We know what caused Chandler Bing’s disappearance. The death of actor Matthew Perry, star of the series “Friends”, on October 28, was caused by “the acute effects” of taking ketamine, the Los County forensic pathology office announced Friday. Angeles.
“With the high levels of ketamine found in post-mortem blood samples, the main lethal effects are believed to come from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory failure,” the report said. But what are the effects of this substance? In what context is this medication used and what are the consequences of its misuse as a drug? 20 minutes explains to you.
What is ketamine?
Ketamine is originally a medicine. It is “an anesthetic agent used for short-term interventions”, specifies the government in its public drug database. It “also allows, thanks to repeated injections or its use as an intravenous infusion, to obtain prolonged anesthesia lasting several hours”.
And “ketamine has also been used for several years to treat intractable pain in palliative care, or even chronic pain,” specifies the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). To date, ketamine “is classified on the list of narcotics, insists the health agency. All medications containing ketamine are narcotic drugs. Their prescription is therefore limited to 28 days, written in full and on a secure prescription. And these medications are reserved for hospital use.”
Ketamine is also used in veterinary surgery, as a fast-acting anesthetic and analgesic.
Why was it diverted into drugs and what are its effects?
“The psychotropic properties of ketamine mean that this substance is also used for non-medical use,” responds the ANSM. In this context, “(it) is most often snorted in powder form”, specifies Drugs info service. In the evening, consumers talk about it under other names: special K, K, chum, ké, kéké, Kate or even pony drug.
“The effects usually sought by consumers, described by them as pleasant or pleasant, are sensations of euphoria, floating, unreality, colorful dreams, perceptions of psychedelic images or mystical revelations,” explains the Respaddaddiction prevention network.
At high doses, “it causes hallucinogenic and dissociative effects, distorted visions of people and objects, a feeling that time stops and a loss of physical sensation of one’s body. At this stage, the user may feel a loss of balance, adds Drogues info service. And by further increasing the dose, decorporation is clearly felt, the user has the impression of leaving their body. Sometimes the user’s body is anesthetized, which prevents them from moving and speaking. In practice, the total duration of the effects is between 40 minutes and 4 hours,” continues the national remote help service for drugs and addictions. A duration, however, difficult to specify, “because ketamine causes a loss of sense of time”.
What are the risks ?
Ketamine can “cause a “bad trip” which manifests itself as anxiety, distressing hallucinations, delusional outbursts, or even panic attacks,” warns Drugs Info Service.
It can also cause “a “K-hole” or “black hole”, which can occur with a high dose, particularly in the case of association with alcohol”. An experience described as “very distressing and traumatic, which manifests itself in a total loss of bearings, an inability to move and speak, a distressing sensation of dissociation of body and mind and intense and frightening hallucinations”.
In addition, chronic and repeated use of ketamine can lead to the occurrence of severe urinary diseases, sometimes irreversible, but also cause “intense abdominal pain, also called “K-pain”, “K-cramps”, ranging from simple pain abdominal pain with intense colic, warns Drugs info service. But also sometimes irreversible kidney failure, liver diseases and short and long-term memory problems.” And “only taking very high doses can cause heart failure”, which could be the case for Matthew Perry.
What is its addictive power?
Regular ketamine users can develop an addiction. And tolerance, or the need to increase intake to feel the effects, which can appear quickly.
To date, “the use of ketamine for recreational purposes is spreading widely in many Western countries,” observes Respadd. In France, “the monitoring of data relating to abuse, dependence, misuse and trafficking by the CEIP-A network (Assessment and Information Centers on Drug Dependence-Addictovigilance) dates back to 1997,” specifies the ANSM in its latest survey on the subject. We are observing an increase in the number of users, whether for festive use, a pain context or a Chemsex context). And a “new fact” appears: “use among minors, who now represent 4% of users”.