From an investor standpoint, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said, “if there is something I’m taking, I should keep taking it.”
In a new interview, Elon Musk said prescription ketamine has been helpful in treating his occasional depressive episodes and suggested that taking the drug has been beneficial for investors in his companies.
Musk, speaking with former CNN anchor Don Lemon in an interview that was posted online Monday, claimed that he takes a “small amount once every other week” — sometimes less frequently — to treat what he described as “chemical tides” that can cause his depression.
“Ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind,” the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive told Lemon.
Musk was asked by Lemon whether ketamine could “get in the way” of his government contracts and his standing on Wall Street. Musk said no, then echoed language he has used in the past to explain his drug use.
“From the standpoint of Wall Street, what matters is execution,” the technology mogul said. “Are you building value for investors?” He then went on to tout Tesla’s valuation and sales. “From an investor standpoint, he said, “if there is something I’m taking, I should keep taking it.”
Musk added that he originally mentioned his prescription ketamine use on X “because I thought, maybe this is something that could help other people.”
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X’s verified corporate account confirmed that the company had decided it would not “enter into a commercial partnership” with Lemon’s show, but that the former CNN anchor was still welcome to publish his content on the social media service.
Lemon was fired from CNN last April. X said in January that it had made a deal with him as part of what the company billed as a push to expand video offerings. The platform also teamed up with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and sports radio host Jim Rome.
Musk’s use of ketamine was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. In one article on the topic, the newspaper reported that some Tesla and SpaceX executives were concerned about the billionaire tycoon’s use of drugs.
Lemon asked Musk whether he ever “abuses” ketamine, which the billionaire said he is taking under a doctor’s supervision. Musk replied: “I don’t think so. If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work.”
Musk’s comments about ketamine are notable, in part, because he has previously cast aspersions on other drugs that are used to treat depression.
In a tweet in April 2022, for example, Musk said he believes that the prescription antidepressant Wellbutrin should be “taken off the market.” In response to that post, health care professionals defended the drug’s effectiveness and safety.
