric pharmacist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, adds, "Parents should be concerned that if their child takes ketamine, they may be putting themselves in a situation where could be raped or harmed. I'd worry also if they were really drawn to it. Why do they need to escape?"

Ketamine's attraction

Ketamine recently hit celebrity news when Pete Dougherty, boyfriend of supermodel Kate Moss, pleaded guilty to possessing it. It's being picked up in drug busts across Canada as well — it was one of the drugs seized in a large bust in Winnipeg in early October.

Ketamine is also showing up mixed with other drugs, such as ecstasy.

Teenagers have a variety of reasons for using it.

It's cheap — about $20 a vial. They also like the high it gives them — what most recreational users strive for is the "K-hole," where they become disassociated from everything around them. They say they feel like they're floating above their bodies. And the high lasts for about 45 minutes — easy to pop on a lunch break.

But it can also have serious side effects, and it's easy to overdo the dosage.

"We get a number of calls from physicians whose patients have had an adverse reaction to ketamine," says Dr. Margaret Thompson, medical director of the Ontario Poison Centre.

"In low doses, they feel things have a different touch, soft and fuzzy. They also feel mellow and in touch with their surroundings. The problem is the right dose and the wrong dose are very closely related — only milligrams apart. So it's serious if a parent sees their child unconscious and unrousable, disoriented or appearing drunk. They should call 911 immediately."

What users experience

Understanding what people tend to feel when under the influence of ketamine can play a role in helping to identify habitual users.

"When I snort ketamine I feel numb," said 15-year-old Art (not his real name). "You're outside yourself — it's a total escape for a good 45 minutes. It's like someone took a refractor and split it into two different images — like a cracked mirror on an angle."

The experience can also be scary.

"I've seen stuff that scared the hell out of me," Art remembers. "One time I was on a bed and saw myself being pulled down through the floor as if I was being pulled into hell. Sometimes I see experiences that seem like they've happened to me, but I don't think they have."

Some users complain of what they call K-pains. "I don't like the feeling after," Art said. "Sometimes my whole body hurts. Urinating after has hurt me quite a bit."

"It feels like a complete weird world of new and interesting things," said 16-year-old Phillip (not his real name).

"Physical touch is exaggerated. When I hallucinate it's in green and purple. But it's usually only in the dark or when it's very light. I have insane dreams on it. Sometimes I forget how to speak or move my lips; however, I also become very aware of my surroundings. Sometimes I feel frail or strong, very lonely or very happy."

"The taste is nice, there’s no comedown and it's short acting," Phillip adds. "It's also unnoticeable. It's very cozy and it also gives a major ego swing upward — so you feel very cocky. You can get ketamine from anyone. It's the most popular teenage drug, I would say."

However, Phillip complains about K-pains as well. "I hate those, but they only happen if you do it a lot," he said.

Wood advises, "If your teen makes the bad decision to use K, try to make sure the 20 other decisions surrounding it are good. Make sure they're with people they know, have a drive home and have a buddy who can help them in a bad situation."

Compounding the problem is the fact repeat users need to increase the dosage of ketamine, which raises the chance of negative side effects.

"Your body becomes tolerant to it, so if you want to get the same effect the next time you have to take more," Thompson said. "While few people have died from taking it, a user could die if they stopped breathing from a depressed central nervous system or because they vomited and choked. It has the potential to cause death, severe adverse reactions and some short term psychosis."

Long-term effects

As far as long term effects, ketamine simply hasn’t been used long enough on the street for that to be known. Teenagers are the guinea pigs.

Of the few studies that have been conducted on the effects of ketamine, the Hong Kong Medical Journal published a report this past summer showing the drug was linked to severe bladder and kidney damage among 10 adults between the ages of 21 and 30 who had used the drug for four years.

Unlike street drugs such as methamphetamine hydrochloride (popularly known as crystal meth), ketamine can't be made in home labs. Rather, it's being stolen from veterinarian offices and labs. It can also be purchased on the internet from Mexico or Europe.

Police are treating it seriously. While ketamine used to be listed in the Food and Drug Act, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act now covers it, so even possession of a vial is illegal in Canada.

Legitimate uses

Ketamine isn't without its positive applications. "It's used in emergency departments as a painkiller, although it's rarely used in adults as a sedative or analgesic because it’s associated with bad trips," Thompson said.

One Vancouver man found that out several years ago. A court awarded Bradley Weafer, 38, $63,000 after being given an overdose of ketamine in hospital. He described the experience as being akin to being sucked into black tunnels. He told the court he saw his life flash before his eyes, felt being born and placed in his mother's arms.

"It's more commonly used on children who are not as likely to have bad memories from it," Thompson said.

Ketamine was also part of a successful combination of drugs given to a 15-year-old Wisconsin girl who had been bitten by a rabid bat.

And several years ago, a man experiencing severe chronic pain was placed in a drug-induced coma for seven days and given ketamine. Today, he functions with much less pain, although he has experienced some fleeting hallucinations.

Researchers are also in the early stages of testing its use as a fast-acting antidepressant.