UK kids taking ketamine report bladder damage symptoms

The growing abuse of ketamine among children and young people in the United Kingdom has raised severe alarms among medical professionals, following a dramatic surge in pediatric patients suffering from severe urinary tract injuries. Specialized medical teams at Alder Hey hospital treated just one young patient in 2023, nine in 2024, and subsequently witnessed a rapid escalation throughout 2025, prompting the establishment of a dedicated bespoke clinic in May.

Professor Rachel Isba, who runs the clinic, told the BBC that many of the children seen at the facility had been consuming ketamine for a year or longer, indicating that some may have initiated drug use at age 12 or younger. Furthermore, a number of these young patients presented with pre-existing conditions such as ADHD or histories of entering and exiting the care system.

A primary driver behind this trend is the exceptionally low street price of ketamine, which is sold at pocket-money levels requiring only a small amount to trigger psychoactive effects. Children struggling with emotional distress reported utilizing the drug to quiet or "shush" their brains. Although alcohol and cannabis remain more prevalent overall, ketamine has climbed into the third most popular substance among these youth groups.

Prolonged abuse of ketamine inflicts severe physiological damage across the entire urinary tract. According to the British Association of Urological Surgeons, approximately three out of every ten individuals who use ketamine frequently develop debilitating bladder issues. Common symptoms involve an urgent, painful, and frequent need to urinate, often accompanied by blood-stained urine. Some young sufferers vividly described the agony of tissue shedding, likening the sensation to "peeing a jellyfish."

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"Sometimes they don't always make it. They might have accidents...and a lot of them report pain in their bladder."

Prof Rachel Isba

Professor Isba noted that tragically, some affected children resort to taking more ketamine in a desperate attempt to numb the very pain caused by the drug. Additional physical complications include abdominal spasms and cramps known as "K cramps," bedwetting, incontinence, and irreversible organ damage that may necessitate surgical bladder reconstruction or removal, alongside potential liver complications linked to polysubstance abuse.