Former ketamine addict reveals extreme impact it had on her bladder
Amber Currah was just 14 when she began to take drugs
Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.
A young woman described how her addiction to ketamine left her with bladder issues which she first thought was down to ‘a UTI’.
Amber Currah was just 14 when she first tried drugs and experimented with things like cocaine and MDMA.
However, at 17, she learned of Ketamine, which is a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act due to its high likelihood of being addictive and causing harm to users.
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The UK-native soon began to take it outside of party hours, and drug taking became a 'common theme'.
Sitting down with LADbible for its Minutes With YouTube series, Amber revealed how this began her near-decade-long addiction to ketamine.
Per the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), ketamine is a 'dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects'.
The body states: "It distorts perceptions of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control. It is an injectable, short-acting anesthetic for use in humans and animals. It is referred to as a ‘dissociative anesthetic’ because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and environment."
For users, it can induce a 'state of sedation', pain relief, amnesia, and more.
However, it can also cause some people to experience anxiety, dissociative sensations, and hallucinations.
From what started as a party aid, turned into something Amber had to consume any time she left the house.
But after years of taking the drug, her bladder ended up paying the ultimate price.
Amber said that although she 'hated it' the first time she tried it, after continuing to take it, she knew this was 'the drug for me'.
From then on, she would take it more and more, before believing she was starting to have a 'problem'.
That’s when Amber began experiencing 'ket bladder', which is when a person experiences often a non-reversible bladder issue due to their continued use of ketamine, as it breaks down the tissue fibers which become scarred and inflamed, per Castle Craig.
"Ketamine bladder, now that I know, is what happens is the way that ketamine metabolises inside your body then affects the bladder wall," Amber explained. "It basically just shreds the bladder lining and that causes your bladder to shrink or be sunken, which then makes the capacity a hell of a lot smaller."
While a female bladder should typically be able to hold 500ml, at one point, she could hold only 20ml of liquid, which would see her constantly need to use the toilet.
Because of this, Amber had to 'wear nappies all the time' as she was 'weeing 200 times a day' and 'in constant agony'.
Now aged 28, Amber's still wearing adult nappies, and the pain is a terrible reminder of her dark times.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.
Britt Jones