Matthew Perry, a 54-year-old actor from “Friends,” died on October 28 due to the acute effects of anesthetic ketamine. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner found that Perry’s drowning in a heated pool was only considered a contributing cause to his death. Perry’s close associates informed investigators that he was receiving experimental ketamine infusion therapy, which is used to treat anxiety and depression. Perry’s previous treatment, which was one and a half weeks ago, wouldn’t account for the ketamine levels in his body. Dr. Andrew Stolbach, a medical toxicologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, stated that using sedative drugs in a pool or hot tub, especially when you’re alone, is extremely risky, and, sadly, here it’s fatal.
Perry battled addiction for a long time, but the postmortem report said he had been sober for 19 months. The postmortem report said that Perry had been getting ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression; the last treatment was administered a week and a half prior to his death. The autopsy report concluded that ketamine taken in a different way, rather than the drug’s short half-life of 3 to 4 hours, was the cause of Perry’s death based on these levels. The investigation stated that Perry’s body would have been overstimulated by the amounts of ketamine, which would have suppressed his respiration and overstimulated his pulse rate, probably causing him to pass out before his face sank beneath the water in the hot tub.
The 54-year-old “Friends” actor Matthew Perry passed away on Friday as a consequence of the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the findings of his autopsy.
In the autopsy report, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said that although Perry also drowned in “the heated end of his pool,” this was only considered a contributing cause to his death on October 28, which was officially ruled an accident.
Perry’s close associates informed investigators that he was receiving experimental ketamine infusion therapy, which is used to treat anxiety and depression. Perry’s previous treatment, which was one and a half weeks ago, wouldn’t account for the ketamine levels in his body, according to the coroner, who also noted that Perry’s body had amounts of the drug used for general anesthesia during surgery. Usually, the drug’s metabolism happens within a few hours.
Buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, and coronary artery disease are also included in the paper as contributing factors.
The ketamine level found “would be enough to make him lose consciousness and lose his posture and his ability to keep himself above the water,” according to Dr. Andrew Stolbach, a medical toxicologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine who examined the autopsy report at The Associated Press’s request.
While ketamine and buprenorphine may both be used safely, Stolbach stated that “using sedative drugs in a pool or hot tub, especially when you’re alone, is extremely risky, and, sadly, here it’s fatal.”
According to testimony from witnesses given to police and incorporated with the autopsy, the actor left to play pickleball at approximately 11 a.m. on the morning of his death and came home two hours later. Perry was last seen alive shortly after that, and his aide returned from doing errands to find the star dead, according to the story. According to the report, police declared him deceased at 4:17 p.m.
On October 29, just over an hour after the clock struck twelve, Perry was taken from his home to the Forensic Science Center. Later that day, an autopsy was conducted on Perry.
Perry battled addiction for a long time, even though the postmortem report said that he had been sober for 19 months. The postmortem report said that Perry had been getting ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression; the last treatment was administered a week and a half prior to his death. According to what a witness informed police for their incident report, Perry was “in good spirits” and responding to treatment.
Research indicates that ketamine may benefit certain individuals when used as a medically supervised therapy for anxiety and depression. Ketamine has been licensed by the FDA for use as an anesthetic since the 1970s. Experts claim there are hazards involved. Hallucinations may result from the drug’s dissociative impact, which causes the mind and body to appear to be separated. Its usage in party and nightclub culture is well recognized. Ketamine overdoses can result in unconsciousness and severely reduced respiration, according to the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
Perry had trace quantities of ketamine in his stomach, but the coroner reported that his blood contained substantial concentrations of the substance, 3.54 micrograms per milliliter. The Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that ketamine taken in a different way, rather than the drug’s short half-life of 3 to 4 hours, was the cause of Perry’s death based on these levels. The autopsy report said that it is unclear how that occurred.
The investigation stated that Perry’s body would have been overstimulated by the amounts of ketamine, which would have suppressed his respiration and overstimulated his pulse rate, probably causing him to pass out before his face sank beneath the water in the hot tub.
According to the study, “the precise mode of drug intake in Mr. Perry’s case is unknown,” and traces of the substance were found in his stomach. It said that no recent needle marks were discovered on his body.
