Ketamine and physical exercise: A surprising new duo? a netnographic analysis

Abstract

There is growing interest in the role of pharmacological substances to enhance exercise-related performance, manage pain, or improve recovery. Ketamine has recently gained interest as a potential adjunct to physical exercise. This study aims to explore ketamine use an adjunct to physical exercise, investigating reported effects, undesired effects, dosing patterns, administration routes, and purchasing modalities. Given the limited availability of scientific data, a qualitative netnographic analysis was performed on Reddit from November 2024 until February 2025. In total, 461 comments were examined, of which 26 met the inclusion criteria, including anecdotal reports shared by Reddit users. Data were manually categorized based on effects, side effects, dosing patterns, administration routes, and purchasing sources. Ketamine was primarily used without clinical supervision in weightlifting as pre-workout (5 posts; 19.2 %) and, to a lesser extent, in running, yoga, and snowboarding. Desired effects included increased endurance (6 posts; 23.1 %), feeling stronger (5 posts; 19.2 %), and pain reduction (3 posts; 11.5 %). Undesired effects (1 post each; 3.9 %) included dehydration, tolerance buildup, bladder discomfort and heart strain. Ketamine was predominantly insufflated, with doses varying between 25 mg (minimum) and 100 mg (maximum). Both pharmaceutical grade and street/illicit ketamine was purchased. This study highlights an emerging trend, suggesting that ketamine may impact both performance and wellbeing. However, concerns related to tolerance, cardiovascular strain, and potential dependence underscore the urgency of more comprehensive research. Further studies are needed to understand the short- and long-term effects of ketamine use in the context of physical exercise.