How Long Does It Take Ketamine to Leave Your System?

What is Ketamine?

Overview

Historically, ketamine has been used by medical professionals for anaesthesia which puts patients in a trance-like state when they are suffering from pain symptoms. The use of the drug in a controlled environment can sedate and relax patients to relieve them from pain. Similarly, ketamine can be used to help treat patients suffering from depression.

Whilst being used clinically, ketamine is a popular recreational drug due to the dissociative and hallucinogenic-like state that individuals experience whilst at social events and nightclubs. However, using ketamine in a non-controlled environment and excessive amounts can inflict physical and health harm.

Effects of Ketamine on the Brain

Ketamine blocks the NMDA receptions in the brain which are responsible for pain sensation and the formation of memories. When taking ketamine, this is why individuals tend to have an altered perception of reality and experience disassociation from their environment.

As well as impacting the brain, ketamine can increase heart rate and blood pressure. When used recreationally and abused, individuals can experience impaired motor functions and sensory perceptions which makes day-to-day activities difficult.

Factors Affecting Ketamine Metabolism

Like with any substance, there are internal and external factors that can influence the way that the body digests ketamine and how long it takes to leave the system.

Dosage

The dosage of ketamine can determine how long it takes to leave the system. Digesting shorter quantities of ketamine can be easier for the body to digest, whereas larger quantities can be a longer process.

Frequency of use

How often an individual uses ketamine can impact how long it takes for the drug to leave the system. When someone regularly uses ketamine then the drug can build up in the body, which means that it can take longer for the body to remove it from the system.

Individual factors

Everyone is different due to our genetics and environmental factors, which both impact the way our bodies digest substances. Individual factors that can influence the way ketamine leaves our system include:

• Age
• Metabolic rate
• Diet
• Body composition
• Liver and kidney function

Interaction with other substances

When other substances are present in the body then the time it takes for the drug to leave the system can vary. When taken recreationally, individuals often mix ketamine with other drug and alcohol substances which are also in the system.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?

A half-life of ketamine can usually last around 2.5 to 3 hours, where the concentration of the ketamine in the system can decrease by half. Despite the concentration reduction within a short period, the drug can stay in your body for even days and weeks depending on other factors.

There are various ways that you can test to see if ketamine is still present in your body:

• Blood tests can detect ketamine up to 3 days after use, but it is most effective within the first 24 hours
• A saliva test can detect ketamine within the first 24 hours after use
• Urine tests can show ketamine present in the body for up to 14 days after use
• Hair follicle tests can show ketamine present for up to 4 months after use

How to Increase Metabolism for Ketamine

There are changes that you can make to your lifestyle to effectively detox and speed up the process of ketamine leaving your system.

• Staying well hydrated – drinking water regularly throughout the day can help with kidney function and flush out toxins from the system.
• Eating a balanced diet – a well-rounded diet with fibre in it can support liver function.
• Avoid alcohol consumption – alcohol is well-known to impact the liver and the kidney, which can slow down the process of metabolisation.

Conclusion

Although the half-life of ketamine is relatively short and the psychological symptoms of ketamine can significantly reduce after up to 3 hours, ketamine can still be present for longer periods.

Everyone is different so there is not one answer for all when it comes to how quickly ketamine leaves the system, however, there are changes that you can make to your lifestyle that you can speed up the detoxification process.