21 December 2023 , 13:33
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Matthew Perry's cause of death has been ruled an accident from the acute effects of ketamine.
The 54-year-old was found dead in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28. Matthew had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years, but claimed that he was clean in the 18 months before his death.
However, toxicology reports have revealed the Friends star had substantial amounts of ketamine in his system. The drug is a powerful anaesthetic used in hospitals, and it's often abused recreationally.
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Matthew was found dead aged 54 (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Massachusetts doctor Scott Hadland, who is an addiction specialist, gave more details about the misuse of ketamine, claiming that Matthew "most likely relapsed and was abusing the drug and taking it recreationally." He said: "That [ketamine therapy] treatment is when ketamine is actually given in a health care facility, the patient is carefully observed, often given at a hospital."
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"So the medical examiner's report tells us [ketamine therapy treatments] probably wasn't related to his death, [and that what] probably caused his death is that he took ketamine at home separately," the addiction specialist told WBALTV. He went on to confirm that ketamine is a medication that can be misused and can often be used recreationally.
His statement differs from what Matthew's primary doctor, Dr. Andre Atoian claimed in a 2020 interview. At the time he said there is no addiction associated with ketamine use, and he has given the drug to patients for months at a time before taking them off “cold turkey” and hasn’t had any issues.
He was a star in Friends (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Matthew was found in his hot tub (Getty Images Europe)It's unclear whether Dr Atoian was the medical professional overseeing Matthew's last ketamine treatment. According to the L.A. County Medical Examiner's report, Matthew's ketamine levels at his time of death were 3,540 ng/ml, enough to knock him unconscious for an operation. When used to put people under ahead of surgery, patients are in the 1,000 - 6,000 range.
The Medical Examiner's report also revealed that Perry had been prescribed ketamine as part of an infusion therapy treatment for depression and anxiety, and was taking it every other day. However, six months ago, a new doctor tried to wean him off the chemical, which can cause feelings of euphoria and disassociation when taken in small amounts. The last time he was prescribed a dose of the drug was reportedly a week and a half before his death.
It has been suggested Matthew might have taken the ketamine before getting in the hot tub, become disorientated or passed out and drowned. Large doses of ketamine can cause people to hallucinate or slip into unconsciousness.