Elon Musk says he takes a small amount of ketamine every other week

• Elon Musk shed light on his drug use and how frequently he uses ketamine.
• He said in an interview with Don Lemon that he took a "small amount once every other week."

Elon Musk revealed for the first time how often he takes ketamine.

The X owner told Don Lemon in an interview released on Monday that he used "a small amount once every other week or something like that," adding, "There are several weeks that'll go by where I don't use it."

Musk said he used ketamine when he had a "negative chemical state" in his brain "like depression," though he added that he didn't believe he had "extended" depression.

Ketamine is an anesthetic that can affect visual and auditory senses and create a "detachment from reality," according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. Some people also use it illegally as a party drug, in powder, liquid, or pill form.

Musk said in an X post in August that he had a prescription for ketamine. The Wall Street Journal had in June published a report on his drug use, citing people who'd witnessed him using the anesthetic and people with knowledge of him taking it.

He said in the post that "occasional use" of ketamine was a "much better option" than taking SSRIs, a type of antidepressant. Musk also said he used it "when my brain chemistry sometimes goes super negative."

When Lemon asked if he abused the drug, Musk responded: "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, the world's third-richest person, said he regularly worked 16-hour days, adding that he can't afford not to be "mentally acute" and that he "can't really get wasted."

Lemon, a former CNN anchor, also asked if Musk feared his ketamine use could affect contracts his companies such as SpaceX have with government agencies, or whether it could affect security clearances or investors' perceptions.

Musk responded: "From a standpoint of Wall Street, what matters is execution. Are you building value for investors? Tesla is worth about as much as the rest of the car industry combined, from nothing, so that's pretty good. As I mentioned, we had the best-selling car on Earth last year. So from investors' standpoint, if there is something I'm taking, I should keep taking it."

Tesla's market value is about $524 billion, but its stock has fallen by a third since the start of this year.

Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider made outside normal working hours.