UK's First Specialist Ketamine Clinic Exposes Teen Bladder Damage Crisis
Children as young as 12 are suffering from severe bladder problems, including bed-wetting and incontinence, due to ketamine addiction, according to medics at the UK's first NHS specialist clinic for this issue. The clinic, based at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool, was established in response to a surge in urology cases linked to the drug, with patients resorting to incontinence pads or buckets by their beds at night.
Alarming Symptoms and Patient Struggles
Harriet Corbett, a consultant paediatric urologist at the clinic, described the distressing reality faced by young addicts. "Some of our patients start wetting the bed or find going to the bathroom at night is actually too hard, so they'll either choose incontinence products or a bucket by the bed," she said. Corbett added that many patients lose their sense of privacy due to the overwhelming urgency to urinate, with some likely experiencing incontinence they are unwilling to disclose.
Most patients are aged 14 to 15, with reports of ketamine use starting as early as 12 years old. Excessive use leads to ketamine and its byproducts lingering in the bladder, damaging the lining and muscle tissue. This causes inflammation and shrinkage of the bladder, resulting in frequent, urgent urination. In extreme cases, it can necessitate bladder removal or lead to kidney problems.
Rising Ketamine Use Among Youth
Data from a 2023 NHS England survey indicates a concerning trend: 0.9% of 15-year-olds had used ketamine, up from 0.4% in 2013, with 11% having been offered the drug. However, medical professionals fear actual numbers are higher. Prof Rachel Isba, a consultant in paediatric public health medicine who co-runs the clinic, emphasized the need for greater awareness. "There are probably many other children and young people out there who have bladder symptoms, or non-specific tummy pain, which may be due to their ketamine use but you need somebody to make the connection," she said.
Isba noted that most GPs and paediatricians in the UK lack experience with ketamine-related cases in children, highlighting a gap in medical training. The clinic, which started with a "slow trickle" of cases in 2023, has seen numbers escalate dramatically in 2025, prompting urgent intervention.
Underlying Causes and Vicious Cycle
The reasons for the surge in ketamine use remain unclear, but Isba suggested social factors and mental health issues play a role. Many patients have experienced childhood trauma or have neurodivergent conditions like ADHD. "What we hear from the kids is: ket is great, it's a break from your busy brain or just a bit of a rest," Isba explained. Peer pressure also contributes, with teens fearing exclusion if they do not participate in drug use.
Adding to the crisis, some children begin using ketamine to alleviate the pain from their bladder problems, creating a dangerous downward spiral. Corbett warned, "When they get bad bladder pain, for some the only pain relief they find that is helpful is ketamine. So they get into a very nasty downward spiral."
The clinic combines urology expertise with addiction support, aiming to halt this trend. Corbett stressed the urgency: "We need to shout loudly about this because if we can encourage them to stop using, that will potentially save themselves a miserable life of medical interventions. There is a point at which you can't recover." This initiative underscores a growing public health challenge requiring coordinated efforts from healthcare providers and communities.
