Matthew Perry Described Ketamine Euphoria In His Memoir Before His Death
By Afouda Bamidele on August 23, 2024 at 9:00 AM EDT
The signs of Matthew Perry's toxic relationship with ketamine were revealed two years before his death.
The "Friends" star opened up about the effects of the drug that eventually killed him in his 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." He began ketamine treatments to help his anxiety and depression.
Matthew Perry passed away from the "acute effects of ketamine," a tragic loss orchestrated by at least five people. The list included two doctors, two drug distributors, and the actor's longtime live-in assistant.
What Did Matthew Perry Think About Ketamine Before His Death?
According to a snippet of Perry's 2022 biography, using ketamine felt like "being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel." He described the treatment process in great detail, writing:
"Ketamine felt like a giant exhale. They'd bring me into a room, sit me down, put headphones on me so I would listen to music, blindfold me, and put an IV in."
"[It] has my name written all over it — they might as well have called it 'Matty,'" Perry claimed, noting he became a fan of ketamine because of its hallucinogenic effects. He recalled the drug made him often "disassociate" and "see things."
"I'd been in therapy for so long that I wasn't even freaked out by this. Oh, there's a horse over there? Fine — might as well be," he wrote, per PageSix, adding: "As the music played and the K ran through me, it all became about the ego and the death of the ego."
Perry Thought He Was 'Dying' During His Treatments
Besides the hallucinogenic effects of ketamine, Perry confessed that the treatment made him feel like he was at death's door. He explained that doctors used a combination of [anxiety medication] Ativan and ketamine during his hour-long therapy sessions.
"I often thought that I was dying during that hour. 'Oh,' I thought, 'this is what happens when you die,'" Perry revealed, noting that despite these concerning emotions, he couldn't stop using ketamine. In his words:
"Yet I would continually sign up for this sh-t because it was something different, and anything different is good."
These signs of his dependence on ketamine matched reports that claimed Perry had been "spiraling out of control with his addiction" before his death. He allegedly struggled with his demons despite previous claims of him being sober for years.
The Actor Was Found Unconscious Multiple Times Before His Death
More revelations about Perry's death broke earlier this week, with The Blast sharing that he was found "unconscious" in the weeks leading to his death. His longtime assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, shared the details with authorities.
Iwamasa confessed he found the late actor "unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions," yet that didn't stop him from administering the fatal shot of ketamine that killed him.
He recalled injecting Perry with "significant quantities of ketamine," about "6-8 shots per day." On the day he died, Iwamasa revealed he administered a ketamine dose around 8:30 a.m. and a second shot at 12:45 p.m.
Later in the day, Perry allegedly asked Iwamasa to prepare his jacuzzi and "shoot [him] up with a big one" about 40 minutes later. Following the injection, the former assistant left to run errands only to find the actor's lifeless body upon his return.
The Doctors Involved In Perry's Death Lose Their Prescription Privileges
Five people have been arrested and charged with Perry's death — Iwamasa, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Dr. Mark Chavez, a drug dealer named Erik Fleming, and Jasveen Sangha, aka "The Ketamine Queen."
The Blast reported that the two doctors involved in the case had received their first punishment for letting greed overshadow their Hippocratic oath. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration issued the removal of Plasencia and Chavez's prescription privileges.
Their licenses to prescribe drugs of any kind have officially been stripped while their medical licenses remain in danger. The CA medical board has launched investigations into Plasencia and Chavez to determine if their doctor privileges would be revoked.
Matthew Perry Reportedly Explored Other Drugs
Besides his frequent use of ketamine, Perry allegedly enjoyed a slew of other drugs. Investigations uncovered that the girls he patronized on popular hookup apps supplied him with these substances.
Sources close to the late actor claimed "he would meet girls on dating apps and have them come over. There was a slew of 21 to 25-year-olds that he would meet on Raya. They would bring drugs with them."
The young women were reportedly not subjected to a thorough search before entering Perry's home because nurses and companions in a patient's residence "do not have the same permissions as in an institution."
What shocking news will authorities uncover next as the investigation into Matthew Perry's death continues?
