Local doctor explains how ketamine is used after death of actor Matthew Perry

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry is shedding new light on the use of ketamine. The drug has been around for decades and is being used to treat mental health issues. A doctor from Baystate Health explained what the drug is used for and why it can be dangerous.

Ketamine is a pharmaceutical that is often used in veterinary clinics or during surgeries as a sedative anesthetic, but it can also help with pain. Recently there has been research into the medicine helping with depression, mental health problems and acute or chronic pain.

However, where other medications are dose dependent with their side effects, meaning if you are given more, you expect to see more side effects, Ketamine is different.

“With Ketamine, we know that there can be serious side effects and life threatening side effects at any dose,” explained Sarah Kleinschmidt, an Emergency Care Physician at Baystate Health. “And, so the standard of care is to only give Ketamine in a setting when we have rescue medications and where we have rescue equipment in case somebody has those serious side effects. And we can’t always predict based on the dose or based on the person, who will experience those side effects.”

Kleinschmidt said that it is not common to have side effects at the lower doses, but it is possible. She also said Ketamine is not recommended for recreational use due to those dangerous side effects.

At Baystate, they use Ketamine in a 1-to-1 with the nurse monitoring the patient, along with respiratory and cardiac monitors, and then of course the rescue medication and equipment in case side effects occur.

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