Elon Musk has been vocal on his platform “X,” formerly known as Twitter, about his use of ketamine. But, in an interview posted Monday with former CNN anchor Don Lemon, Musk delves into the reasons why.
“There are times when I have sort of a negative chemical state in my brain,” Musk tells Lemon, adding that it’s “like depression, I guess.”
Depression is a common mood disorder defined by persistent symptoms such as sadness, a lack of interest in doing anything, and a loss of energy. Situational depression, is a type of short-term depression often brought on by stress, and can lead to similar symptoms, like feeling sad, hopeless, anxious, or irritable, according to the National Institute of Mental Illness.
“Some people are just wired to be happy all the time. Some are unfortunately wired to be sad a lot of the time,” Musk says in the video interview. “In my case, I’m generally pretty positive and optimistic, but once in a while I don’t know what happens … It’s like a brainstorm.”
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO says he has a ketamine prescription and takes a small amount about once every other week. “Ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind,” he says. Sometimes, though, Musk will forgo the dissociative anesthetic for weeks and says he doesn’t think he abuses it or he wouldn’t be able to master his 16-hour work days.
Last year, Musk tweeted a critique of SSRIs, the medication most commonly used to treat depression, and said he found ketamine to be a helpful alternative. “Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people it really is a brain chemistry issue,” he wrote. “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.”
Ketamine—part of the nearly $3 billion global psychedelics economy—has become more popular recreationally and medically, especially among some Silicon Valley elites. Many tout the drug, which has hallucinogenic properties, for enhancing their creativity and helping them find a “deeper self-love.” Recent research also points to how ketamine may help nonpsychotic treatment-resistant depression by increasing a neurotransmitter responsible for mood. In tandem with other mental health interventions like therapy, some experts have incorporated assisted-ketamine treatments into practices.
“Ketamine-assisted therapies can be powerfully transformative for people dealing with some of the more common challenges of everyday life,” Ronan Levy, the CEO of FieldTrip Health, which offers Ketamine-assisted therapies, previously told Fortune. While ketamine can be prescribed by doctors, it isn’t FDA-approved for mental health care treatment or a first approach.
There are also severe side effects of the drug—such as disorientation, confusion, increased blood pressure, and hallucinations, according to the American Addiction Centers. And more, long term impacts are not clear, but there is always the case that somebody can abuse the drug or garner withdrawal symptoms.
When Lemon asks if Musk believes his mental state and ketamine use will impact his government contracts, rights, and clearances in the corporate world, Musk says investors should fear the opposite.
“What matters is execution,” he says. “From an investor standpoint, if there is something I’m taking, I should keep taking it.”
