Teens in Wakefield addicted to ketamine face bladder surgery associated with cancer patients
A urologist at Pinderfields Hospital said she's seen an "explosion" of people in their late teens and early 20s needing bladder treatment after taking the party drug
Last updated 29th Jan 2026
Medics in West Yorkshire are warning teenagers addicted to the recreational drug ketamine are now facing bladder surgery usually associated with cancer patients.
Dr Alison Downey, Consultant Urologist at Pinderfields Hospital said: "As a urologist, I'm trained to treat bladder cancer, kidney stones, prostate problems – conditions I typically see in older patients.
"But over the past few years, my clinic has been overwhelmed by a completely different patient group, teenagers and people in their early twenties, arriving with bladders so damaged they need the kind of major reconstructive surgery I'd normally reserve for cancer patients.
"The cause? Ketamine. A cheap party drug that's destroying young lives in ways most users never imagined."
This week, it was announced ketamine will not be reclassified as a class A drug despite being linked to multiple deaths.
It has been implicated in the deaths of celebrities, including Friends actor Matthew Perry, and RuPaul's Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne.
While it can be prescribed medically as a sedative and is commonly used on animals, the maximum penalty for producing and supplying it illegally is up to 14 years in prison.
Dr Alison said: "Urology departments across the country are already stretched really thin, and the surge in ketamine cases has been massive – an increase I and my colleagues are simply not equipped to handle.
"The youngest patient I've seen started using ketamine at just 12 years old. Most are in full-time employment, ordinary young people who thought they were making a harmless choice."
The urologist also said: "Ketamine is particularly dangerous because it damages the one organ system it passes through – your urinary tract.
"The drug is broken down in the liver and excreted in urine, which means it sits in your bladder, where it becomes toxic to the surrounding tissue.
"Over time – and I'm talking months to years depending on how much and how often someone uses – the bladder becomes inflamed and ulcerated. The lining breaks down.
"The muscle wall thickens and scars, a process called fibrosis. The bladder shrinks. A normal bladder holds around 500ml of urine. My ketamine patients often have bladders that hold just 50-70ml – barely three tablespoons."
Alison, who said Wakefield and Barnsley are among the hotspots for drug usage is calling for more education in schools, to raise awareness about the side effects of it.
She also said: "It's not always irreversible. If people can stop completely, a significant proportion will see complete or near-complete resolution of their symptoms. I usually start to see improvement by six months of cessation."