Ketamine is the devil's drug.. and you'll wish you never took it

Megan, 22, tells of horror side effects as she battled addiction to drug

- By HANNAH REES

A LIVERPOOL woman has spoken out about the severe side effects of ketamine misuse.

Megan Taylor, 22, from Walton, tried ketamine for the first time when she was 18 and had no idea that the drug she took once every few months would soon take over her life.

At the age of 20, Megan's use became more frequent after she fell in with "the wrong people". She eventually started taking the drug daily and even used it in the house on her own.

She told the ECHO: "I knew it was a problem, but I didn't want to stop."

Megan was diagnosed with ADHD when she was five, and autism around four or five years ago. She believes this has played a part in her addiction. She said: "I needed a routine and once I got into taking the ket every day, I had to stick to that routine. My routines can't just change."

Her drug use continued and Megan started experiencing 'ket cramps' on Boxing Day in 2022. The side effect left her feeling like someone was "stabbing her in the ribs," only subsiding when she used the drug again. She didn't realise at the time that this was a severe side effect caused by the drug, that would continue for months.

Megan said: "It [ket cramps] was making me burn myself with a hot water bottle just to try and get rid of the pain. My back was all scarred, my belly was scarred.

"The pains were that bad, I couldn't go out with my mates without having to bring that hot water bottle with me and sit in places looking like a scruff."