How Long Does Ketamine Stay In Your System?

Introduction

Ketamine is a controlled drug and is mainly used by doctors as an anesthetic or a sedative. Ketamine is generally injected either into a vein (intravenous/IV) or muscle (intramuscular/IM). A nasal spray version known as Esketamine was also recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is used in cases of treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine can be of high medical value, however, it is often used for recreational purposes as it produces dissociation, hallucinations, and short-term memory loss. It can be snorted, swallowed, or injected. Because of these effects, it is also a very common date rape drug.
If you have had to use Ketamine, you might want to know how long it stays in your system. This requires some detail that we shall delve into, however, typically, it stays in your system for only 10 – 12.5 hours.

How To Get Ketamine Out Of Your System?

Getting Ketamine out of your system  mainly depends on metabolism. It is quickly metabolized by the liver, and therefore, your liver health is something that plays a role in the same. Moreover, certain other factors like the dosage, method of administration, age, body mass, and overall health play a role in how long it takes for Ketamine to leave your system.
As a recreational drug, Ketamine is highly habit-forming, often leading to addiction and overdose as it overwhelms your body. In the worst cases, this can be fatal as well. While Ketamine abuse rates remain low, as low as 1%, it can lead to physical and psychological dependence. So, if you have been using Ketamine and are unable to quit, help is at hand. Medically supervised detox is something that you can consider as it helps you reduce the medication and manage withdrawal symptoms as well. 

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How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your Urine?

Ketamine can be detected in your urine for up to 11 days after the last use.
Urine tests are the most commonly administered tests to detect Ketamine in the system. They are fairly easy to administer, non-invasive, and inexpensive. However, they can only detect recent use of Ketamine.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your Hair?

Ketamine can be detected in your hair follicles for up to 90 days after the last use.
While hair tests are not common to detect Ketamine, the thing is that, when historical patterns of Ketamine use need to be detected and analyzed, hair tests are the best. They can also be useful where long-term treatment is required.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your Saliva?

Ketamine can be detected in your saliva for only 24 hours after the last use.
Saliva tests are easy to administer and non-invasive. However, given the very short detection window when compared to other tests, they are only meant for immediate detection purposes.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your Blood?

Ketamine can be detected in your blood for up to 3 days after the last use.

Blood tests are minimally invasive and not as commonly used as urine tests to detect Ketamine in the system. However, they are also highly accurate and can be quite helpful in clinical settings to detect the present levels of Ketamine.

How Long Does It Take for Ketamine to Take Effect?

Ketamine is a very, very fast-acting drug. When injected into a vein, it only takes a few seconds to kick in and produce anesthetic/sedative effects. Whereas, when injected into a muscle, it might take 4 minutes for it to take effect. Likewise, Ketamine’s effects wear off pretty quickly as well. Depending on the method of administration, its effects only last for 5 – 30 minutes. 
When used as Esketamine in treatment-resistant depression, it takes effect within 4 hours.
When used recreationally, that is when Ketamine is snorted or swallowed, it takes effect within 5 – 30 minutes depending on how it is consumed.

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Half-Life of Ketamine

The half-life of Ketamine refers to the time taken for it to be reduced by half in your body. For children, this is between 1 – 2 hours, whereas for adults, it is 2.5 hours. It takes nearly 4 – 5 half-lives for Ketamine to be completely eliminated by your body. So, on average, it takes nearly 10 – 12.5 hours for it to be completely out of your system.
The overall elimination of Ketamine from your body can also slightly vary depending on the dose, frequency of use, metabolism rates, age, and overall body functioning, among other factors.

Peak Levels of Ketamine

Ketamine is known for its rapid action when injected, however, its effects do not last for long either. It peaks between a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how it is injected. Depending on the route of administration, its peak levels can vary. For instance, it peaks within 5 – 15 minutes when snorted, and within 30 minutes when swallowed. However, when used in the cases of treatment-resistant depression, it can peak after 24 hours and results in elevated mood.

Types of Ketamine Testing

Drug tests to detect Ketamine are plenty. They can vary in different ways, mainly in terms of the detection window and uses.

Urine Tests:

Urine tests are the most common of all drug tests to detect Ketamine. They are easy to administer and cost-effective. However, they can only detect recent use of Ketamine.

Hair Tests:

Hair tests, while not the go-to drug testing method for Ketamine are highly useful given its long detection window. In the cases of long-term treatment, hair tests are preferable.

Saliva Tests:

Saliva tests have the shortest detection window of all drug testing methods for Ketamine. So, they can be used for immediate detection purposes, and are quite preferable in this sense as they are the least invasive and easy to administer.

Blood Tests:

Blood tests have a comparatively longer detection window than saliva tests and a shorter detection window than urine or hair tests. However, they are highly accurate and can be very useful in clinical settings.