Matthew Perry's troubled relationship with Ketamine: From memoir to tragic end

A year before his death, Matthew Perry revealed his fondness for ketamine therapy but also acknowledged its drawbacks.

In his 2022 memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," Matthew Perry candidly discussed his experience with ketamine therapy for depression. He described enjoying the drug's dissociative effects, likening it to "being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel." Despite feeling a sense of peace and ego dissolution, Perry also mentioned the "rough" hangover, ultimately deciding ketamine wasn't for him.

Tragically, a year later, Perry died from the "acute effects of ketamine" and subsequent drowning. Court documents reveal he received multiple ketamine injections from his assistant on the day of his death. Five individuals, including two doctors and his assistant, have been charged in connection with his passing, accused of illegally supplying the drug.

Perry's openness about his struggles with addiction in his memoir aimed to help others. Unfortunately, his story took a devastating turn, highlighting the dangers of substance abuse even when seeking treatment.