What is Ketamine Infusion therapy? Side effects explored as Matthew Perry's official cause of death is released

Friends actor Matthew Perry's cause of death has now been revealed, less than two months after he was found dead in his Pacific Palisades home. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office released his official cause on Friday, December 15, 2023.

According to the autopsy reports obtained by PEOPLE, Perry died due to acute effects of ketamine. The report elaborates that drowning, coronary artery disease, and multiple effects of Buprenorphine contributed to his death. Buprenorphine is used to treat opioid addiction and manage acute and chronic pain.

Perry was receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, but the autopsy specified that the ketamine in Matthew Perry's system was not due to the therapy. According to Keith Heinzerling with the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, it is one of the recent methods of treating depression and other mental health conditions like anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and PTSD.

The treatment involves using low-dose injections of ketamine which has been used in high doses as an anesthetic during surgeries since the 1970s. The FDA approved its application to treat depression in 2019.

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Matthew Perry was found drowning in his bathtub on October 28, 2023, at 54

Matthew Perry's body was found facedown in the pool by his assistant. A day later, LA county authorities revealed that the actor's autopsy had been completed and they were awaiting the toxicology report. Perry's death was ruled an accident and the report confirmed the deduction.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has hallucinogenic effects, i.e. it makes the patient "feel detached from their pain and environment." It can reportedly induce a state of sedation, immobility, pain relief, and amnesia (no memory of events when Ketamine is used).

However, like anything taken in excess, it has side effects. According to the DEA, an overdose can cause unconsciousness and even dangerously slowed breathing. It is also known to cause long-term problems like ulcers and pain in the bladder, kidney problems, stomach pain, depression, and poor memory. It is a well-known "club drug," and is sold as Special K.

WebMD cautions that ketamine is fatal when taken in an intoxicated state or by those who abuse alcohol.

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More about Matthew Perry's cause of death

The actor was known to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema, diabetes, and a history of drug and tobacco abuse, although he was 19 months clean.

His autopsy states:

"At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression."

Matthew Perry's tox screen indicated he was not under the influence of alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, PCP, or fentanyl, at the time of his death.

However, high levels of ketamine were detected. While the actor was undergoing infusion therapy, his most recent being 1.5 weeks before his death, the half-life of the drug is only 3-4 hours. Therefore, the autopsy states the ketamine in his system was not due to the infusion treatment.

It elaborates that the actor most likely drowned after he lost consciousness. Perry's coronary artery disease and Buprenorphine were the cause of "exacerbation of ketamine-induced myocardial effects of the heart" and "respiratory effects."

The actor had opened up about his substance abuse before and encouraged people to seek help.