Anesthetic and Treatment Option for Resistant Depression: The Drug That Killed Actor Matthew Perry

Ketamine, used by doctors and veterinarians for decades as an anesthetic, is a dissociative drug that makes people feel separated or disconnected from their body and physical surroundings. Because of its effects, there are those who use it to get high, using it illegally. Matthew Perry, the actor who played Chandler Bing in Friends, died from exposure to the drug, and an investigation is underway into those involved in supplying the actor with the drug.

Ketamine helps induce a sense of control over pain, forgetfulness, intoxication, dissociation, and euphoria. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the drug has been used to treat more severe depression when other solutions have failed to improve the patient’s condition.

A prescription version of ketamine called esketamine (Spravato), administered via nasal spray, was approved in 2019 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat treatment-resistant depression. However, regulations required its use “under the supervision of a healthcare professional in a certified medical office or clinic.”

A long-term study found that nasal ketamine (plus a regular antidepressant) helped several people maintain stable remission over 16 weeks of treatment. According to the study, patients with depression can begin to feel the benefits of ketamine in about 40 minutes, unlike other specific medications for the disease, which take weeks to bring any improvement.

It is important to emphasize that doctors do not consider ketamine a cure for depression and that it is only used when other treatments are not effective.

There are now an estimated hundreds of private clinics across the United States. Some require communication or diagnosis by a psychiatrist. Ketamine treatment costs about $600 (€544) per session.

In 2023, the FDA warned that ketamine was not approved to treat any mental health disorders after it became known that ketamine products were being marketed improperly.

“The use of ketamine-based products without monitoring by a healthcare professional for sedation (sleepiness), dissociation (a breakdown in the connection between thoughts, feelings and a person’s sense of space, time and identity) and changes in vital signs (such as blood pressure and heart rate) may put patients at risk of serious adverse events,” the regulator’s website says.

Actor Matthew Perry died from acute ketamine exposure, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office confirmed.

High levels of ketamine in Matthew Perry’s blood can have deadly consequences, such as overstimulation of the cardiovascular system and respiratory depression. The actor was treated for depression and anxiety, the report said.

Matthew Perry, 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28, where he had drowned “in the heated portion of the pool.” According to autopsy results, his last known ketamine treatment was a week and a half ago. His death, the actor dies.

The actor’s personal assistant, two doctors and three other people are under investigation by US authorities on suspicion of helping the actor gain access to the drug.