Ketamine: Know About The Drug Found In Matthew Perry’s Body
Friends actor Matthew Perry died from an accidental ketamine overdose, an investigation by medical examiners revealed on Friday
On Friday, a medical examiners' investigation revealed that Matthew Perry, the actor known for his role in Friends, died due to an accidental overdose of ketamine.
As reported, Perry was receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression on alternate days for a certain duration. However, he had reportedly reduced the frequency of these sessions more recently.
Matthew Perry's death could be linked to a potential ketamine overdose, leading to "cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression." Perry's existing health conditions, including diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
American chemist Calvin L Stevens synthesised it in his lab in 1962, which was used as an animal and human anaesthetic in the late 1960s and then in surgeries during the Vietnam war.
It halts transmission of pain in the spinal cord and activates reward pathways of the brain. Hence ketamine began to be used in pain management
Later, It gained recognition as a potential novel therapy for severe depression due to its euphoric characteristics, and physicians started prescribing it to help lift patients out of their depressive states.
Since it is a relaxant, it increases demands on the heart. It speeds up your heart rate and blood pressure but if your arteries are compromised, then they don’t have the ability to keep pace and get stressed, leading to a sudden cardiac arrest.