Kids as young as 13 being treated for ‘ket bladder’ on NHS after getting hooked on party drug

KIDS as young as 13 are being treated for ‘ket bladder’ at a specialist NHS clinic after getting hooked on the party drug, new analysis shows. Doctors at Alder Hay Children’s Hospital in Liverpool opened the service in May 2025, in response to a surge of youngsters attending A&E struggling with toxic effects of ketamine use. Ketamine is a powerful horse tranquiliser and anaesthetic that’s increasingly being misused for recreational purposes. In the short term, the class B drug has dissociative effects but sustained use can cause irreversible harm on the body – particularly on the bladder, urinary tubes and kidneys. Breakdown of ketamine in the bladder can trigger inflammation and scarring, which can cause severe pain and loss of control. Symptoms of the condition, known as ketamine-induced uropathy (KIU) or ketamine bladder include frequent urination, incontinence and blood in the urine. Read more on ketamine Ketamine use – and the associated side effects – has risen steadily in the UK in recent years, particularly in under-18s, researchers at Alder Hey and Lancaster University warn. They conducted a study of the clinic’s first 60 patients, explaining that understanding more about the patients could help “prevent further harm”. The analysis showed that most patients so far – about two thirds – are girls. Most were also from deprived areas. Most read in Health Their average age was 14, but patients ranged from 13 to 15-year-olds. In some patients, ketamine use had started at 13. Of the 60 youngsters referred to the clinic, 16 had autism or ADHD, or both, and one in five had been in the care system. Meanwhile, almost three quarters (72 per cent) had experienced emotional trauma during childhood. Ms Harriet Corbett, consultant paediatric urologist at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Over the past few years, we have seen an escalating number of children and young people referred to Alder Hey with bladder symptoms caused by non-prescribed ketamine use. “What this first year of analysis has highlighted is the importance of understanding the young person behind the diagnosis. “By looking at factors such as age, where they live, their background and their life experiences, we can start to build a much clearer picture of who is being affected and how we can best support them. “The damage caused by ketamine can be devastating. It can affect the bladder wall, causing ulceration and fibrosis, and the effects can be irreversible. “Young people can experience chronic bladder pain and incontinence and, in the most severe cases, may go on to require major surgery or dialysis. “This problem is preventable. Understanding more about the young people who are presenting to us is an important step towards preventing further harm.” THE TOLL 'K' TAKES ON YOUR BODY KETAMINE can lead to death by putting pressure on the heart and respiratory system. But its other effects on the body, which are often irreversible, are horrifying, too. “Ketamine bladder syndrome is one of the worst symptoms,” Dr Catherine Carney, an addiction specialist at Delamere, told Sun Health. This is where the breakdown of ketamine in the body causes inflammation in the bladder wall. It leaves people unable to hold urine and passing chunks of their bladder tissue. Some users face the prospect of having their bladders removed entirely. Dr Carney explains: “The lining of the bladder can shrink over time and be extremely painful for those experiencing it. “This can often lead to lower abdominal pain and pain when passing urine, as well as bleeding. “It’s usually what has forced people to get help because they can’t tolerate it any more. “We’ve had young men in agony, wetting the bed. “Their whole life is focused on where there’s a toilet because they can only hold urine for ten minutes. “For a teenager or someone in their early 20s, that’s absolutely life-changing. “In some cases, the bladder damage progresses to the kidneys and people get kidney failure, too. “This is developing in people who have been using for two years, so it is relatively quick.” Dr Carney adds that the urine samples of new guests checking into the clinic are often just a “pot of blood”. This is followed by weeks of agony coming off the drug. An irony of ketamine use is people tend to take more and more to numb the pain of the side-effects it causes. Dr Carney says: “There’s nothing that we can give which is as strong as a medical anaesthetic (the ketamine). We can use codeine-based products or anti-inflammatories. “Some antidepressants help at night, but the pain is hard to manage in the early days. “Most people that come to us, the bladder will improve to the point that they don’t need to have it removed. “But once you’ve got a bladder that has shrunk to the size of 70ml, that’s never getting better.” Elsewhere, the study, which is published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, found that children had been using ketamine for one to two years on average before their referral to the clinic. Half reported taking other drugs alongside ketamine. More than a quarter (27 per cent) reported drinking alcohol and 48 per cent reported using vapes. Professor Rachel Isba, consultant in paediatric public health medicine at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and professor emerita of children and young people’s health at Lancaster University’s Medical School, said: “One of the most important things about this work is that we are trying to understand the wider picture. “Ketamine use does not happen in isolation, and our analysis is helping us explore the different factors that may be associated with young people developing serious health problems. “We have looked at characteristics including age, geography and experiences such as childhood trauma. “These findings give us a much better understanding of the young people coming through the clinic and raise important questions about how we can intervene earlier and develop the right services.” The clinic at Alder Hey takes a “non-judgmental” approach, Prof Isba added. GETTING HELP If you think that you have a drug addiction then please contact your GP. You can also visit FRANK for honest information about drugs and to find local treatment services. If you are having trouble finding the right help, call the FRANK drugs helpline on 03001236600. Or click here to visit the NHS website for more advice and support. “We want to give young people a safe space to talk about what is happening in their lives and work with them to develop a plan to stop using ketamine and prevent further damage,” she said. “The findings from this first year of the clinic will help us consider what more can be done, both within healthcare and in the community, to identify young people at risk and provide support before irreversible damage occurs.” Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed one in twenty (4.8 per cent) 20 to 24-year-olds in England and Wales took the drug in 2024. Government figures also showed ketamine use surged by 85 per cent in just a year between 2023 and 2024. Deaths related to the drug also rose a shocking 650 per cent between 2015 and 2023, averaging around one per week, according to the ONS. Experts warn rising ketamine use has been driven by both its affordability and availability. It’s thought to cost around £20 a gram compared to £40 a gram for MDMA and £100 for cocaine. Tolerance to the drug is also known to build quickly, with users needing more and more to feel the same high – increasing the risk of overdose and adverse effects.