Elon Musk’s alleged drug use on the campaign trail was said to be on “a much larger and more serious scale” than previously thought, an insider has revealed.
A New York Times report published on Friday claimed Musk carried a box of narcotics around with him everywhere he went on the campaign trail, which is said to have contained Adderall and a number of other drugs. The billionaire also allegedly told people he was a chronic ketamine user—which had led him to develop severe bladder problems—and a frequent user of ecstasy and magic mushrooms.
Given Musk’s outsized and influential role in the early days of the second Trump administration, the effect drugs may have played on influencing his erratic behaviour—which has seen him mumble through interviews, throw an alleged Nazi salute on stage and appear to be going through dissociative episodes during public functions—cannot be understated.
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Here is a list of the drugs Musk is alleged to have taken while he was associated with Donald Trump, and the effects they may have on the body and mind.
Ketamine
Musk was reportedly taking ketamine daily around the time he began to endorse Trump for president, which can lead to psychological dissociation.
“If you’ve used too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work,” Musk told CNN in 2024. He’s right—the drug encourages you to feel distant from your surroundings, which can become tilted or warped. The drug also causes surges in dopamine and serotonin, which can lead to wild mood swings, according to the Priory Group.
Chronic ketamine use can also have a devastating effect on the bladder, and cause the user to develop a condition known as ketamine-associated cystitis. This can cause the user to develop an intense and urgent need to urinate after ingesting only a tiny amount of liquid, accompanied by pelvic pain and a burning sensation. Musk is reported to have told people that he was suffering bladder-related side effects.
Long-term and chronic effects can cause severe damage to the kidneys and liver, as well as an increased heart rate, seizures, high blood pressure, and respiratory issues. In extreme cases, ketamine abuse can prevent a person from functioning normally and lead to heart attacks, organ failure and even death.
Managing a ketamine comedown and fighting off cravings can be extremely challenging, especially when grappling with memory loss, mood swings, a shortened attention span and chronic pain. Many heavy users often find themselves taking more to stave off the comedown and numb the pain.
Adderall
Adderall is a potent amphetamine used to treat ADHD, and can make users experience increased physical energy, hyperexcitability, and elevated moods. However, long-term or improper use of the drug can result in severe cognitive and physical deterioration, with side-effects including nerve damage, seizures, psychosis, strokes and abnormal heart activity.
The American Addiction Center notes that Adderall is particularly dangerous when mixed with other drugs, which Musk was rumoured to have done on a number of occasions. Mixing the drug can lead to increased chances of serious brain injury, damage to the liver and heart attacks, as well as increasing risk of an overdose.
In the workplace Adderall can be used to achieve greater mental clarity and increase productivity in the short-term, although excessive use can also lead to restlessness and an inability to sleep—perhaps explaining Musk’s propensity to sleep in his office. Adderall can also exacerbate existing mental illnesses, which could be an issue considering Musk says he takes ketamine to deal with depression.
Ecstasy
Also known as MDMA, ecstasy can give users an intense burst of energy followed by a feeling of euphoria. Users under its influence can feel extremely energetic, confident and affectionate towards others, with particularly strong batches sometimes even causing hallucinations.
Once the euphoria wears off though users can experience intense comedowns and severe depression, which can lead to problems with concentration and an inability to sleep. Ecstasy can also induce psychosis when mixed with amphetamines, which Musk is alleged to have done.
MDMA hangovers can sometimes take a few days to kick in, leading to a phenomenon known as “Tuesday Blues” where users can be caught off-guard by an exceptionally low mood days after they assumed the drug had left their body.
Mushrooms
Like ecstasy, mushrooms can produce feelings of intense euphoria and cause the subject to hallucinate. Although there are few physical side-effects, usage can cause the subject to mentally disassociate, struggle to discern fantasy from reality and suffer from panic attacks and symptoms of psychosis, Desert Hope Treatment reports.
Like other hallucinogens, mushrooms can also cause “flashbacks” at a later date, which can cause the subject to suffer intense panic, dissociation, and even hallucinations at random intervals.
