Man who died after ketamine addiction had bladder ‘size of a marble’
The Home Office may consider upgrading ketamine to a Class A drug after a young man became so addicted that his bladder shrunk to the size of a marble.
Rian Rogers, 26, fell into a ‘vicious cycle’ and kept using the drug to try to ease his urinary tract pain – even though ketamine heavily damages bladders.
After suffering from addiction to ketamine during lockdown, he attended rehab but relapsed shortly after.
Mr Rogers, who previously won two national awards for his innovations at Jaguar and Land Rover, was on a waiting list to have his bladder removed before he died.
He was found dead in a shower with a fatal level of ketamine in his bloodstream – and his bladder was so damaged, it was found to be the size of a four-year-old’s.
His bladder capacity was only 150ml, compared to the normal 500ml capacity for an adult.
Mr Rogers, from Atherstone, Warwickshire, had been waiting so long for pain treatment from the NHS that an offer for treatment was sent while his funeral was being arranged.
Clare Rogers, Mr Roger’s mum, told The Times: ‘This drug is a killer. It’s taking bladders from young children. Why is ketamine not class A when it’s doing so much harm to our kids?
‘He was in a lot of pain over the last three years due to his bladder issues and would regularly take tramadol, ibuprofen, paracetamol et cetera but none could give him good relief to sleep.
‘His bladder had shrunk to the size of a marble. It was really ulcerated. His ketamine use was because of the pain and addiction.’
Mr Roger’s NHS constituency has apologised to his mum, and said patients should be seen within 18 weeks of referral – not the 17 months Mr Rogers had painstakingly waited.
But even as ketamine has become more mainstream over the past decade – many of us aren’t aware of the risks the drug poses.
With long-term, heavy use, ketamine can cause severe, irreversible damage to the bladder and kidneys, and excruciating abdominal pain (sometimes known as k-cramps).
Most bladder damage from ketamine is reversible if caught early – so users are warned to not ignore signs.
But for Mr Rogers, help came too late – and the government may now reconsider the classification of ketamine.
Ms Rogers said: ‘He used to cry to me saying he didn’t want to be like this.’
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