Ketamine stays in your system widely varies but runs between 24 hours and three months, depending on the test. The drug also has a half-life of one to two hours. The liver is the main organ to break down ketamine, so a person’s liver health is a huge factor. With that said, there is a wide assortment of factors that can change this number.
Testing for Ketamine
Whether or not ketamine is in a person’s system can be tested in a few different ways. Each way is different, and this, in turn, means that the time the drug can be found can vary.
- Urine: The most common kind of test for drug detection is the urine test. Ketamine, on average, can be detected for up to three days, but there have been instances where the drug is found up to 14 days after being taken.
- Hair: Analyzing a person’s hair follicles makes for the longest detection time. Hair tests can detect ketamine as long as three months after last being used.
- Blood: Ketamine can be detected in a person’s blood for 24 hours after last being used. Since the window for detection is small, blood tests are not used as often when testing for ketamine.
- Saliva: A saliva test will find ketamine in a person’s system for 24 hours after usage. At-home kits are much less accurate than laboratory kits with a saliva test.
| Test | Saliva | Blood | Urine | Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | 24 hours | 24 hours | 3 days | 90 days |
Factors that can change the time ketamine is in a person’s system.
The amount of time ketamine stays in someone’s system can change a bit depending on a couple of different things. The following areas can factor into how long the drug stays in a person’s system.
- Age: Age will play an impact on how long ketamine stays in a person’s system. This is because older people generally have a slower metabolism.
- Overall health: Like most drugs, a person’s general health will impact the length that the drug is in the system.
- Dosage/history: The amount of ketamine taken will have a significant impact on how long it remains. Finally, if the user has a long history of using ketamine, it will stay in the system longer.
Why do people take ketamine?
Ketamine is used primarily for its therapeutic purposes. The effects are similar to other recreational drugs like MDMA, LSD, and PCP. Ketamine affects the brain and causes hallucinations and distortion. There is a feeling of detachment from one’s body after taking ketamine.
Additionally, some effects of a low dosage of ketamine include feeling a rapid “high,” decreased attention, loss of coordination, and impaired memory. If a higher dosage is taken, a person is taken to a dreamlike state and even can experience a loss of consciousness. High doses also can lead to seizures, high blood pressure, and breathing problems. Finally, combining ketamine with other drugs can be very dangerous.
Taking ketamine too much can cause a physical dependence on the drug. This may then require professional treatment. All of these factors will make anyone considering ketamine think twice.
