Matthew Perry had spoken about getting ketamine infusions in rehab in his memoir before his tragic death, writing that it was “not for me.”
In “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” the late Friends actor, who died at the age of 54, talked about undergoing ketamine infusion therapy while in rehab in Switzerland.
He said he often felt like he was “letting out a big breath,” but sometimes he felt like he was “dying” while doing the therapy.
The beloved star – whose cause of death was revealed to be “acute effects of ketamine” – had undergone ketamine infusion therapy in the weeks before his death in late October.
In his book, he explained that he received the treatments because the synthetic form of ketamine is now used “to relieve pain and treat depression.”
Matthew Perry had spoken about getting ketamine infusions in rehab in his memoir before his tragic death, writing that it was “not for me.”
That's why he said it was like ketamine “has my name written on it” and “they might as well have called it 'Matty.'
In his book he remembers the treatments in Switzerland at the beginning of the pandemic.
“They took me into a room, sat me down, put headphones on me so I could listen to music, blindfolded me and put an IV in me,” he recalls in his book.
He had written that he “distanced” himself while listening to music during infusions, adding that he “often thought I was going to die during that hour.”
“Oh, I thought that’s what happens when you die,” he continued. “But I would always sign up for that crap again because it was something different and everything else is good.”
“Taking K is like getting hit in the head with a giant lucky shovel. “But the hangover was hard and outweighed the shovel,” he said, concluding that “ketamine wasn’t for me.”
At the same facility, Perry recalled a near-death experience when his heart stopped before he had to undergo surgery.
He said he would lie to doctors about his stomach pain so they would give him medication.
In “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” the late Friends actor, who died at the age of 54, talked about undergoing ketamine infusion therapy while in rehab in Switzerland
He said he often felt like he was “letting out a big breath,” but sometimes he felt like he was “dying” while doing the IV therapy
“Actually, I was fine,” he admitted. “It still felt like I was doing sit-ups all the time – so it was very uncomfortable – but there was no pain.”
He said doctors prescribed him hydrocodone and later decided to “stick some kind of strange medical device in my back.”
He explained that inserting the device required surgery, but the night before the procedure he was up all night taking hydrocodone.
During the operation, his heart stopped after he was given propofol, an anesthetic and a sedative, he said.
“I got the shot at 11 a.m.,” he remembers. “I woke up 11 hours later in another hospital.
“Apparently the propofol had stopped my heart for five minutes,” he continued. “It wasn't a heart attack – I didn't have a cardiac arrest – but there was no beating.”
Friends star Matthew Perry was killed by ketamine and drowning, his death ruled an accident. He is pictured on October 22 – the last time he was seen in public
Perry's autopsy revealed that he died from the “acute effects of ketamine” and drowning – with the actor having similar amounts of ketamine in his body as a hospital patient under general anesthesia.
“The Los Angeles County coroner has determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry to be the acute effects of ketamine,” the Los Angeles coroner’s office said Friday.
“Factors contributing to Mr. Perry's death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accidental.'
Perry was found face down in the hot tub next to the swimming pool at his Los Angeles home at 4:17 p.m. on October 28, stunning the world of show business and breaking the hearts of fans around the world.
He received ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression, the coroner reported – but the last session was a week and a half before his death, and the ketamine is only in your body for three to four hours, meaning that's not the case was directly leading to his death.
“Given the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood samples, the fatal consequences would be primarily due to overstimulation of the cardiovascular system and respiratory depression,” concluded forensic pathologist Raffi Djabourian.
In his last post on Instagram, posted the week of his death, the star shared pictures of himself in his hot tub next to his infinity pool
Perry's blood ketamine levels were 3,540 ng/mL in peripheral blood and 3,271 ng/mL in central blood.
For a patient under general anesthesia in the hospital, a blood ketamine level of 1,000-6,000 ng/ml is normal, the coroner said.
“Drowning is a contributing factor as there is a likelihood of him submerging himself in the pool while becoming unconscious; Coronary artery disease contributes, as the myocardial effects on the heart caused by ketamine are exacerbated.
“Buphrenorphine effects are listed as contributing due to additive respiratory effects at high concentrations of ketamine, although not at toxic concentrations.”
He had no alcohol, cocaine, heroin, meth or fentanyl in his system.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and the medical examiner performed the autopsy on October 29.
Ketamine can be prescribed as a medical treatment, but it is unclear whether the drugs in Perry's system were purchased with a prescription.
The coroner said Perry had suffered from emphysema, diabetes and drug use in the past, but was “reportedly clean for 19 months.”
He was described as a “heavy tobacco user for many years but not currently smoking”.
The coroner also noted his ketamine infusion therapy.
A year before his death, he published a tell-all memoir that included shocking details of his drug and alcohol addictions.
But he said in October 2022 that he was 18 months sober, although that was a year before his death.
Those who knew him claim Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death.
When investigators searched Perry's home, they did not find illegal drugs, but rather prescription medications that were properly labeled and stored in storage bottles.
The Batman logo at the bottom of his pool is seen here in a daylight aerial shot. Perry was found face down in the hot tub next to the pool, at the bottom of this photo
Police officers have cordoned off the road leading to Matthew Perry's home, where he was found dead on October 28
Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine combined with drowning, the Los Angeles coroner's office has revealed
WHAT IS KETAMINE?
Ketamine is a powerful general anesthetic used to prevent pain in people and animals during surgery.
It was first used as a party drug in the late 2000s and was taken by people before raves to get a more intense experience.
It is used as an anesthetic and has been in the national spotlight since the death of Elijah McClain of Colorado. He weighed 143 pounds. Colorado is now trying to limit the use of ketamine and other chemical agents by first responders.
What are the side effects?
Ketamine causes loss of sensation and paralysis of the muscles.
It can also cause people to experience hallucinations and a distortion of reality, which many refer to as a “K-hole.”
This is when people believe they have spoken to God or a higher power, which can lead to addiction as they crave that experience.
Ketamine can also make people feel unable to move or cause panic attacks, confusion, and memory loss.
Regular use can cause serious bladder damage, which may require surgical removal.
Other risks include increased heart rate and increased blood pressure.
Paralysis of muscles can cause people to injure themselves. If they don't feel the pain properly, it can lead them to underestimate the potential damage.
Many claim withdrawal from ketamine is worse than any other drug, and some feel so depressed that they consider suicide.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the Samaritans here.
How is it taken and what is the law about it?
For medical purposes, ketamine is liquid, but the “street drug” is usually a grainy, white powder.
In 1999, ketamine became a Schedule III non-narcotic substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It is currently used in medicine for short-term sedation and anesthesia.
In 2019, the FDA approved a version of the drug for treatment-resistant depression that is only available in doctors' offices or clinics.
Is Illegal Ketamine Use Widespread?
In May 2023, a new report found that law enforcement had seized more than 1,500 pounds of ketamine in 2022 – about 12 times more than in 2017.
Tennessee, Florida and California recorded the most seizures of the drug. However, it is not clear whether these states have the highest usage.
Medical ketamine typically comes in liquid form and is often administered via an IV.
However, the majority of the ketamine obtained illegally was in powder form, meaning there is a risk it could be contaminated with other chemicals, particularly fentanyl.
How many people die from ketamine use?
Accurate data is hard to come by: Unlike cocaine, heroin or opioids, the CDC does not publish data on monthly and annual deaths.
The number is small, especially compared to drugs like fentanyl, which killed nearly 74,000 people in 2022.
Source: Conversation with Frank, US Drug Enforcement Association
However, the coroner found evidence of his years of drug and alcohol abuse. Perry suffered from “chronic hepatic congestion, liver” – a precursor to liver cirrhosis – although it had not yet progressed to liver cirrhosis.
He also suffered from nephrosclerosis of the kidneys – a hardening of the tissue caused by long-term, poorly controlled high blood pressure and long-term drug use.
Perry's autopsy also revealed chronic pancreatic fibrosis – opioids are suspected of damaging the pancreas.
His heart and lungs also suffered significant damage.
Perry weighed 216 pounds and was slightly obese.
In his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry wrote that after his colon exploded in 2018, he was prescribed opiates that he felt were not enough to relieve his pain.
This led him to turn to street dealers to supply him with potentially deadly OxyContin, possibly laced with fentanyl.
“The street pills were about $75 a pill, so I gave the guy $3,000 several times a week,” he wrote.
Perry wrote that he spent $9 million trying to get sober, attended 6,000 AA meetings, went to rehab 15 times and detoxed 65 times.
At his lowest point, he was taking 55 Vicodin a day to fuel his addiction.
He said he overcame the addiction in 2021 and is living a healthier lifestyle.
He took up pickle ball – a game similar to tennis and table tennis – and usually played it twice a day, friends said.
Perry was found underwater by his assistant, who lifted his head to give him some air, first responders previously revealed.
Captain Erik Scott of the LAFD said, “City of Los Angeles firefighters responded.” [and] found an adult male unconscious in a freestanding hot tub.
“A bystander had lifted the man’s head above the water and brought him to the edge, then firefighters pulled him out of the water when they arrived.”
“Unfortunately, a quick medical examination revealed that the man had already died before first responders arrived.”
Perry was laid to rest at an intimate ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, attended by his Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer.
Perry wrote in his memoirs that throughout his drug addiction and recovery, he had a personal assistant who he considered his rock and his “best friend.”
Morgan Moses, mentioned in the book only by the pseudonym “Erin,” first met Perry when he was admitted to a rehab facility where she worked.
The couple then struck up a friendship that lasted nearly a decade and became the closest and most loving – albeit always platonic – relationship of his life.
Moses, 37, is a “sober companion” who the troubled Friends star described as “the nicest person in the world.”
On her LinkedIn page, Moses says she has been working “full-time” as a “sober companion” since 2018.
Her listed competencies include “therapeutic crisis intervention,” “mental health first aid,” “behavioral intervention,” and “nutritional counseling.”
Originally a website designer, she graduated from Full Sail University in Florida. Her social media suggests that she has also had her own struggles with addiction and her own journey to sobriety.