What is it?

• Special-K is tranquilizer used by vets for pet surgery.
• For medical purposes, Special K depresses respiratory and circulatory functions and therefore acts as anesthetic.
• The "K" stands for ketamine hydrochloride, which is a powerful hallucinogenic drug.
• It is very similar to PCP and prevents the user from feeling pain.

How is it taken? Special-K is usually snorted or swallowed as a powder or injected as a liquid intramuscularly.  Sometimes, it is put on tobacco or marijuana and smoked. Street names K, Super -K, Ketamine, Ketaject, Vitamin K, Ket, Ketalar The Scoop on Special-K

• Special-K is widely used because of it easy accessibility and low costs.
• It is sometimes combined with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and Ecstasy.
• It first emerged into the club scene in 1970 and was known as "Vitamin K".
• Though Special-K is a popular night club drug, it is actually an animal tranquilizer.
• Even though Special-K may stop the user from feeling any pain, the user could end up inflicting injury or harm to themselves without even knowing it (due to the body's inability to experience and recognize the sensation of pain).

Short-term Effects

• Increase heart rate
• Slurred speech
• Paralyzed feeling
• Nausea
• Unable to move
• Hallucination
• Numbness
• Impaired attention, memory and learning ability
• Delirium, amenesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression and potentially fatal respiratory problems at higher doses.

Long-term Effects Researchers have not collected conclusive information on the long-term effects associated with Special-K use. However, current data suggests  that if repeatedly taken in large doses, Ketamine can induce unconsciousness and a failure of the cardiovascular system. Behavior of Users A spaced-out sense Tolerance If used regularly, users of Special K can quickly build tolerance.

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Sources: 1.  http://www.drugfreeamerica.org 2.  Kuhn, Cynthia, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson.  Buzzed.  W. W. Norton and Company.  New York: 1998