Have you ever taken ketamine, or better known as “Special K?” Odds are you know someone who has taken the drug at least once. As with many club drugs, many users do not know the side effects. That is one reason why everyone should take a drug class.

Many people who use the club drug ketamine - known as "special K" - may risk abdominal pain, bladder control problems and other urinary tract issues, and the heavier the dose or frequency of use, the more likely the problems. This according to foxnews.com.

A recent found that of 1,285 young adults who said they'd abused ketamine in the past year, 27 percent had developed urinary tract symptoms.

Ketamine’s function medically is as an anesthetic. In clubs ketamine is snorted or sometimes injected, with users saying it creates feelings of euphoria and being "out of your body."

Repeated ketamine use has been linked to mental problems such as hallucinations and impaired memory, thinking and concentration. If that wasn’t enough, it can also cause high blood pressure.

There is no doubt that regular ketamine use can lead to severe urinary symptoms as well.

The findings were based on an online survey promoted by a UK club-music magazine called "MixMag."

Of 3,806 young people who responded, half said they'd tried it at least once, while 1,285 - or a third of the whole group - said they'd used it in the last year.

In the study, statistics of past-year users revealed that 17 percent had symptoms of ketamine dependence such as wanting, but failing, to cut down on the drug. As with most drugs, regular users have to continually increase the dosage in order to get high.

Not surprisingly, they tended to take the drug in bigger doses, and more often, than other users.

It might be somewhat comforting and give reason to quit knowing that symptoms often seem to go away once the ketamine abuse stops.

If you use ketamine, stop. If you have never tried it don’t. If you or someone you love has a drug problem, seek help immediately. If you prefer to maintain anonymity, there are online classes too.

Drugs have long been a problem in the clubs both overseas and here in America.  Now, reports are coming out that "Club drug" abuse in Britain is on the rise, as young people ditch cocaine and heroin for mephedrone and ketamine.

Club drugs are constantly re-invented to evade drug laws and have left healthcare professionals ill-equipped to deal with new trends in substance abuse. Patterns of drug use in the UK are changing and over the last two or three years we have continued to see an increase in the use of "club drugs”.

According to a British survey the number of 16-24 year olds who used the stimulant mephedrone last year was at a similar level to powder cocaine abuse - a figure of around 300,000 people.

Both of these drugs are banned in Britain, but there is a roaring trade for "legal highs" among the clubbing community and young professionals.

Kids are always seeking the next high, especially if it remains legal (like bath salts).  There are new drugs emerging all the time, particularly a group of substances known as "legal highs". The health risks associated with excessive use of club drugs are underestimated by many people and little is known about the potential problems of the newer drugs.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) recorded 41 new drug compounds in 2010 and 20 new compounds in the first four months of 2011.

The result is a lack of understanding about the drugs, and existing drug services that focus on alcohol, crack cocaine and heroin abuse are failing to cater for club drug addicts.

While more research on the potential dangers is of course warranted, first and foremost, these kids need to be made aware quickly that legal or not, these drugs are lethal. Perhaps a good online drug class is in order.