Friends star Matthew Perry’s untimely demise at the age of 54 sparked a wave of emotion and grief from people all over the world. While his fans and peers still have not recovered from his loss, the late actor’s cause of death has been officially revealed by medical authorities. Perry’s toxicology report confirms that he died of an accident caused by the acute effects of ketamine. Let’s take a look at the overdose accident and how the depression drug works.
Breakdown of Matthew Perry’s autopsy
On October 28, Matthew Perry was found lifeless in his Los Angeles residence. At the time, it seemed that the actor had drowned in his pool. While it’s still a contributing factor to his passing, new reports reveal a variety of other drug-related issues and long-term diseases that ultimately took his life.
According to the reports, Perry had a coronary artery disease and also suffered some side effects of buprenorphine, a medicine for opioid use disorder. The post-mortem blood specimens showed that the actor had high levels of ketamine in his body, potentially from an overdosing incident.
It seems like the Chandler Bing actor supposedly went unconscious due to the effect of ketamine and its lethal effect on his heart which was already not functioning well. As a result, the actor ended up drowning in the pool.
All details about the ketamine drug
Ketamine first started out as an extremely potent anesthetic, meant to be used on humans and mostly animals like horses. Over the years, it evolved into a party drug and later medical professionals started using it to treat cases of severe depression and anxiety.
Autopsy concluded Matthew Perry died from ketamine, drowning & buprenorphine. The high level of ketamine in his blood was equivalent to the amount used by doctors for general anesthesia in OT.
He also had blockages in the heart vessels. pic.twitter.com/V4bESps79J
— dr ben (@DrBeniRusani) December 16, 2023
In fact, Perry himself was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for his long-standing bout with depression. However, it is important to note that the drug fades away from the body within a few hours and the record of Perry’s last infusion was a week before his death.
With lots of bad drug reporting out there pls find the journalists capable of nuance. Ketamine is both an incredibly safe med, with very limited potential for end organ toxicity, & also something that can cause dissociation to the point that familiar situations can become unsafe: https://t.co/69KyYHFV6J
— Ryan Marino, MD (@RyanMarino) December 16, 2023
The substance’s recreational use in parties is often a mind-bending experience, leading to hallucinations and instant euphoria. However, an overdose can result in seizures and respiratory failure. It is even more harmful when mixed with alcohol, leading to accidents like Perry’s demise.
