Insights from Celebrities and Doctors on Ketamine Therapy

Stars such as Matthew Perry, Chrissy Teigen, and others have openly discussed their use of ketamine infusion therapy for mental health treatment.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes ketamine as a “dissociative anesthetic with some hallucinogenic effects,” capable of inducing a state of sedation, immobility, pain relief, and amnesia.

Although it has been used recreationally for decades, ketamine is an “approved medical product as an injectable, short-acting anesthetic for humans and animals, as well as a nasal spray (Spravato) for treatment-resistant depression,” according to the DEA. The nasal spray esketamine, sold under the brand name Spravato, is specifically indicated for patients dealing with treatment-resistant depression.

In October 2023, the FDA issued a warning against using ketamine in non-injectable forms for psychiatric disorders, citing safety concerns such as “risks of sedation, dissociation, psychiatric events or worsening of psychiatric disorders, abuse and misuse, increases in blood pressure, and respiratory depression.”

According to Dr. Eric Schwenk from Thomas Jefferson University, “The literature on nasal and oral formulations is quite limited,” as he mentioned to the Associated Press in November 2023. “There’s simply not enough reliable evidence to guide you.”

Even though research and regulations concerning ketamine therapy are scant, its usage has surged in recent years.

Continue reading to discover what celebrities and medical experts have expressed about ketamine.

Chrissy Teigen

In December 2023, Chrissy Teigen shared that she celebrated her 38th birthday by undergoing ketamine therapy, where she reportedly saw her late son, Jack. (Teigen and her husband, John Legend, faced the loss of their child in September 2020 when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant.)

“I had a truly beautiful birthday 🥹 I visited my friends at @flamingo_estate, had a wonderful lunch, then did ketamine therapy where I saw space, time, baby Jack, and some peculiar penguins, and I cried and cried,” she posted on Instagram alongside a series of photos. “Then I spent time with my kids, enjoyed hot pot, and relaxed with my best friend.”

Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry, who was candid about his battles with addiction, discussed his experience with ketamine therapy in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. While he reflected on his time using the substance, he ultimately criticized its use.

“Ketamine felt like a massive sigh of relief. They would bring me into a room, sit me down, put on headphones so I could listen to music, blindfold me, and insert an IV,” he wrote about the ketamine therapy experience. “Often, I thought I was dying during that hour. Oh, I concluded, this is what dying must feel like. Yet I kept signing up for it because anything different seemed good.”

Perry further likened the experience to “being struck in the head with a giant happy shovel,” but noted that “the hangover was harsh and overshadowed the shovel effect. Ketamine just wasn’t right for me.”

Perry passed away in October 2023 due to the “acute effects of ketamine.” He was 54 years old. (In August 2024, five individuals were arrested in relation to his death, facing charges including conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and altering and falsifying records linked to a federal investigation.)

Dr. Gerard Sanacora

After a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology indicated that individuals receiving ketamine IVs at private clinics experienced “significant improvements” in anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, Dr. Gerard Sanacora told CNN that the substance could be an effective treatment for some mental health challenges.

“I argue that this is an incredibly vital addition to our arsenal against severe mood disorders and psychiatric illnesses, but it must be administered responsibly and cautiously,” said Sanacora, a psychiatry professor at Yale School of Medicine, in December 2023.

He noted the insufficient information about adverse effects is “disheartening,” emphasizing that ketamine carries “unique risks, both for individuals and society.”

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne opened up about her ketamine therapy experience, which she turned to in order to cope with the depression and anxiety caused by her dismissal from The Talk in March 2021. The host of “The Osbournes Podcast” was let go after accusations of using racist, homophobic, and bullying language towards former co-hosts. She faced significant backlash for defending Piers Morgan over his controversial remarks regarding Meghan Markle’s mental health.

“I most definitely went through a tough time initially,” she said in an interview with Daily Mail in September of that year. “I felt embarrassed. The humiliation of being perceived as a racist was difficult. I underwent three months of therapy, including ketamine treatment, and released all my pent-up emotions. All the tears and feelings I had—it’s all gone.”

Dr. Peter Grinspoon

Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an educator at Harvard Medical School, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using ketamine for “treatment-resistant depression” in February 2024.

Grinspoon emphasized that ketamine is not a primary treatment option for depression, encouraging individuals to consult their doctors about its appropriateness, as it’s often easier to determine who should not undergo ketamine treatment.

He expressed, “Severe, treatment-resistant depression can take away all hope for recovery and healing. Ketamine has the potential to offer relief and hope for patients who have not found success with other methods.”

Halsey

Halsey shared her experience with ketamine therapy for PTSD and postpartum depression during an episode of the “She MD” podcast in August 2024.

“People have varied experiences—some cry, others laugh, and some re-experience past traumas. For me, during my first session, I revisited old traumas before I fell ill, and it felt like my mind was communicating with me, saying, ‘You don’t need to dwell on this; you’ve moved past it.’ I thought, ‘Oh, alright.’ Then, I transitioned to more recent issues,” she detailed.

She added, “I don’t believe I had any identity-altering experiences in a negative sense. I felt genuinely happy.”

Elon Musk

Elon Musk discussed his experiences with ketamine in a March 2024 interview with former CNN host Don Lemon.

“There are moments when I find myself in a negative mental state, such as depression without any apparent triggering events, and ketamine helps shift my perspective and lift me out of that negativity,” Musk explained to Lemon. He noted that he has a prescription for the drug from “a legitimate doctor” and utilizes “a small amount once every two weeks.”

Lamar Odom

Following a life-threatening overdose in 2015, which resulted in 12 seizures and six strokes, Lamar Odom discussed the role of ketamine in aiding his recovery from addiction during a 2021 interview with Good Morning America.

“I went to rehab and explored various options, but ketamine arrived in my life just when I needed it,” Odom revealed. “I feel fantastic. I’m alive, sober, and happy.”

Tyler Baltierra

Teen Mom OG star Tyler Baltierra, who has engaged in therapy throughout his adult life, has been candid about his use of ketamine therapy, even inviting cameras to document his session with Los Angeles psychotherapist Mike Dow.

“There are two versions: the IV method, which provides a slow drip for a milder effect, and then there’s the injection method I experienced, which hits hard and fast,” he shared with Yahoo Life in 2023.

Baltierra expressed that he “needed something deeper and more intense” to delve into the “root of my trauma.”

“People have varied reactions to it, but for me, it was a dreamlike, hallucinatory state that felt very intense,” he described.

Of his therapy, he noted, “It was incredibly visual for me, which was beneficial because even while meditating, I require visualization. I knew that potential existed within me, but ketamine unlocked it—it allowed me to enter a meditative state within five seconds.”

Molly O’Connell

Southern Charm star Molly O’Connell has utilized ketamine therapy to combat depression and anxiety.

“I was in a really tough spot a few years back, and began doing ketamine infusions,” O’Connell shared on “The Viall Files” podcast in January 2025. “I visit a clinic where they attach an IV filled with ketamine. A friend once told me, ‘It’s as if you step outside and everything becomes vibrant again. It invites light back into your life.’ After experiencing it, I felt as though my mind was saying, ‘You should engage more in activities that bring you joy. Life is worth living.’ I was genuinely in a dark state.”

Ciara Miller

Summer House star Ciara Miller disclosed in a February 2026 episode of “The Squeeze” podcast that she had undergone four sessions of ketamine therapy due to social anxiety.

“It’s a fast-paced journey,” Miller remarked. “It begins with an IV infusion, which is quick, but I tend to get motion sickness easily. Though it is a dissociative anesthetic, I believe it is effective. I completed four sessions, but you really have to let go of control to benefit from it; surrendering is a challenge.”

Jamie Lynn Sigler

The Sopranos alum Jamie Lynn Sigler discussed her ketamine therapy experiences during a May 2026 conversation on her “MeSsy” podcast with her therapist.

“I think we first discussed our initial ketamine session together. During that session, we talked about the formation of new neural pathways,” Sigler remembered. “These lead to new possibilities and ways of thinking. You guided me to envision it like a waterfall where my typical thoughts and behaviors carve their path down the mountain.”

She continued, “However, during our journey with ketamine, I might have created a few alternative paths along that mountain. Now, I can pause and recognize detrimental old patterns and consciously direct my thoughts down these new, beneficial trajectories.”

“And that’s the practice; that’s the work,” she concluded. “But it has transformed into being more of my subconscious habit.”