Editorial note: This article was updated to reflect comment from Better U and Derek Du Chesne's representative 

A New York paralegal died after a telehealth company shipped her the same drug that killed Hollywood actor Matthew Perry, according to a lawsuit.

Tricia Anne Dewey, 41, was sent a prescription for ketamine by telehealth management services organization Better U, per a complaint filed in the Superior Court of the State of California for Los Angeles County on February 5 viewed by the Daily Mail.

Dewey, of Pound Ridge, had battled a debilitating painkiller addiction stemming from years of domestic violence, according to the Wall Street Journal.

On its website, the telehealth organization promoted patients’ medication being delivered at home, with either five or nine ketamine sessions promising to 'retrain your brain.'

Dewey told Better U that she was already on Xanax, a drug the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns can be dangerous when combined with ketamine, but was prescribed troches of the dangerous drug anyway, according to the lawsuit filed by her mother Carleanne Fierro and her father Stephen Dewey.

Last July 18, Tricia took a dose of ketamine and was found unresponsive on her bedroom floor by her mother, Carleanne Fierro, the lawsuit stated. Dewey was declared dead at the hospital.

Her cause of death was ruled an accidental intoxication caused by a mix of ketamine and Xanax, according to the Westchester County medical examiner’s autopsy on July 20 cited in the suit.

'She trusted Better U and she really wanted to have a better life,' Fierro told the Wall Street Journal.

Contrary to the accusations in the family’s complaint, Better U told the Daily Mail that it did not prescribe or ship medication to Dewey.

Its representative noted that Better U ‘does not prescribe, medications, practice medicine, or exercise control over prescribing clinicians affiliated with its platform’ and ‘does not manufacture, compound, package or ship medications.’

Better U's chief executive Derek Du Chesne said he could not provide specifics on Dewey because of patient confidentiality, per the Wall Street Journal. 

'When someone is harmed or dies while seeking help for their mental health, it is a tragedy, and my heart goes out to Ms. Dewey's family and loved ones,' Du Chesne told the outlet.

He said the company provides a platform for access to independent clinicians, not under employment by Better U, who make medical decisions based on their judgment.

Du Chesne said that the telehealth company was designed around careful screening, conservative dosing, required preparation appointments and safety protocols such as blood–pressure monitoring.

'Ketamine‑assisted treatment is an evolving area that carries both potential benefits and meaningful risks,' he said.

The telehealth company offers a five–session ketamine therapy package for $500 and a nine–session plan for $792, according to its website.

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved by the FDA for use during surgery.

Over the past decade the drug has also emerged as an experimental treatment for psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety.

Clinicians are free to prescribe ketamine for alternate use if they believe their patients might benefit.

But US authorities have warned that ketamine is not FDA-approved to treat psychiatric disorders.

Friends actor Matthew Perry, 54, died in October 2023 from the acute effects of anesthetic ketamine, according to his autopsy.

Perry had struggled with drug abuse for years and used ketamine regularly, including three times on the day of his death.

He was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home as a result of an accidental overdose.

Two doctors later pleaded guilty to charges in connection with Perry’s death. They had nothing to do with Better U and there is no connection between Better U and the death of Perry. 

Dr Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, while Dr Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute the drug.

There are an estimated 500 to 750 independent ketamine clinics in the US offering a mix of in-clinic and telehealth services, per a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) report from 2024.

The DEA warned that a ‘number of independent, outpatient ketamine therapy clinics has increased rapidly in recent years’ because of celebrity endorsements and viral attention.

Authorities acknowledged that the ability to obtain ketamine through online platforms to use at home ‘may be attractive to some patients.'

However, the FDA warned that ketamine’s sedative and dissociative effects could pose serious risks to patients if the drug was consumed without proper medical supervision.

However, it warned that sedation and dissociation could be dangerous and put patients at risk without proper medical supervision.

The Daily Mail reached out to Better U, Du Chesne and Dewey’s family for further comment.