What is ketamine infusion therapy?

The party drug with lethal potential

New details have emerged about the late actor's tragic passing. Image: Getty

Last year, the tragic passing of Friends actor Matthew Perry sent the world – Friends fans and all– into mourning. Now, new shocking details surrounding his death, including who was really responsible, have emerged. 

Months after Friends star Matthew Perry's death and the subsequent coronary report listing ketamine use as a key contributing factor in his demise, police have charged five people in relation to the ordeal.

Police have taken into custody Perry's own personal assistant, two doctors and two alleged drug dealers (one who goes by the nickname, the 'The Ketamine Queen'). 

As the original coronary report stated, the beloved actor’s drowning incident was attributed to a lethal combination of several factors, such as coronary artery disease, the presence of buprenorphine (a prescribed opioid medicine) and the ‘acute effects of ketamine’. Suspicions were first raised after Perry's death, as while the actor had been known to participate in regular ketamine therapy, the high levels of the drug found in his system weren't associated with what he had been prescribed medicinally. 

Each of the five people have been accused of providing Perry with unsafe amounts of the drug and for purposely facilitating his addiction as a means of benefiting financially from the late actor. 

"When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a quick way to make money," US Drug Enforcement Administration head Anne Milgram explains during a press told a press conference in LA."That is how he ended up buying from street dealers who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death."

What does ketamine do?

Ketamine was first developed in the sixties as an anaesthetic and pain relief drug, purposes still currently being embraced by veterinarians and medical practitioners. But today, the prevalence of ketamine usage across the globe goes far beyond the operating table, rising in popularity in recent years, both for recreational and medicinal purposes. Various iterations of the drug have recently gained traction in the medical community, being used as a treatment method for a variety of conditions. Here’s why the drug played such a significant role in Perry’s accidental death.

In recent years, the upsurge of recreational ketamine use has seen partygoers embrace the ‘dreamlike’ effects of the drug, despite obtaining unprescribed dosages through illegal means.

For a drug that is colloquially known as ‘horse tranquilliser’, the list of intense physiological effects should hardly come as a surprise to most. When taken recreationally, the drug has been known to promote a relaxed or detached state between mind and body, lower sensitivity to pain and visual and auditory hallucinations.

The unwanted– and invariably dangerous– side effects associated with ketamine use include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, an increased heartbeat, and difficulty moving.

Like many illegal compounds sold for recreational use, it can be almost impossible to know exactly what is mixed in with the drug, potentially increasing the risk of unwanted side effects and overdosing. 

Ketamine has long been used recreationally by party-goers seeking the drug’s ‘dreamlike’ side effects. Image: iStock

The rise of recreational ketamine use

According to statistics provided by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, the age group most embracing the recreational use of the drug is young Aussies in their 20s, with the COVID-19 lockdowns throughout 2020 to 2021 contributing to a 21 per cent rise of ketamine usage alone. 

Several factors are feeding into the steady rise of recreational ketamine use, such as its greater availability and significantly lower cost in comparison to other drugs. 

Taking inspiration from its application in the medical community, Ketamine has also become a popular method of self-medication, with users taking the drug to address anxiety and depression.

In the case of Perry’s accidental death, the coronary report suggests the lethal traces of ketamine found in the actor’s system were likely a result of recreational use, despite his known participation in ketamine infusion therapy. 

Given the drug’s half-life of three to four hours, his most recent medical infusion (one and a half weeks prior) could not possibly have still been in his system. 

Following a thorough psychiatric and physical evaluation, patients may be referred to a clinic to pursue ketamine infusion therapy. Image: iStock

What is ketamine infusion therapy?

As a self-professed recovering addict, Perry claims to have been sober for 19 months, having embraced the benefits of supervised ketamine infusion therapy throughout his pursuit of recovery. 

Given the drug’s known effects, it has been widely popularised in the medical community as a treatment to manage mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and addiction. Following a thorough psychiatric evaluation and referral, the treatments can be recommended to patients who have not responded to antidepressant medication or other treatments.

According to the Black Dog Institute, a low dose of the substance will be injected into the skin (or administered intranasally) during a ketamine infusion therapy session designed to combat depression. 

However, like any treatment plan, each patient’s response to the drug will vary, with no medical practitioner able to guarantee the avoidance of unwanted side effects or the longevity of the drug’s benefits.

Find more information on the side effects and risks associated with ketamine use here.  

Originally published as What is ketamine infusion therapy?