What Are the Effects of Methoxetamine?

Methoxetamine or MXE has stimulant and dissociative effects, with the stimulant effects predominating at lower doses, and the dissociative effects at higher doses. Users of lower doses of the drug—up to 20 milligrams—report feeling calm, with an increase in energy, euphoria, and disconnection from problems and concerns. These feelings can continue as an "afterglow" for one to two hours after the main effects of the drug wear off.

At higher doses (40-50mg), the effects are different and much more intense—and more similar to related drugs, ketamine and PCP. These include feelings of intense intoxication, auditory and visual hallucinations, and a feeling of disconnection from your body. It also causes severe ataxia, which makes you uncoordinated and can cause difficulty walking or even moving. Nystagmus has also been reported. Depending on the set and setting, and your personal reaction to the drug, you can experience an altered state of consciousness that can range from a dreamlike state, to a terrifying bad trip-like experience of heightened, intense anxiety, that can go on for several hours. A state of dissociation, sometimes referred to by users as an m-hole parallel to the k-hole experience on ketamine, can make you feel oblivious to yourself and the world around you.

Very little objective information is available about MXE—most is anecodotal, posted on internet forums by users, or reported by emergency physicians who have dealt with acute cases. These individual reports give an idea of what someone says about their personal experience with the drug, but this would not necessarily predict other users' experiences. The lack of credible research evidence on MXE makes it a risky substance to take both in the short term and the long term. In the short term, if you suffer from acute complications of the drug, the doctors who try to help you in the emergency room will likely not be well-versed in what you have taken, or how to best treat it.

Information is not yet available on the long-term effects of MXE, so we don't currently know how taking MXE might affect your future mental or physical health, your fertility, or the health of your baby if you are pregnant or breastfeeding when you take it.

Anecdotal reports from users indicate that tolerance builds up quickly, and that the drug has a high potential for addiction. Some users report taking high doses several times a day in an effort to maintain the positive effects on their initial low doses. This is often coupled with emotional difficulties, and associated social problems.

As there is very little information available, many addiction counselors and medical staff may not have even heard of the drug, let alone know about the effects. This may make forming a therapeutic relationship and effective addiction treatment for this drug particularly challenging.

Marijuana appears to intensify MXE in a negative way, causing severe disorientation and distress, slurred speech and difficulty communicating. Users can also become hyperthermic and hyperpyrexic, which is potentially fatal.

_Sources

_{Anon. "A user's report from taking Methoxetamine (MXE)." Irish Needle Exchange Forum. Posted 10th September, 2012.}

_{Hofer, K., Grager, B., Muller, D., Rauber-Luthy, C., Kupferscmidt, H., Rentsch, K., and Ceschi, A. "Ketamine-like effects after recreational use of methoxetamine." Annals of Emergency Medicine 60: 97-99. 2012.}

_{Ornella, C. et al. "Phenomenon of new drugs on the internet: The case of ketamine derivative methoxetamine." Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 27:145-149. 2012.}

_{Wood, D., Davies, S., Puchnarewicz, M., Johnston, A. & Dargan, P. "Acute toxicity associated with the recreational use of the ketamine derivative methoxetamine." European Journal of Clnical Pharmacology 68:853-856. 2012.}