4 ms·

"The exact method of intake in Mr. Perry's case is unknown. There were trace amounts of ketamine detected in the stomach contents. He was reported to be receivi

"The exact method of intake in Mr. Perry's case is unknown. There were trace amounts of ketamine detected in the stomach contents. He was reported to be receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety. Per the Medical Examiner Investigator’s report, his last known treatment was 1 w weeks Prior to death, and the ketamine in his system at death could | not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is | 3 to 4 hours, or less." "Toxicology testing reveals ketamine levels at 3540 ng/ml (3.54 microgram/ml or mg/L) in a peripheral blood source, and | 3271 ng/ml (3.27 microgram/ml or mg/L) in a central blood source | in Mr. Perry's system. For context, in monitored surgical- | anesthesiologic care, levels for general anesthesia are typically in the 1000-6000 ng/ml ranges"

mrandish 3y ago
Thanks for posting this. After needing to look up "Ketamine Infusion Therapy", I didn't find the further info about half-life, which is exactly what I was wondering. The article mentions something about the source of the Ketamine not being found in the house. Yet, it seems it was probably administered within a few hours of his death. Speculating here, it appears he may have A) been taking additional Ketamine outside of prescribed medical supervision and B) he administered it himself and the person who found him dead disposed of the evidence due to it being unprescribed/illegal or, C) the Ketamine was administered in a 'house call' fashion by an unknown person who departed before intoxicated, semi-conscious Matt decided to get in the hot tub, fell unconscious and went into cardiac arrest. If so, that person is obviously not coming forward due to their illegal activities as well as now potential for manslaughter charges (at minimum). This scenario reminds me of Michael Jackson in that it appears to involve extremely potent anesthesiology drugs being used unsafely by a celebrity who didn't intend to kill themselves and who didn't seem to think they were doing something so recklessly dangerous. It's really sad and, even worse, might lead to further collateral damage if it causes legit medically supervised Ketamine therapy to be even further restricted. It's not like we have much in the way of effective treatments for treatment-resistant major depression and ketamine seems promising.
- clipsy 3y ago
  It's pedantic, I know, but I can't help but point out that by definition we will never have effective treatments for treatment-resistant depression, because every new treatment updates the definition of "treatment-resistant."
  - mrandish 3y ago
    That's okay. I myself am a recovering pedantiholic (there's 12.35 step program for us) :-) Anyway, you are entirely correct. In my defense, I actually did notice that bit of awkwardness as I wrote it but any alternatives seemed less clear.

mrandish 3y ago

Thanks for posting this. After needing to look up "Ketamine Infusion Therapy", I didn't find the further info about half-life, which is exactly what I was wondering. The article mentions something about the source of the Ketamine not being found in the house. Yet, it seems it was probably administered within a few hours of his death. Speculating here, it appears he may have A) been taking additional Ketamine outside of prescribed medical supervision and B) he administered it himself and the person who found him dead disposed of the evidence due to it being unprescribed/illegal or, C) the Ketamine was administered in a 'house call' fashion by an unknown person who departed before intoxicated, semi-conscious Matt decided to get in the hot tub, fell unconscious and went into cardiac arrest. If so, that person is obviously not coming forward due to their illegal activities as well as now potential for manslaughter charges (at minimum). This scenario reminds me of Michael Jackson in that it appears to involve extremely potent anesthesiology drugs being used unsafely by a celebrity who didn't intend to kill themselves and who didn't seem to think they were doing something so recklessly dangerous. It's really sad and, even worse, might lead to further collateral damage if it causes legit medically supervised Ketamine therapy to be even further restricted. It's not like we have much in the way of effective treatments for treatment-resistant major depression and ketamine seems promising.

clipsy 3y ago
It's pedantic, I know, but I can't help but point out that by definition we will never have effective treatments for treatment-resistant depression, because every new treatment updates the definition of "treatment-resistant."
- mrandish 3y ago
  That's okay. I myself am a recovering pedantiholic (there's 12.35 step program for us) :-) Anyway, you are entirely correct. In my defense, I actually did notice that bit of awkwardness as I wrote it but any alternatives seemed less clear.