Ellie Wight, 23, Endures Permanent Bladder Damage From Recreational Ketamine Use

At 18, Ellie Wight began using ketamine, finding it offered a sense of freedom from worry in social situations. Believing it to be a “safe option” and inexpensive, at £10-GBP#20 per gram, she escalated her use to 3.5g daily. Within six months, Ms Wight, now 23, developed ketamine urinary tract syndrome, commonly known as ‘ketamine bladder’.

Devastating Physical Consequences

Ms Wight’s symptoms began with inflammation and frequent urinary tract infections. Her bladder, which should hold 300ml-600ml of urine, now manages only 50ml-100ml. The drug, processed through the urinary system, irritates and scars the bladder walls, making the organ tight and constricted. While Ms Wight initially found some recovery after quitting, subsequent use led to permanent damage. Other users, like Claire (not her real name), have endured even more severe outcomes, with five years of addiction resulting in reliance on nephrostomy tubes to drain urine directly from her kidneys.

Alarming Rise in Youth Use

A UK government report published in March 2024 indicated a 231% increase in ketamine use among 16-24 year olds in England and Wales since March 2013. In Scotland, where specific data is not collected, urologists report a rapid escalation in children exhibiting symptoms of ketamine urinary tract syndrome. Justine Royle, a consultant urological surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), highlighted the issue, stating that her department now sees “one to two a month that have significant levels of damage to their urinary tract,” up from one or two a year. Ms Royle noted that patients include children as young as 14 at ARI, and colleagues in England have treated patients as young as 10.

Ms Royle warned that the damage extends beyond the urinary tract, impacting erectile function, the liver, and potentially the brain with long-term use. She also cited cases of cardiac arrest linked to ketamine use, likely due to renal failure. Ms Wight has since established Safe Space Ketamine Recovery, a peer support group, to aid others struggling with ketamine addiction, emphasising the critical need for awareness among young people who often underestimate the drug’s devastating, irreversible effects.