What is ketamine, the drug that caused the death of Matthew Perry – 12/17/2023 – Health

Los Angeles County coroners concluded Friday that “high levels of ketamine” found in the blood samples of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry caused his death on October 28.

Perry, according to experts, may have experienced the “acute and lethal effects” of this drug, such as “cardiovascular overstimulation or respiratory depression.”

Ketamine is a drug used in medicine and veterinary medicine for its sedative properties, although its hallucinogenic effects also make it a dangerous compound when consumed as a recreational substance.

In the medical community itself, although it is widely used as an anesthetic, sedative and analgesic, ketamine generates a diversity of opinions due to its strong dissociative properties.

In 2019, a derivative of the drug was approved in the United States and the European Union for severe cases of depression that did not respond to other treatments.

And other recent studies have explored its potential use for treating addictions like alcoholism.

However, many have raised concerns due to a lack of broader medical evidence regarding these uses.

BBC News Mundo gives more details about this medicine.

What is ketamine used for in medicine?

In the British National Health System (NHS) and in public services in other countries, ketamine is used as a sedative, anesthetic and analgesic.

It also has widespread use in sedating animals.

The first molecule was synthesized in 1962 by the team led by professor Calvin Lee Stevens, from Wayne State University, in Michigan, United States.

Two years later, this molecule was tested during a clinical trial and was quickly introduced into clinical practice as an anesthetic.

In recent years, several studies have explored the use of ketamine to treat addiction and severe cases of depression.

In 2019, University College London published an experimental study that revealed that even a small dose of ketamine could help reduce alcohol intake, although it recommended that more research be done.

In the same year, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission approved that esketamine, a ketamine derivative, could be administered as a nasal spray, in conjunction with another oral antidepressant.

The intention was to treat severe cases of depression in adults who had tried other treatments but failed to benefit from them.

This approval was given despite several criticisms about the limitations of medical evidence in this regard.

What effects does ketamine have on the body?

Known as “Special K” or “Kit Kat”, ketamine is also sold illegally and used as a recreational drug due to its hallucinogenic effects.

It looks like a white granular powder and reduces sensation in the body, putting the consumer at risk of injury.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) notes that “ketamine distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and out of control.”

“This makes patients feel separated from their pain and environment,” he adds.

The drug also induces sedative states, making users feel calm and relaxed. The experience can still cause episodes of amnesia.

“In low doses, it produces a state similar to alcohol, with difficulty speaking or walking, and can also induce states of euphoria that can last from 15 minutes to 2 or 3 hours”, Bruno García Mendive, specialist in anesthesiology and extensive resuscitation work experience in Cuba and Spain.

“Combined with alcohol, it can cause respiratory depression and cardiac arrest. Hence the danger of its free and uncontrolled use, with great risks of mortality if there is no means of resuscitation for these complications”, he adds.

“Ketamine has also been used to facilitate sexual assault,” comments the DEA.

Other effects include agitation, depression, cognitive difficulties, unconsciousness, rapid eye movements, dilated pupils, salivation, tear secretions, muscle stiffness and possible nausea.

The NHS also notes that bladder damage is common in people who use illegal ketamine recreationally.

Furthermore, in Brazil the Drug Law currently provides that it is a crime to acquire, store or transport illicit drugs for personal consumption, as well as cultivating plants for this purpose.

There is no provision for imprisonment for this crime. The penalties provided for in this case are “warning about the effects of drugs”, “providing services to the community” and/or “educational measure of attendance at an educational program or course”.

Why does ketamine cause mixed opinions?

Since it began to be applied in medicine, the use of ketamine has divided defenders and critics, according to an article published by the US National Institutes of Health.

García Mendive highlights that the strong dissociation that ketamine can cause when administered as anesthesia generates conflict among experts, making it necessary to use other medications to neutralize this side effect.

This is why many in the industry prefer to use other anesthetics and choose to avoid ketamine in many procedures.

As with the potential antidepressant effects of other substances, such as hallucinogenic mushrooms, media coverage of ketamine also raises warning signs.

This year, a group of researchers led by Nicollette Thornton from the University of Sydney in Australia concluded that ketamine was represented in the media in an “extremely positive” light. This was done with little reference to “long-term efficacy and safety” and with quotes from opinion leaders being “overly optimistic compared to the existing evidence base”.

This text was originally published here.