What is ketamine infusion therapy, which Matthew Perry was undergoing?

It has now been revealed that FRIENDS actor Matthew Perry, who was found dead on October 28, 2023, was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy.

Even though his death resulted from a ketamine overdose, the treatment per se was reportedly not responsible for it. The drug was allegedly supplied to him illicitly when he wanted more of the dissociative anaesthetic to deal with his mental health issues.

Five persons, including two doctors, Perry’s assistant, and an alleged drug dealer have been accused of supplying him with the drug beyond his strict treatment regimen.

So, what is ketamine infusion therapy?

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic used for pain management and the treatment of depression and anxiety.

However, its “dissociative” effects mean that while it can calm and relax a user, it can also distort the perceptions of sight, sound, and time, and create a trance-like state and amnesia. This makes it a potential drug for illicit use.

In anaesthetic doses, Ketamine can increase the user’s heart rate and blood pressure, dangerously slow down breathing, and even cause confusion and agitation, potentially leading them to cause self-harm without even realising.

Chronic ketamine use may cause liver damage and bladder problems.

What is ketamine infusion therapy?

Doctors sometimes use ketamine to treat depression if traditional anti-depressants fail to work on a patient.

Perry had been struggling with depression and addiction for years, even when he was shooting for the popular sitcom FRIENDS. Not only him, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, too, has reportedly taken ketamine therapy to treat depression.

How does ketamine infusion therapy work?

In the case of ketamine infusion therapy, the drug is injected intravenously, in smaller doses than that used for anaesthesia. For instance, a lower dose is used to treat depression than that used for chronic pain.

While ketamine acts faster compared to traditional anti-depressants, its effects also wear off quicker. Therefore, the chances of a relapse are high.

However, ketamine may not necessarily help everyone, and the cause of this are not clear.

Usually, it works better for depression when the patients take other anti-depressants or psychotherapy alongside.

Ketamine can be clinically given in other ways, too, barring an IV drip. It can be given through a nasal spray, a pill, or an injection.

Could ketamine infusion therapy have caused Perry’s death?

No, ketamine infusion therapy has been ruled out as the reason behind Perry’s death.

Prosecutors have argued that Perry wanted more ketamine than the doctors would prescribe because of the risks involved.

His personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and two doctors, Salvador Pasencia and mark Chavez, have been blamed for giving him the drug illegally, and an alleged drug dealer, ‘Ketamine Queen’ Jasveen Sangha, for supplying it.

The autopsy reportedly found a high concentration of ketamine in Perry’s blood and concluded that he died of the “acute effects” of the drug.

However, the dosage of ketamine given in infusion treatment as an anti-depressant is of a precise and small amount.

Also, Perry’s last ketamine infusion therapy session was recorded more than a week before his death, which was enough time for the drug’s effects to wear off.

Prosecutors have alleged that Iwamasa gave Perry at least 27 shots of ketamine in the four days preceding his death, a lethal dose.