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Case Reports
. 2025 Feb 1:14:101940.
doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.101940. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Rising incidence of recreational ketamine use: Clinical cases and management in emergency settings

Sabrina Marongiu  1 , Maarten van Eijk  2 , Femke M J Gresnigt  3   4 , Esther A Croes  5 , Eric J F Franssen  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Rising incidence of recreational ketamine use: Clinical cases and management in emergency settings

Sabrina Marongiu et al. Toxicol Rep. .

Abstract

The recreational use of ketamine has risen significantly in the Netherlands, particularly among young adults in nightlife settings. This trend has been accompanied by an increase in first aid incidents involving ketamine, often in combination with other substances such as alcohol or MDMA, leading to heightened toxicity. Acute intoxication with ketamine manifests through symptoms like agitation, hallucinations, nausea, tachycardia, and hypertension, while frequent use is associated with long-term complications, including ketamine-induced uropathy. Although ketamine is not currently included in standard toxicological screenings, its detection can aid in diagnosing mixed intoxications, excluding alternative causes, and facilitating referral to follow-up care. Routine inclusion of ketamine in toxicological screening could improve diagnostic precision and better address the health risks associated with its growing prevalence.

Keywords: Drugs-of-abuse; Emergency medicine; Intoxication; Ketamine; Ketamine-induced uropathy; Mixed intoxication; Toxicological screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Graphical abstract
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