NHS Grampian has opened a specialist clinic to support people living with ketamine bladder harm, as the health board warns that cases linked to the drug are on the rise.

The new service, based at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, will care for patients referred with ketamine bladder injury, giving them what the health board describes as optimised care. Alongside acute treatment, the clinic will connect patients with cessation support services and provide dedicated resources and education to help them stop using the drug for good.

Its launch runs alongside NHS Grampian’s new “Use Ketamine? Stop And Think” campaign, a social media effort aimed at making sure people, particularly younger users, understand just how serious the risks of taking ketamine can be.

How Ketamine Harms the Bladder

Health experts have warned for some time that regular ketamine use can cause serious, sometimes permanent ketamine bladder harm. For some people, this shows up as incontinence or a constant, urgent need to pee. For others, the drug simply stops the bladder working as it should.

Ketamine can also cause the bladder to bleed and leave behind lasting scarring, a form of ketamine bladder injury that can be difficult to reverse. In the most severe cases, the damage is so extensive that surgeons have no option but to remove the bladder entirely.

Consultant urologist Justine Royle, who leads the new service, explained that the early warning signs are easy to miss. “Early symptoms appear similar to a UTI,” she said, which can mean people delay getting checked when it matters most.

Royle said the clinic’s main focus is protecting patients’ kidney function for as long as possible, while making it easier for anyone affected by ketamine bladder harm to reach acute care quickly. She added that staff are combining their knowledge and experience across the health board to get ahead of what is becoming a growing problem, and stressed that preventing ketamine bladder injury from taking hold in the first place matters just as much as treating it once it has. That, she said, is why the wider public health campaign matters so much, especially for young people.

Her advice for anyone worried about their own symptoms is simple: if you are using ketamine, the single most effective step you can take to protect your bladder is to stop.

A Campaign Built on Honesty, Not Judgment

The “Use Ketamine? Stop And Think” campaign was developed by NHS Grampian’s public health directorate, working alongside the Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray alcohol and drug partnerships. It highlights the dangers of mixing substances, taking drugs of unknown strength or content, using alone, and the long term toll ketamine can take on both physical and mental health, including ketamine bladder harm.

Simon Rayner, who leads the Aberdeen partnership, said the campaign was shaped by the experiences of young people who had already been through it. He said the aim is to make sure people understand the risks early and know where to turn for support, rather than finding out the hard way.

“This campaign is about providing honest information without judgment,” Rayner said, adding that many young people with lived experience had told the team they wished they had understood the risks, and the help available, much sooner.

Why This Matters Now

Ketamine bladder harm was once considered a rare complication. Today, it is increasingly recognised as one of the most serious long term consequences of regular use, alongside the wider physical and mental health risks the drug carries. By pairing a dedicated clinical pathway with a public awareness campaign, NHS Grampian is aiming to catch problems earlier, support people to stop, and ultimately reduce the number of cases that progress to lasting ketamine bladder injury.

Anyone concerned about symptoms linked to ketamine use, or who wants support to stop, is encouraged to speak to their GP or reach out to local drug and alcohol support services.

Source: dbrecoveryresources