Children as young as 13 are getting ketamine bladder damage

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.

Ketamine's most common form is white or pale-brown grainy powder that is often inhaled (snorted) or sometimes injected by users. It can be a liquid or a crystal form too.

The drug is a general anaesthetic so it reduces or blunts sensations in the body.

Users say it can make them feel dream-like and detached, chilled and relaxed.

Prof Rachel Isba who runs the clinic told the BBC some of the children she has seen had started wetting the bed or having to go to the toilet more often and in a hurry.

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