Matthew Perry was found lifeless in his bathtub at his LA home.
Friends actor Matthew Perry died of an accidental ketamine overdose, a coroner's inquest heard on Friday. In an official statement, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said, “Matthew Perry's cause of death has been proven to be due to the acute effects of ketamine.”
“Contributing factors to his death included drowning, coronary heart disease and the effects of buprenorphine. “The manner of death is accidental,” the statement continued.
What is ketamine and what effects does it have?
Ketamine is used illegally as a recreational drug because of its anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects.
So far, the medical report has not explained in detail how and when Matthew Perry took the fatal dose of ketamine. However, it was claimed that investigators found traces in his stomach. Additionally, there were prescription medications and loose pills in Matthew Perry's home.
When is ketamine used?
Ketamine is used by doctors as an anesthetic. Researchers are also investigating the use of ketamine to treat mental illnesses. According to ABC News, ketamine has been used off-label in recent years to treat mental health disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Matthew Perry underwent medical treatment with ketamine. The late actor's last known infusion occurred more than a week before his death. This means that the dose of ketamine Matthew Perry took would no longer have been in his body.
The medical report revealed that the level of ketamine found in the actor's blood was close to the higher levels used as general anesthesia in surgeries. This amount of ketamine would cause overstimulation of the heart and difficulty breathing.
It has been claimed that this must have caused Matthew Perry to become unconscious and that drowning was one of the causes of death. The report added that the “17 Again” star's use of buprenorphine to treat severe pain and his coronary heart disease would have made him more susceptible to the effects of that drug.
In addition, no alcohol or traces of drugs such as cocaine, heroin or fentanyl were found in Matthew Perry's body.
Matthew Perry, who played the role of Chandler Bing in the legendary sitcom from 1994 to 2004, died at the age of 54. The actor was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles residence on October 28.