Elon Musk’s daily medication box with which he travels has about 20 pills, including stimulant Adderall that is marked separately, a New York Times report claimed citing those who have seen the box. The report chronicled Musk’s brief stint in the government that started with Musk throwing himself into the campaign and ended with him exiting the Department of Government Efficiency — a brainchild of his. The report sad that this period coincided with Musk’s family drama along with his heavy drug use. People familiar wit his activities confirmed to the Times that he was using drugs far more intensely than previously known. Elon Musk told people he was taking so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder, the report said. He also took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. It was the same time that Musk faced family drama with overlapping romantic relationships and legal battles over his children, their mothers etc.

Elon Musk has always been open about his drug use

While the NYT report points to an extreme use of drugs, Elon Musk never shied away from accepting that he took drugs. In a 2018 podcast with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk smoked marijuana, prompting severe backlash. Musk has openly discussed using ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, under a prescription to manage depression. In a 2024 interview, Musk openly admitted that he takes a small dose every other week or less to address “negative chemical states” in his brain. He said that he has a prescription that comes from a licensed doctor and he said he needed it as he works 16 hours a day. He also denied overusing it. A 2024 Wall Street Journal report alleged Musk has used recreational drugs, including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties where attendees sign NDAs or surrender phones.The NYT report claimed that he has been using ketamine daily, often mixing it with other drugs.