Autopsy report reveals that the 'Friends' actor had a mix of nicotine lollipops, ketamine and testosterone shots in the final weeks leading to his death on October 28.
- Dec 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - More details of Matthew Perry's final days have been unearthed, more than one month after his sudden passing. The actor apparently wasn't in good spirits as the side effect of testosterone shots which he was getting in the weeks leading up to his tragic death.
According to Page Six which obtained the autopsy report, a friend said the regular injections of the male hormone left the "Friends" alum "angry and mean." It's unclear why he was getting the injections, but it wasn't the only prescription that he had been taking prior to his passing.
Aside from a lethal amount of ketamine mixed with the opioid-like drug buprenorphine, the 54-year-old actor had been taking Tammoxifen to lose weight, antidiabetic medication and nicotine lollipops, which he seemingly took as he tried to quit smoking. The medical examiner's report further hinted at how the actor heavily relied on prescribed and over-the-counter medication to maintain his quality of life.
"In the assistant's bedroom, there were multiple open, empty, half-filled medication bottles prescribed to the decedent, as well as over-the-counter medications, vitamins, digestive aids and dishes filled with multiple various loose pills, tablets, caplets, candy and breath mints," the report read. In Matthew's own bedroom, there were "prescribed ointments, digestive aids and oral rinses."
As reported before, Matthew's cause of death was revealed to be "acute effects of ketamine." The "17 Again" star, who was reportedly sober for 19 months before his death, had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression but his final session was over a week before he died, meaning the drug in his system was not from his treatment. The report stated "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."
Other circumstances that contributed to his death included the effects of buprenorphine, drowning, and coronary artery disease. "At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression," the report stated. "Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart. Buphrenorphine effects are listed as contributory, even though not at toxic levels, due to the additive respiratory effects when present with high levels of ketamine."
Matthew was found face-down and unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28. He was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in L.A. following a funeral on November 3.
