what's so special about special K?

Factual Questions
1

I went to a party last night and there where some folks who where on Special K (or just called K) and others on X (ecstasy) and I was wondering if anyone here knew more about these drugs other than the fact they are drugs and they get you high. How long do they stay in your system? Could someone get addicted to this stuff? I’ve heard that K has cat tranquilizers in it, and is an ingredient in X, is this true? What else is in these drugs? Anything I should know about this stuff would be greatly appreciated.

“I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information.”-- Calvin and Hobbes
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2

Here’s some info on X:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma.shtml

3

Nice MDMA link above.

For K, or ketamine, go here: http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/Cyclohexamines/Ketamine/

4

Okay, first there’s no Special K in Ecstasy. Not sure where you picked that one up from.

K is Ketamine 2-(2-Chlorophenyl1)-(methylamino)-cyclohexanone hydrochloride, which is, yes, a veterinary tranquilizer. It is a powerful dissociative (Cyclohexamine) drug (same class as PCP). Not a party drug, kids. Probably won’t make you too social. May make you forget that you do indeed have a body.

As with PCP, addiction has been known to occur, but not on the scale of heroin or cocaine. Some get hooked, some don’t. Also note that effects of ketamine are far different than PCP, even though they’re in the same class of drugs.

Ketamine has been linked to a type of brain damage known as NMDA Antagonist Neurotoxicity, but only if used repeatedly in large doses. (See http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/Cyclohexamines/dissociative.brain.damage.html)) Also see the parent directory of that file for more info on Cyclohexamines. Ketamine is currently not tested for in normal piss tests.

On to Ecstasy, or MDMA 3,4-methylenedioxy-n-methylamphetamine, a methylated amphetamine. As to effects, it’s something like LSD with a twist of amphetamine, from what I’ve heard. Note that MDMA contains neither of those two substances, though you could get the LSD/amphetamine mix in a pill claimed as ecstasy. MDMA is a very difficult and expensive synthesis; that’s why you often see simpler, cheaper drugs substituted for it.

Addiction potential is low to moderate. Certainly much higher if you’re getting amphetamine in your pills on a regular basis.

I’m not sure if pure MDMA will show up as an amphetamine on a drug test, but even if it does, it’ll be out of your system in 3-4 days.

MDMA has been linked to serotonergic
neurotransmitter damage, though not permanent. Things in the brain return to normal within a year or so of cessation of the drug.

So these two drugs can be said to pose some risk, though not a HUGE risk. I wouldn’t recommend them, though. Personally I’ve never tried either (though I have dropped my fair share of acid).

I’d just stick with herb. It’s safer. :slight_smile:

5

well, ketamine is not just a veterinary tranq, we frequently use it in adult and child anethesia, in fact we regularly use it as a prelude to intubation, which means it can suppress gag/and respiratory function. This is a dose dependent effect, but make no mistake, if you take too much you will stop breathing!
Larry, RN

6

Is that injected, oral, or topical? Its important to make the distiction because the regular method of abusing this drug is by cooking up the liquid into a powder and snorting it up the nose. Quite different, I’m sure, than the method used in the hospital.

7

Quite right, I’m talking about injecting it either IV, or IM. Also, I must admit with chagrin, pulling out my drug books I read that it has minimal respiratory depressant effects, so I guess my earlier post was wrong. Most of the drugs we use for intubation paralyze, but this isn’t one of them, party on,
Larry

8

Geez, and here I thought the OP was talking about cereal…

9

I’ll pick up on that DS, at the risk of partially hijacking the OP. What does make the K in Kellogg’s Special K so special?? :slight_smile:

10

Puffington,

Do you know this for sure…it looks straightforward to me…catechol-based acetal, secondary amine…not difficult functionality. Where’s the problem/expense?

11

I talked to some of my friends and they say that it costs them $25 for a pill of K and roughly the same amount for a vile of X, which to me is not cheap. Although, I might have the two mixed up, all I can remember is that one is swallowed, the other is snorted.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but what you guys seem to be saying is that this stuff won’t kill me if I try it. I have no intentions of doing K or X now, but in the future it is good to know what I might be doing to my body. Thanks!

“I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information.”-- Calvin and Hobbes
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12

Cowgod?

You kind of scare me with your last reply. Remember that most if not all of the “street” supply of these drugs comes from clandestine labs run by guys that couldn’t cut it in chem class. So there is a real chance they will kill you.

13

ahem…

“I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information.”-- Calvin and Hobbes
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14

Labs indeed… My old roommate used to cook up ketamine on our kitchen stove. We made him wash his own dishes. The only effect I saw was his inability to pay his rent.

Nekosoft