02/06/2024
The death of the actor Matthew Perry was shocking and tragic news. It also brought up important questions — especially for those of us who work professionally with the drug Ketamine. Since I am a supporter of the clinical use of ketamine, I thought I'd chime in with my educated view on the topic. Granted, I'm not a pharmacological expert, but I know enough about how ketamine works to understand how it may have contributed to this high-profile untimely death.
First, Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic — it was designed to disconnect the body from the mind so that soldiers on the battlefield being treated for their injuries had a safe method to receive surgical care. It is also used for children who break their arms and are inconsolable in the ER during the bone reset process and need some peace. In these two examples, the dose of ketamine is exceptionally high — but at the same time, the dose is also exceptionally safe. Why? Because a healthcare professional is administering it! A drug with a dose level that elicits loss of consciousness should not be taken while the person taking it is alone. Never. Secondly, for people with heart/ cardiovascular conditions, Ketamine is only prescribed with a great deal of caution. Matthew Perry was diagnosed with coronary artery disease (a cardiovascular condition). He was receiving IV Ketamine treatment from a medical facility — the ONLY situation where a person with a cardiovascular condition MIGHT be considered for Ketamine...and that is ONLY because he would not be alone, but under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Third, Matthew Perry was mixing Ketamine with Buprenorphine — which he was clearly using to treat his opioid addiction. Also known as Suboxone, this is a medicine used to treat narcotic dependence and has side effects that include: feeling sleepy, dizzy, and vertigo. Suboxone can also be considered a safe drug, but only when a person prescribed this drug is under closely supervised treatment — which they typically are. When I worked in a methadone clinic, the people receiving care with methadone or suboxone were carefully monitored daily — and only under very thoughtful evaluation were patients provided with a take-home form of the medicine. Lastly, put a person with a cardiovascular condition, taking suboxone and mixing a street-curated version of ketamine IN A HOT TUB BY HIMSELF, it is no wonder he is no longer with us. In my opinion, with proper care and supervision, this was a preventable tragedy.
Ketamine, although it is an extremely safe treatment (and generally safe for most people), is still a medication that needs to be respected and its use monitored by healthcare professionals. I use Ketamine in my practice at Movement Mindfulness Medicine treating people with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, as well as PTSD. The medicine is prescribed by a medical professional who spends time evaluating whether or not this treatment is appropriate for each individual. The medicine session itself happens under the care and guidance of a trained and state-licensed facilitator (me) and at a dose that is very tiny compared to that which is prescribed in an infusion clinic. Safety is the number one priority in healthcare: DO NO HARM.
Education is key to the safe use of any drug for whatever purpose. This is why I plan to offer a free webinar answering your questions about the safety and efficacy of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and specific questions about group-based
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Please DM me with questions or if you are interested in attending. You may also find more information on my website:
https://movementmindfulnessmedicine.com
Artist: damian israel shiner
