Fergus Thompson, 23, from Durham, was reduced to a seven stone skeletal shadow of his former self after spending more than £2,000 a month to snort ketamine every hour
A man who spent £2,000 on ketamine a month and abused the drug every hour was turned into a “seven-stone skeleton” by his dependency.
Fergus Thompson first tried ketamine on a night out with friends aged 17 – admitting he “immediately loved’ the class B drug – and was addicted within two years. The now 23-year-old said he began chasing the high as what he claimed was a cheaper alternative to alcohol, but the addiction grew deep roots, and at its height, cost him £2,400 per month.
Eventually he was snorting the substance every hour of every day, a pattern he continued for a whole year, and it started taking a devastating physical toll on his body. The insurance administrator soon noticed his drug use was having an impact on his bladder, and he decided to manage his pain levels by self-medicating with more ketamine.
Chronic ketamine usage can affect the lining of the bladder, leading to an increase in the frequency of needing to urinate, infections, bleeding, blockages and incontinence. The toll on Fergus’ health soon went from bad to worse after entering stage-two liver failure, prompting doctors to consider a transplant.
Fergus, who lives in Durham, dropped down to just 7st and was left with just 10 percent of his bladder at working capacity. After suffering an accidental overdose, Fergus was told by concerned doctors he was “a week from death” before being urgently admitted to hospital, sparking his sobriety journey.
The brave ex-addict said: “I liked going on nights out. I was always the person that didn’t do any sorts of drugs. The first time I took ketamine was in clubs in Newcastle. It was an immediate love for it.” He added that he started using the drug “very recreationally”, but started taking it every day following a walk with his dog.
He said: “My thought process was if I could have a better time, why not? I was taking it if I had plans that day, having it at meals, going out for day drinks, going on dates, going around to someone’s house to watch a movie.” Fergus soon started to experience crippling bladder pain, leading to multiple trips to A&E and causing him to increase his drug use to help manage his symptoms.
At 20, Fergus’ symptoms became so severe that he underwent a procedure to help stretch his reduced bladder. Fergus said: “I started getting really skinny and losing a lot of weight. At 20, I was a very heavy user, spending £600 a week on ketamine. The pain was constantly there. I had to take time off work because I physically couldn’t work.
“I was taking 40g of ketamine a week, taking one line of ketamine every single hour of every single day, which lasted a year. I got around three hours of sleep a week. I was constantly high, the only time I would sleep was due to physical exhaustion. My family were very distressed and didn’t really know what to do.”
“My bladder had been so fried and exhausted that I went down to around 10 per cent capacity of what it should be. I was going to the toilet every 20 minutes. I wasn’t eating. I lost the taste in my mouth, my eyes went yellow. I went down to 7st in three months, I was an absolute skeleton.
“I had to have a toilet in my room next to my bed because I couldn’t walk five metres to the toilet, it was so physically exhausting.” At just 21, Fergus was told he was in stage-two liver failure and was admitted to hospital for a month in November 2023 after suffering an accidental overdose.
Fergus said: “I was having overdoses daily. My body couldn’t keep up with what I was doing. At that point, I had accepted I would die from ketamine. I was briefed on possible liver replacement and bladder removal. My mum found me unresponsive in bed and I had to be carried to hospital.”
“I didn’t want to go in and my doctor said ‘you will probably be dead in a week’s time if you don’t come in’. Being admitted for a month was the best thing that happened to me. It was the first time in years I was sober. I felt like a new person by the end of it. It just started my journey towards recovery and never looked back.”
Fergus has remained free of ketamine for the last 14 months – and admits he regrets ever taking the class B drugs six years ago. Fergus said: “I started slowly building my life back up. I calculated how much I’d spent on ketamine in my life and it was around £40,000. I still have pains because I’ve done irreversible damage to my body.
“I take 10 different tablets a day. I’m grateful for how much they [the pains] have calmed down. I regret ever taking it, I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I did.”
