Matthew Perry, had a large amount of the drug Ketamine in his system, ultimately causing his death, the same amount that would be used in general anesthesia.
Ketamine is a secluded anesthetic medication, also known as a psychedelic drug, that can be used in Ketamine therapy, a treatment used by many celebrities (including Elon Musk) to manage mental health conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to the toxicology report, obtained by The Blast, testing showed Perry had the same amount of ketamine used in general anesthesia in monitored surgical-anesthesiology care.
How Much Ketamine Was Found In Matthew Perry’s System?
Toxicology testing found that ketamine levels were at 3540 ng/ml. For context, it reads, “In monitored surgical-anesthesiology care, levels of general anesthesia are typically in the 1000-6000 ng/ml range.”
In other words, he had a large amount of the drug in his system, enough to render him unconscious.
The drug is approved for use at high doses as an anesthetic in the operating room. Even though ketamine has been FDA-approved and legalized for use as a general anesthetic since the 1970s, it can be abused as a recreational drug.
Lower dosage of ketamine is not FDA-approved, and those injections are used “off-label” to treat depression, pain, and other mental health/substance use disorders.
Although Matthew Perry was utilizing ketamine therapy, his last known treatment was one week before his death, meaning the ketamine found in his system could not have been from therapy as the drug’s half-life is only three to four hours.
Many celebrities, including Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, and Lamar Odom, have used ketamine therapy to help with mental health and struggles with addiction.
Last month, police responded to a 911 call to assist with a possible ‘water rescue’ at Matthew Perry’s Pacific Palisades home. When they arrived, they found the 54-year-old “Friends” actor in the heated section of his pool, face down, unresponsive.
Prescription anti-depressants and prescription anti-anxiety medications were reportedly found in Matthew Perry‘s home, but no loose pills or prescriptions were found in the pool area, per the documents.
“The cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder),” the documents, obtained by The Blast, state.
The manner of death is ruled an accident.
Matthew Perry’s History Of Addiction
He had a “history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema, diabetes; drug use in past — reportedly clean for 19 months; heavy tobacco user for many years but currently not smoking; on ketamine infusion therapy with most recent therapy reportedly one and a half weeks before death,” the document reads.
As for how it caused his death, the autopsy report states, “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.”
Prior to his unexpected death, “Friends” star Matthew Perry released a raw memoir, where he opened up about his entire life, including his mental health and his addictions. In that memoir, there is a quote that may have been a cry for help.
“My mind is out to kill me, and I know it,” Perry said in his memoir. “I am constantly filled with a lurking loneliness, a yearning, clinging to the notion that something outside of me will fix me. But I had had all that the outside had to offer.”
Rest in peace, Matthew Perry.