What Is Ketamine?
2024-08-22
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1An investigation into the death of American actor Matthew Perry has led to criminal charges against five people.
2Perry, a star of the popular television series Friends, died suddenly in October.
3He was 54.
4Doctors who examined his body after death said Perry died from an overdose of the powerful drug ketamine.
5Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic.
6The drug is often used to put people into a deep sleep for medical operations, also called surgery.
7The treatment is called general anesthesia.
8A doctor can inject the drug into a muscle or through a liquid flow directly into a patient's veins.
9The drug's chemistry is similar to the recreational drug called PCP.
10Some people use ketamine recreationally for its euphoric effects.
11It can cause hallucinations and can affect breathing and the heart.
12The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ketamine for use only for general anesthesia.
13However, American doctors are free to prescribe drugs for treatments other than those approved by the FDA. This is known as off-label use.
14Ketamine use has seen a huge, fast rise in recent years as a treatment for pain and mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety.
15Perry was using it to treat depression.
16His usual doctors were treating him with what is called ketamine infusion therapy.
17However, investigators say the actor turned to other sources when his doctors refused to give him as much as he wanted.
18Last week, government lawyers said Perry got ketamine illegally through a group that included two doctors, Perry's assistant and a woman they identified as the "Ketamine Queen."
19Perry's assistant injected the actor with ketamine - including several times on the day Perry died.
20Emergency medical workers also sometimes use ketamine to sedate people who appear to be out of control, aggressive or a threat to themselves or others.
21Some states and agencies around the country have begun to reconsider this use of ketamine because of the drug's health risks.
22In 2019, an American court found two emergency medical workers guilty in the overdose killing of a teenager in Colorado.
23The medical team injected the man with a deadly amount of ketamine during a police operation.
24An Associated Press investigation found that, generally, use of ketamine and similar drugs as a policing or security tool has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years.
25I'm Caty Weaver.
1An investigation into the death of American actor Matthew Perry has led to criminal charges against five people. Perry, a star of the popular television series Friends, died suddenly in October. He was 54. Doctors who examined his body after death said Perry died from an overdose of the powerful drug ketamine. 2So what is ketamine? 3Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic. The drug is often used to put people into a deep sleep for medical operations, also called surgery. The treatment is called general anesthesia. A doctor can inject the drug into a muscle or through a liquid flow directly into a patient's veins. 4The drug's chemistry is similar to the recreational drug called PCP. Some people use ketamine recreationally for its euphoric effects. It can cause hallucinations and can affect breathing and the heart. 5Ketamine becomes popular 6The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ketamine for use only for general anesthesia. However, American doctors are free to prescribe drugs for treatments other than those approved by the FDA. This is known as off-label use. 7Ketamine use has seen a huge, fast rise in recent years as a treatment for pain and mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety. 8Perry was using it to treat depression. His usual doctors were treating him with what is called ketamine infusion therapy. However, investigators say the actor turned to other sources when his doctors refused to give him as much as he wanted. 9Last week, government lawyers said Perry got ketamine illegally through a group that included two doctors, Perry's assistant and a woman they identified as the "Ketamine Queen." Perry's assistant injected the actor with ketamine - including several times on the day Perry died. 10How else is ketamine being used? 11Emergency medical workers also sometimes use ketamine to sedate people who appear to be out of control, aggressive or a threat to themselves or others. Some states and agencies around the country have begun to reconsider this use of ketamine because of the drug's health risks. 12In 2019, an American court found two emergency medical workers guilty in the overdose killing of a teenager in Colorado. The medical team injected the man with a deadly amount of ketamine during a police operation. 13An Associated Press investigation found that, generally, use of ketamine and similar drugs as a policing or security tool has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years. 14I'm Caty Weaver. 15The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 16_______________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18overdose -n. a lethal or toxic amount (as of a drug) 19euphoric -adj. marked by a feeling of great happiness and excitement: characterized by, based on, or producing euphoria 20hallucination -n. the awareness of something (as a visual image, a sound, or a smell) that seems to be experienced through one of the senses but is not real, cannot be sensed by someone else, and is usually the result of mental illness or the effect of a drug 21prescribe -v. to write or give medical orders, such as for drugs or other treatments 22sedate -v to dose with sedatives, drugs that can make people sleep 23We want to hear from you. 24Our comment policy is here.