As Elon Musk took to throwing government agencies into chaos, his well-documented drug use ramped up significantly.
As the New York Times reports, Musk's drug consumption "went well beyond occasional use" as he opted to travel with a daily medication box that held roughly 20 pills. One of the drugs identified in photos of the box includes Adderall, a prescription medication that's commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but can easily be abused for a rush of manic energy — effects that call to mind Musk's bizarre behavior as he's jumped around on stage, acted strange in interviews, ghosted important meetings, and given a series of Nazi salutes.
He's long been said to indulge in other drugs, from ketamine, which he has previously claimed to use as an antidepressant, to ecstasy, and magic mushrooms.
It's not unusual for somebody going through extensive treatments, such as chemotherapy or dealing with a severe illness like an autoimmune disease, to walk around with a daily box of pills. According to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, some cancer patients may take up to 20 pills a day.
But it's certainly an eyebrow-raising habit for Musk, who isn't suffering from anything even remotely as severe, at least as far as we know.
The reporting lines up with Musk's extremely unusual behavior during his turbulent tenure at the White House.
During an early February appearance in the Oval Office, for instance, Musk stammered and stumbled his way through a rambling monologue. In the moments leading up to him performing two separate Nazi salutes during Trump's inauguration celebrations, Musk was spotted craning his neck, twitching his eyes, and staring at the ceiling.
While we don't know the full extent of Musk's drug use over the last six months, or ever, there's plenty of reason to believe that all of that stress may be getting to him.
Sources told the NYT that they had become worried about his hyperfixation on having as many children as possible, his frequent drug use, and mood swings.
Musk's recreational use of party drugs isn't anything particularly new. Musk has a long history of indulging in drugs like ketamine for both recreational use and as an antidepressant treatment.
According to the NYT, sources, Musk has been using the drug, sometimes daily, and mixing it with other drugs. He has also been known to take other party drugs, including ecstasy — street slang for MDMA, though pills are frequently adulterated with more dangerous substances — and psychedelic mushrooms, at events.
Instead of seeking help that doesn't involve popping a bunch of pills, the billionaire has criticized psychologists, accusing them of being profit- and politically-motivated without giving any evidence.
"Friends are far better than therapy," Musk tweeted in July 2023. "The incentive structure is to keep you hooked, never 'cured.'"
"Be especially wary of therapists in expensive neighborhoods — their true loyalty is to their landlord, not you," he added.
According to a bombshell investigation by the Wall Street Journal last year, people close to Musk became so concerned that some of them asked him to go to rehab in late 2022.
Meanwhile, Musk's paranoia has seemingly reached new heights, telling his close confidantes that his life is in danger at all times.
In texts to Ashley St. Clair, the latest publicly known mother of his growing horde of children, the billionaire said that "only the paranoid survive" and that he's "#2 after Trump for assassination," as quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Now that Musk claims to have left his role as a "special government employee" this week, it's possible some of the stresses that have plagued him so far this year could be ebbing.
But how that new daily rhythm will affect his rampant drug use, if at all, remains to be seen.
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