Doctors at the United Kingdom's first and only NHS clinic dedicated to children with ketamine-related bladder damage say they are treating patients as young as 13, and report sufferers describing bizarre and distressing symptoms such as 'peeing a jellyfish'.
The specialist clinic has been set up to assess and manage young people whose heavy or frequent ketamine use has been linked to bladder dysfunction. Clinicians say the condition can produce severe urinary pain and altered sensations that patients struggle to describe, prompting the use of evocative metaphors.
While ketamine is used medically as an anaesthetic, its non-medical use has been associated with damage to the bladder and lower urinary tract. The clinic provides assessment and symptomatic treatment alongside counselling and referrals as appropriate, aiming to address both the physical effects and the underlying substance use.
Health professionals involved stress the need for awareness among parents, schools and frontline clinicians that ketamine-associated bladder problems can occur in adolescents. The existence of a dedicated service underscores concern about the seriousness of the condition in younger users and the complex care they may require.