Doctors issue warning as children as young as 12 buying 'pocket money' drugs and 'peeing a jellyfish'

There's now a dedicated NHS clinic at Alder Hey Children's Hospital for youngsters with a ketamine problem.

According to the doctors working there, they've already received more than 100 referrals since opening in May, with patients coming in as young as 13 — already 12 months deep into their usage.

In an interview with the BBC, clinic boss Professor Rachel Isba revealed that multiple patients began wetting the bed or are having to reach the toilet more often since dabbling with the Class B drug.

These ketamine users described the sensation as 'peeing a jellyfish', which alludes to the bladder losing its protective lining.

Should they continue taking the substance - sold for pocket money prices in many cases - the risks include incontinence and even kidney failure.

"Sometimes they don't always make it [to the toilet]," said Isba. "They might have accidents and a lot of them report pain in their bladder. They describe this feeling of weeing over broken glass. It's very painful."

Children as young as 12 are severely damaging their bladders through ketamine use (Getty Stock Images)

Apparently, some users are treating pain.

"Ketamine is a very good pain reliever. It's an anaesthetic, and so they get into a vicious cycle or 'K loop', which makes their bladder worse," warned Isba. "And you only need a small amount to feel an effect."

Kids who want to quit are finding it tricky though, because their mates are still into ketamine.

"There's use going on at school. That's really difficult," continued the professor. "And, unfortunately for many of these children they are not able to attend education for various reasons."

Liverpool's Alder Hey team saw just one young patient back in 2023, which tripled within a year, but 2025 brought with it a 'rapid escalation'. 43 of the original 60 were girls.

Ketamine was upgraded to a Class B drug in 2014 (Getty Stock Image)

If ketamine is frequently taken, the hurt done to the bladder can be so severe that surgical intervention becomes necessary.

One woman, the 23-year-old Ellie Wright, has been open about her experiences, having started taking the drug at the age of 18 as it afforded her an 'out of body' feeling.

Describing her addiction, the Scottish local revealed how she developed ketamine urinary tract syndrome (AKA 'ketamine bladder').

"I started off getting UTIs (urinary tract infections) quite a lot. It's not something I'm really proud of, but when I was 18 years old and I'm sitting in traffic in Aberdeen, and I'm bursting for the toilet and you just physically can't hold it," she recalled.

Although she's now over 12 months clean, Ellie still contends with complications linked to ketamine usage, noting that she suffers 'daily pain' and continued bladder issues.

"A normal bladder should hold about 400 to 500ml [whereas] my bladder only holds from 50 to 100ml," she said.