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Beloved personality and ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ star Matthew Perry’s autopsy report revealed the actor died due to “acute effects of ketamine” in the body. Ketamine is a drug known to be a treatment for depression, works as a pain management tool and is also known to slow breathing rate.
According to the Times of India, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office toxicology report also mentions that in addition to the depression drug, several other contributing factors that led to Perry’s death included a combination of buprenorphine (medication used to treat opioid abuse), coronary artery disease, and drowning. The medical examiner concluded that an accident was the cause of death.
As per the report, according to Hindustan Times, Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy– a form of therapy that helps mental health conditions, including treatment-resistant depression and anxiety disorders. The ‘17 Again’ actor had received an infusion a week and a half before his passing.
According to Associated Press, medical examiner Dr. Andrew Stolbach stated that the quantity of the drug discovered in the actor’s bloodstream was sufficient to make him lose consciousness, lose his posture, failing to keep himself above the water. Stolbach, a medical toxicologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine, further added, “Using sedative drugs in a pool or hot tub, especially when you’re alone, is extremely risky and, sadly, here it’s fatal.”
What Is Ketamine: Uses And Effects Of The Drug
Manufactured as a liquid that can be either injected into the body, inhaled through the nose or consumed through a tablet, Ketamine is a form of hallucinogen which causes a person to feel detached from reality. It is usually used as a general anaesthetic during medical procedures to help a patient fall unconscious, and due to its odourless and tasteless characteristics, ketamine is also considered to be a “date rape” drug.
According to an article by Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Ketamine therapy is a treatment approach that uses low doses of ketamine to manage various mental health conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While not FDA-approved, a lower dose of “sub-anesthetic” ketamine injections is used “off-label” to treat pain, depression, and other substance use disorders.
Using Ketamine produces a short but intense experience referred to as the ‘mystical or peak experience’ that triggers an afterglow followed by a positive change in, motivation, cognition, and behaviour.
About Matthew Perry
Known for his 10-year-long stint in the acclaimed show ‘Friends’ where he played the role of funny guy Chandler Bing, Matthew Perry passed away on October 28. The 54-year-old actor was found unconscious in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home where emergency responders pronounced him dead.
The actor had been candid about his struggles with addiction and sobriety and also turned his former Malibu home into a sober living facility for men called the Perry House. According to Business Insider, in his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,’ launched in 2022, Perry wrote about his journey with alcoholism during his teen years and his addiction to pain meds following a jet ski accident in 1997.
In a 2022 interview, while promoting his memoir, the actor said: “The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking. Can you help me?’ I can say yes and follow up and do it. That’s the best thing.”
