'Peeing a jellyfish': Children's ketamine injuries revealed
Doctors at an NHS clinic report a concerning rise in bladder damage among children as young as 13 due to ketamine abuse. The drug, which is inexpensive and easily accessible, causes severe physical pain and long-term health complications.
Why it matters
This highlights a growing public health crisis regarding substance abuse among minors and the severe, often irreversible, physical consequences of recreational ketamine use.
Image source, Getty Images By Michelle Roberts Digital health editor Published 23 September 2026, 00:21 BST Updated 4 hours ago Children as young as 13 are getting ketamine bladder damage, doctors running a dedicated NHS clinic for it have told the BBC in an exclusive interview.
Medics at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool say some patients - they have had over 100 referrals since opening last May - describe "peeing a jellyfish", which is some of the bladder's protective lining being shed.
Prolonged damage can lead to incontinence or uncontrolled peeing, and even kidney failure.
Many children at the clinic had been taking ketamine for a year or more, meaning some may have started when they were 12 or younger.
Some with emotional trauma say the ketamine, sold for pocket money prices, helps "shush" or quieten their brain.
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