What is anti-anxiety drug ketamine tied to F.R.I.E.N.D.S star Matthew Perry's death?

Friends star Matthew Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine”, according to the toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The postmortem examination concluded that “drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine” – which is used to treat opioid use disorder – were contributing factors in the actor’s death.

Perry was found lifeless in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on 28 October and pronounced dead at the age of 54. His death stunned his hit TV sitcom Friends co-stars as well as millions of fans across the world.

What is ketamine, linked to Hollywood actor Matthew Perry’s death? Let’s take a closer look.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a strong anaesthetic developed in the 1960s. Since then, the drug has evolved to treat several conditions such as depression, anxiety and chronic pain. In 2006, researches at the National Institutes of Health discovered that an intravenous shot of ketamine could relieve severe depression in mere hours, reported NPR.

According to United States’ Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), ketamine is known as a “dissociative anaesthetic hallucinogen” as it makes users feel “detached from their pain and environment”. It can make people calm and immobile, act as a pain reliever, and even cause amnesia while under the influence.

Ketamine is also being taken as a psychedelic party drug as it makes users feel like they are having an “out of body” experience and hallucinations for a short time.

Researchers are also studying ways to use ketamine to treat other psychiatric conditions like substance use disorders and PTSD, reported NPR.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a nod to Spravato, a nasal spray based on ketamine for treating depression, in 2019.

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How ketamine is risky

An overdose of the drug can make a user unconscious or experience “dangerously slowed breathing”, as per the DEA.

According to American Addiction Centers, overdosing can also cause several symptoms like amnesia or seizures. However, ketamine overdose is rare when it is the only drug taken by a person. It becomes deadly when the drug is mixed with alcohol, reported NPR.

Was Matthew Perry using ketamine?

Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy, an experimental treatment for depression and anxiety, reported Associated Press (AP). His last treatment was a week and a half before his death, as per his autopsy.

However, it is unlikely that the ketamine used for that therapy caused his death as the half-life of the drug in the system is around three to four hours or less, reported NPR.  

According to the medical examiner, the levels of ketamine in Perry’s body were reportedly similar to that used for general anaesthesia during surgery. It remains unknown how Perry got ketamine in the hours leading to his death.

Dr Andrew Stolbach, a medical toxicologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine who reviewed the autopsy report, told AP that the amount of ketamine detected “would be enough to make him lose consciousness and lose his posture and his ability to keep himself above the water”.

“Using sedative drugs in a pool or hot tub, especially when you’re alone, is extremely risky and, sadly, here it’s fatal”, Stolbach added.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the autopsy report that Perry drowned in “the heated end of his pool” while ruling the death as an accident.

As per Variety, the toxicology report stated: “At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression.”

The _Friends_ star, who rose to stardom with his role as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom, had been outspoken about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. However, he was “reportedly clean for 19 months”, the autopsy report mentioned.

Jennifer Aniston, Perry’s Friends costar, told Variety that he was doing well and she had texted with him on the day of his death. “He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy – that’s all I know. I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”

In his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, published last year, Perry opened up about his addiction and how it took a major toll on his life. The actor had established a sober living facility for men with similar issues.

After Perry’s death, the Matthew Perry Foundation was set up to help individuals dealing with addiction.

With inputs from agencies