Matthew Perry was found accidentally drowned in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home in late October 2023. The autopsy report cited the “acute effects of ketamine” as a factor in his death.
Since ketamine was first synthesized in 1962 by Calvin Stevens, its uses have expanded far beyond being an anesthetic for animals. It is now used not only for a variety of medical purposes in humans, as was the case with the deceased 54-year-old actor, but also as a psychedelic party drug.
What is ketamine?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Ketamine was approved as an anesthetic for humans in 1970. It became a valuable tool in treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield during the Vietnam War. The drug produces an unusual condition sometimes called “dissociative anesthesia.” Although patients appear awake and breathe normally, they are unable to respond to sensory stimuliThis makes it an excellent analgesic and it has been shown to be very safe for this purpose.
But in the early 2000s Studies have shown that it acts as a rapid antidepressant, Relief of severe depression within hours as opposed to weeks that other drugs take to work. The effects of ketamine on the central nervous system are not yet fully understood, but it is is being investigated as a possible cure for other mental illnesses such as PTSD.
Perry is said to use ketamine infusions to combat depression and anxiety. However, he received his last clinical dose before his death a week and a half before the tragic event. Because ketamine has a short half-life in the body, traces of the drug disappear within three to four hours or even faster. The toxicology autopsy report shows that the “Friends” actor had the substance in his blood at the time of his death. It is assumed that he also took the substance for recreational purposes.
The dark side of ketamine
The mind-altering properties of the drug, Ketamine can cause short-term “out-of-body” experiences and hallucinations and has become a party drug. Although overdoses are rare when taken without other drugs, abuse of ketamine can lead to several health problems. One of them can be unconsciousness.
It is assumed that in the Perry case “was probably the perfect storm of combinations that could have led to his death,” Angelique Campen, an emergency physician at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, told CBS KCAL News:
“I foresee that what will happen with him is that one will be put into a kind of trance state, so he was probably in a trance state in the hot tub, slipped under the water and drowned,” said Campen. The doctor explained that it was not the ketamine that stopped Perry’s breathing, but After slipping under water, he could not wake up and drowned.
