Other Drugs

What is the Effect Known as the K-Hole?

Fiona Kennedy
Written byFiona Kennedy
Dr Olalekan Otulana
Medically Reviewed by Dr Olalekan Otulana MBChB, MRCGP, FRSPH, MBA Addiction Specialist Physician
Last updated:
8 August 2025

A K-Hole is a term used to describe the state of acute intoxication a person experiences when they take too much ketamine. 

Ketamine includes nitrous oxide and phencyclidine (PCP), these drugs separate perception from sensation.

When taken in small doses recreationally, ketamine produces a floaty, euphoric feeling and provides effective pain relief.

When a person takes a large dose of ketamine, the drugs dissociative properties induce a trance-like state of detachment. 

Some people enjoy the effects produced as they feel they melt into their surroundings. Others find the experience terrifying and feel traumatised as a result.

What falling into a K-Hole feels like 

A person experiencing the effects of a K-Hole will literally feel like they have fallen into a hole where they can only peer out at the outside world, watching as an observer but not being able to interact. They may also experience full-body paralysis as part of K-Hole effects.

At the same time, a ketamine K-Hole distorts the perception of time, objects and sounds, often causing disorientation, nausea and confusion. 

The dissociative effects can mean that a person can think about moving a limb, see that limb move, but feel detached as if it is not part of them.

Some people describe the effects like a feeling of leaving their physical body and the world behind them, likening it to an ‘out of body experience’ 

The effects of a K-Hole

There is no telling how a person will react or feel when they take too much ketamine and fall into a K-Hole. The effects can be influenced by a person’s mood at the time of taking the drug, their surroundings, the dosage and whether they mix ketamine with alcohol or other drugs.

Effects include: 

  • Full body paralysis 
  • Vivid auditory and visual hallucinations 
  • Detachment from the physical body 
  • Feeling of floating
  • Physical numbness
  • Confusion
  • Extreme fear
  • Feeling out of control
  • Altered perception of time, space, colours, pain, sound & touch

A person experiencing the effects of a K-Hole will often feel trapped as they experience full-body paralysis due to the drug dissociating the brain from the physical body.

 

 

Sources

https://www.healthline.com/health/nitrous-oxide-side-effects
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0897190014525754

 

 

On this page
Related topics
Several green drug capsules next to a small pile of white powdery substance on a purple background
How Long does Mephedrone stay in Your System?

Rehabilitation from alcohol can be one of the most challenging addiction recovery journeys. Let us show you how to succeed.

Read more
Black and white image of a distressed man with his head bowed and hand gripping his hair, illustrating the emotional struggle of addiction and mental health issues
Is Lyrica Addictive?

Rehabilitation from alcohol can be one of the most challenging addiction recovery journeys. Let us show you how to succeed.

Read more
Box of Lyrica (pregabalin) 75mg capsules with red and white pills on blister pack|Young man sitting on a green couch in a kitchen, holding his head in pain while holding a glass of water, displaying signs of a hangover or alcohol withdrawal|Woman experiencing discomfort, holding her head and chest, possibly due to side effects of mixing pregabalin and alcohol
Pregabalin and Alcohol

Rehabilitation from alcohol can be one of the most challenging addiction recovery journeys. Let us show you how to succeed.

Read more
Close-up of a person smoking a cannabis-style joint, linked to Black Mamba drug article
Black Mamba Drug Addiction

Rehabilitation from alcohol can be one of the most challenging addiction recovery journeys. Let us show you how to succeed.

Read more

Ready to start?
We're here for you