Five people have been charged and arrested in connection with the actor’s death matthew perry in October 2023. These five include the actor’s personal assistant and two doctors. US Attorney Martin Estrada said the doctors gave Perry large amounts of ketamine and “exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves”. Matthew Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023.

Later, an autopsy report revealed that the actor died from “acute effects of ketamine,” according to the toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said the defendants “took advantage of Mr. Perry’s drug addiction.” Estrada added, “They knew what they were doing was wrong.”

Perry had previously publicly discussed his problems with addiction. At the time of his death, he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression, but investigators found levels of ketamine in the actor’s bloodstream far higher than would be expected from the therapy alone.

The Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration said in May that they were conducting a joint criminal investigation into how Perry obtained the drug and how he had so much of it in his system.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a drug that doctors use as an anesthetic to induce unconsciousness. According to Medical News Today, “Under the Controlled Substances Act, health experts consider ketamine a Schedule III non-narcotic substance.”

This drug is a Schedule III non-narcotic that the FDA has approved for use as a general anesthetic. However, doctors sometimes prescribe it for “off-label” uses, such as depression. Off-label means using the drug to treat conditions that the FDA has not approved.

Some people also use this drug for its hallucinogenic properties. Ketamine can be sedating, incapacitating, and cause short-term memory loss. While ketamine use is safe in controlled medical practice, it becomes dangerous if someone takes it recreationally as it can result in potentially life-threatening adverse effects.

What is the purpose of ketamine?

This drug can be used for a variety of purposes. Here, take a look at the uses of ketamine.

general anesthesia

Doctors use this medication alone or in combination with other general anesthetics such as nitrous oxide to provide general anesthesia. It is used in the emergency department to produce short-term unconsciousness, which is necessary for certain procedures.

Pain treatment

Medical News Today says, “Physicians use lower doses to relieve severe pain from the following conditions that do not cause ablation: trauma, fractures, abdominal pain, pain in an arm or leg, and low back pain.”

Treating Depression

Research in 2017 found that some studies suggest ketamine may quickly relieve depression in people who don’t respond well to other treatments. Despite these positive results, the authors caution that data on ketamine’s use for this condition is limited, so physicians should consider the drug’s risks before prescribing it, reports Medical News Today.

Treating Anxiety

Research on the use of ketamine for anxiety is scarce. However, one study suggests it may help people with social anxiety disorder (SAD).

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