The steep rise shown in the Betsi Cadwaladr area is because the drug is becoming “commonplace”, according to Dr James Sutherland, the clinical lead for urology, at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.
“One patient told me he can go to the end of his road and score a high,” he added.
“It’s cheap as well, so people are spending maybe only £5 on what is a high for an evening or a party, and I think it has become more socially acceptable to use ketamine.”
Dr Sutherland said the main issues he sees in patients is bladder pain caused by blockages, with some needing stents inserted to drain the kidneys.
Many users manage that pain by using even more ketamine, said Dr Sutherland, and some patients end up having their bladders removed entirely, living with a stoma for the rest of their lives.
“The symptoms tend to start as kind of urinary urgency and frequency so people become unable to hold on to their urine,” he said.
“From there people then develop blood in their urine, and [they] may become incontinent, and end up becoming dependent on adult nappies, which for young adults is really challenging.”