Matthew Perry was “reportedly clean for 19 months” before his death, according to an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE from the Los Angeles County Coroner.
The Friends The alum practiced ketamine infusion therapy and his last treatment took place “a week and a half before” his death, according to the report. However, the coroner noted that “the ketamine in his body at the time of death could not have been from that infusion therapy, since the half-life of ketamine is 3 to 4 hours or less.”
Ketamine is “a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects,” according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. It “distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and out of control” and “can induce a state of sedation (a feeling of calmness and relaxation), immobility, pain relief and amnesia.”
Matthew Perry’s cause of death determined: Friends Actor died from ‘acute effects of ketamine’
Matthew Perry.
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An autopsy revealed that Perry died from the acute effects of the drug. Drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (a drug used to treat opioid use disorder) were also cited as contributing factors to his death, which was ruled accidental.
His death was by “an unknown route of drug ingestion” and he was found unresponsive “in a residential swimming pool,” according to the coroner. Although there were prescription drugs and loose pills at Perry’s residence, the autopsy found that “nothing was reported near the pool,” nor any drugs “found near the pool.”
Matthew Perry’s Lasting Legacy: How He Won Our Hearts and Found a Mission to Help Others With Addiction
An autopsy also found no signs of fatal trauma or suspected incapacitation.
“In addition to the high levels of ketamine found in his post-mortem blood samples, the main lethal effects would have been cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the coroner said in the report. “Drowning contributes due to the probability of submersion in the pool because he passed out.”
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Matthew Perry.
Mike Pont/WireImage
Matthew Perry Dead: Read Friends The 2022 PEOPLE cover star interviewed about his addiction and memoir
On October 28, Perry was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. He was 54 years old.
During his life, 17 Again star has been vocal about her battle with addiction. In his memoirs from 2022. Friends, lovers and the big scary thinghe opened up about his journey with sobriety and a sense of pride he felt in staying clean.
“I wanted to share when I’m safe from going to the dark side again,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “I had to wait until I was fairly sober—and far from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction—to write it all down. I was pretty sure it would help people if I did.”
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Before his untimely death, the late actor was hatching plans to start a foundation to help people with addiction problems. Perry’s family eventually carried out those plans by establishing a foundation in his name after his death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Source: HIS Education