Elon Musk used small doses of ketamine for the treatment of depression and sometimes full doses during recreational events, The Wall Street Journal (article beyond paywall) reported Tuesday. Shortly after the publication of the report, the billionaire batted for the occasional use of ketamine to treat depression citing the example of friends in a tweet.
The report quoted people who have witnessed the Tesla CEO microdose or who were told by Musk himself.
“Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people it really is a brain chemistry issue,” Musk tweeted in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “But zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much. From what I’ve seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option.” SSRIs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most common class of drug prescribed for the mental illness.
Ketamine is used by doctors as an anaesthetic which has hallucinogenic effects and can reduce anxiety. The drug is sold as a white powder, dissolved in liquid or in pill form.
Notably, Musk frequently jokes about drugs and often invokes the number 420 due to its association with marijuana. In 2022, the Twitter boss said he and the “whole of SpaceX” had to be drug tested for a year after he famously smoked marijuana during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2018.
Also known as Special K, Musk is not the only tech billionaire who indulges in the recreational use of psychedelics as per the report. Google cofounder Sergey Brin reportedly takes ‘magic mushrooms’, which contain the hallucination-inducing chemical psilocybin. Legal only in Colorado and Oregon, the drug has shown benefits in treating mental health issues during clinical trials.
Musk is the wealthiest man in the world with a $230 billion fortune while Brin is the 11th-richest person with a net worth of $96 billion.
The report added that Founders Fund – the San Francisco-based venture capital firm that has invested in companies like SpaceX, Airbnb, and Spotify, and co-founded by Peter Thiel — have conducted exclusive psychedelic parties for Silicon Valley executives, who engage in its use allegedly to enhance creativity and focus.
