WASHINGTON — "Friends" actor Matthew Perry died of acute effects from ketamine, an autopsy report revealed Friday.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of his pool,” but that it was a secondary factor in his Oct. 28 death, deemed an accident.
Additionally, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, also contributed to the star's death.
People close to Perry told investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is labeled as a "dissociative anesthetic" that can have hallucinogenic effects, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The powerful anesthetic is approved by U.S. health regulators for use during surgery, but in the past decade it has emerged as an experimental treatment for a range of psychiatric and hard-to-treat conditions, including depression, anxiety and chronic pain.
When delivered through an IV, ketamine can cause a rapid increase in heart rate and blood pressure that could be dangerous for some patients.
Is ketamine legal?
Ketamine has been approved by the FDA as an anesthetic for people and animals since 1970.
It is commercially produced in the US and a number of other countries, but most of the ketamine illegally distributed in the U.S. is stolen from veterinary clinics or smuggled into the US from Mexico.
While not approved by regulators as a depression treatment, doctors are free to prescribe drugs these alternate uses if they think their patients could benefit, and hundreds of clinics across the U.S. offer ketamine infusions and other formulations for various health conditions.
The drug causes hallucinations and distorts perceptions of vision and sound. Due to these dissociative properties, ketamine has also become a "club drug" and has several street names such as "Special K" and "Vitamin K," according to the DEA.
Often times, ketamine comes in a liquid form or a white powder, the DEA says. Powdered ketamine is packaged in small glass vials, plastic bags or capsules. Liquid ketamine is injected or mixed into drinks.