What It Is: Ketamine hydrochloride is a quick-acting anesthetic that is legally used in both humans (as a sedative for minor surgery) and animals (as a tranquilizer). At high doses, it causes intoxication and hallucinations similar to LSD. Sometimes Called: K, Special K, vitamin K, bump, cat Valium, Kit Kat, Super acid, Purple How It's Used: In different forms, ketamine can be snorted, swallowed, smoked, or injected. Users often use it along with other drugs such as Ecstasy (called kitty flipping) or cocaine or sprinkle it on marijuana blunts. What It Does: People who use ketamine can become psychologically dependent on it to feel good, deal with life, or handle stress. Users may become delirious, hallucinate, and lose their sense of time and reality. The trip — or K-hole — that results from ketamine use lasts up to 2 hours. Users may become nauseated or vomit, and have problems with thinking or memory. At higher doses, ketamine causes movement problems, body numbness, and slowed breathing. Overdosing on ketamine can stop breathing and cause death. Back to Articles Related Articles Drugs: What to Know It's not hard to find drugs, and sometimes it may seem like everyone's doing them or wanting you to do them. But there are downsides (and dangers) to taking drugs. Read More Dealing With Addiction Find out what you can do if you think you or a friend has a drug or alcohol addiction - from recognizing the warning signs to suggestions to help you stay clean. Read More Date Rape About half of people who have been raped know the person who attacked them. This article explains what date rape is, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you've been raped. Read More Rohypnol Rohypnol is a powerful sedative that has a reputation as a "date rape" drug. Find out more about it in this article for teens. Read More GHB GHB is an illegal drug that slows down some of the processes in the brain and central nervous system. Because it causes memory loss and is easily slipped into drinks, it's known as a "date rape" drug. Read More Binge Drinking The definition of binge drinking in the United States is the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men – or four or more drinks in a row by women – at least once in the previous two weeks. Surprised? Find out more. Read More Alcohol Deciding whether to drink is a personal decision that we each eventually have to make. Get the facts about alcohol. Read More How Do People Get AIDS? AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is a disease where the body is unable to fight off many infectious diseases as it normally could. Find out how AIDS is spread and how to protect yourself against it. Read More Rape Rape is forced, unwanted sexual intercourse. Rape is about power, not sex. Both men and women of any age can be raped. Find out what you can do and how to take care of yourself after a rape. Read More School Counselors School counselors can give you all sorts of tips and support on solving problems and making good decisions. But how do you meet with a counselor and what is it like? Find out here. Read More Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. © 1995-2021 KidsHealth®. All rights reserved. Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com.