Actor Matthew Perry, who had a long history of addiction, became interested in ketamine during a rehabilitation stay in Switzerland, where he was given daily infusions of the potent anesthetic to alleviate pain and assist with depression. As much as he was drawn to it, he wrote, he found the hangover unpleasant and ultimately decided that “ketamine was not for me.” He eventually returned to the drug, getting ketamine treatments from doctors at clinics and then, as he grew addicted to it, buying it from illicit sources and getting multiple injections daily at his Los Angeles home. On Oct. 28, after he received several shots from his personal assistant, he died face down in his hot tub. An autopsy determined that Perry had died from “the acute effects of ketamine,” with drowning one of several contributing factors, the New York Times reports.
The death of Perry, a beloved figure who starred on the sitcom “Friends,” placed a harsh spotlight on the illegal ketamine trade. Five people, including two doctors, were arrested and charged with getting him the ketamine that led to his death. Three of them have pleaded guilty, including a doctor who was accused of submitting a fraudulent prescription for ketamine in the name of a former patient. The case has also raised questions about the increasing reliance on ketamine by doctors who see it as a promising alternative therapy for depression and other mental health disorders, even as it remains largely untested for that purpose. Several doctors who treat patients with ketamine or research the drug said that patients with a history of substance abuse present thorny questions. In the absence of widely accepted guidelines, and providers are left to weigh the risks and benefits of starting ketamine treatment. Important considerations, the physicians said, included how long a patient had been sober and the level of support that would be available.
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