How? How Much? When? For how Long?

As with any drug, the correct dose for you depends on factors such as weight, gender, metabolism, whether you have taken the drug recently or not, amongst many others.

Read our section on dosing and tolerance in ME for more information.

How you take it matters…

Snorting

Snorting is the most common way of using it. People usually divide the powder out into lines with a card and snort it with a straw or a piece of paper. Snorting through one nostril over a long time can lead to nasal ulcers or damage the septum.

Oral

Ingesting ketamine results in slightly different effects to snorting or injecting. If taken as a ‘bomb” (wrapping a dose in a cigarette paper) the effects take longer to feel and the experience will last longer. Taking ketamine orally usually results in a less intense experience.

Gumming is another way of doing it. A small amount is applied on the inside of the lips or gum. This can damage your gums and lips. Gumming is not a common way of taking ketamine as most users find the taste very unpleasant.

Intramuscular injection

Injection is the most harmful way to take it. Like all other substances mentioned on our website- it’s recommended that you do not inject ketamine. Injecting also increases the likelihood of becoming addicted to a substance.

How much?

Snorting

• Light dose: 15-30mg
• Common dose: 30-75mg
• Strong dose: 60-125mg
• Heavy (“K-hole”): 100-250mg

Oral

• Light dose: 50-100mg
• Medium dose: 75-300mg
• Strong dose: 200-450mg
• Heavy (“K-hole”): 500mg+

Intramuscular injection

• Light dose: 15-30mg
• Medium dose: 25-50mg
• Strong dose: 40-100mg
• Heavy (“K-hole”): 60-125mg

Source: Erowid

When do the effects kick in and for how long?

The START time below is when you will usually begin to feel the effects of ketamine from the time when you first take it. The DURATION is roughly the length of time you will experience the effects, after which the effects will start to wind off and you might start to feel the calm-down/comedown down effects.

Timeline for snorted ketamine:

• START: 5-15 minutes
• DURATION: 40-60 minutes
• AFTER-EFFECTS: 1-3 hours

Timeline for ketamine taken orally:

• START: 5-20 minutes
• DURATION: 90 minutes
• AFTER-EFFECTS: 40-80 minutes

Timeline for injected ketamine:

• START: 1-5 minutes
• DURATION: 1-2 hours
• AFTER-EFFECTS: 2-4 hours

Ketamine may have an anti-depressive effect in low doses (20-30mg), and there are currently a number of ongoing research trials looking into this.