Also known as
MXE, mket, mexxy, roflcoptr, rhino ket, mexi, minx, jipper
Classification
Overview
Methoxetamine is a man-made ‘designer drug’ known to have similarities in both chemistry and effect to ketamine 1.
Methoxetamine (also known as mexxy or MXE). Although there is very little evidence about its short and long term effects, we do know that it is chemically related to ‘dissociative anaesthetics’ like ketamine and PCP, and has similar effects. From anecdotal reports, methoxetamine appears to be much stronger than ketamine, so users should take extra care to avoid overdosing by only using small amounts.
Methoxetamine is being marketed as a replacement for ketamine, but without ketamine’s harmful effect on the bladder. Ketamine causes very serious bladder problems with severe pain and difficulty passing urine, which can lead to surgical removal of the bladder. There is no evidence to support the suggestion that methoxetamine is safer than ketamine in this regard. Ketamine’s harmful effect on the bladder has only been recently discovered after many years of its use and it is possible that over time methoxetamine will turn out to be just as harmful to the bladder 2.
Medical usage
Arylcyclohexylamines were originally developed as anaesthetics in the 1960’s 3.
What does it look like?
White powder 1.
Source
Street price
The average cost per gram was between £18 and £25 2.
Why take it?
Sought after effects
Undesired effects
- blurred vision,
- sometimes nausea and headaches,
- may cause memory problems if used long-term 1.
Dosage – abuse
Oral
Insufflated
Sublingual
- threshold – 5 – 10 mg,
- low – 10 – 20 mg,
- common – 40 – 60 mg,
- strong – 60 – 75 mg,
- hole – 75 – 100 mg 5.
How long do its effects last?
Onset of effects
- oral – 15 – 30 minutes 4, 30 – 60 minutes 5.
- insufflatedInsufflating, commonly referred to as snorting, is a method of drug administration where powdered substances are inhaled through the nose. More – 5 – 0 minutes 4.
- sublingualthe delivery of medication beneath the tongue, allowing for rapid absorption into the bloodstream. More – 15 – 45 minutes 5.
Come up
- insufflatedInsufflating, commonly referred to as snorting, is a method of drug administration where powdered substances are inhaled through the nose. More – 30 – 75 minutes 4.
Peak
- oral – 90 – 150 minutes 4.
- insufflatedInsufflating, commonly referred to as snorting, is a method of drug administration where powdered substances are inhaled through the nose. More – 1 – 2 hours 4.
Offset
- oral – 1 – 48 hours 4.
- insufflatedInsufflating, commonly referred to as snorting, is a method of drug administration where powdered substances are inhaled through the nose. More – 60 – 90 minutes 4.
Duration of effects
- oral – 4 – 6 hours 4, 3 – 6 hours 5.
- insufflatedInsufflating, commonly referred to as snorting, is a method of drug administration where powdered substances are inhaled through the nose. More – 3 – 5 hours 4, 3 – 6 hours 5.
- sublingualthe delivery of medication beneath the tongue, allowing for rapid absorption into the bloodstream. More – 3 – 6 hours 5.
After-effects
- oral – 2 – 48 hours 5.
- insufflatedInsufflating, commonly referred to as snorting, is a method of drug administration where powdered substances are inhaled through the nose. More – 4 – 48 hours 4, 2 – 48 hours 5.
- sublingualthe delivery of medication beneath the tongue, allowing for rapid absorption into the bloodstream. More – 2 – 48 hours 5.
Pharmacology
Mode of use
Swallowed or sniffed 1.
The white powder is snorted up the nose, or may be dissolved in water or placed in the mouth and dissolved; it can also be swallowed (‘bombed’). It can also be injected intramuscularly or used rectally 3.
Reportedly, because of its strength, only small pinches (or ‘bumps’) of MXE are snorted – and not full lines. The average dose appears to be between 20 mg – 100 mg.
Some people prefer to dissolve it in water or place it under their tongue, where it’s dissolved and taken into the blood stream. But it can also be swallowed (‘bombed’) or injected.
Injecting is a particularly risky route for overdose. And by injecting and sharing injecting equipment, including needles and syringes, users run the risk of catching or spreading a virus, such as HIV or hepatitis C. There is also the risk that veins may be damaged and that something nasty will develop, such as an abscess or a clot 2.
Signs of usage
- taking larger amounts of the drug over time,
- repeated failed attempts to cut down,
- spending long periods of time acquiring, taking, and/or recovering from the drug 6,
- intense feelings of happiness (euphoriafeelings of joy and happiness),
- reduced feelings of depression,
- increased empathy,
- increased introspection,
- a sense of peacefulness and calm,
- feeling out of one’s body,
- enhanced sensory experiences,
- dissociation (referred to as the “m-hole”),
- spiritual and transcendent experiences 7.
Effects
Short-term effects
Negative
- memory loss,
- ridiculous behaviour,
- panic/anxiety attacks,
- confusiontrouble focusing, slow or disorganised thinking, poor short-term memory, unsure of time or place, or having difficulty following a conversation,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- tinnitus,
- headaches,
- depersonalisationfeeling detached from yourself, observing yourself and your feelings and thoughts as if they belong to someone else More 8.
Positive
- a sense of intense happiness, or euphoriafeelings of joy and happiness,
- enhanced empathy,
- increased sociability,
- feelings of peace and calm,
- heightened sensory experiences,
- visual hallucinationswhere someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don't exist outside of their mind,
- dissociation,
- increased introspection,
- out-of-body sensations,
- spiritual and transcendent experiences 8.
Long-term effects
Physical effects
- physical autonomybest described as the experience of one's own body performing simple or complex actions entirely of its own accord More,
- physical euphoriaan intense feeling of pleasure and well-being More,
- spatial disorientationbest described as the inability to orient oneself in 3-dimensional space. In this state, one cannot distinguish up from down, right from left, or any two different directions from another. One might also perceive the world as being flipped sideways or even upside down. More,
- spontaneous physical sensations,
- motor control loss,
- orgasm suppression,
- pain relief,
- perception of bodily lightness,
- tactile suppression,
- dizziness,
- nausea,
- optical slidingdescribed as a physical effect which inhibits the coordination and control of one's eyes by suppressing their ability to keep them still. This results in the orientation of one's eyes continuously moving in a variety of directions and the sensation of not being able to stare motionless at any particular point becoming present More 4.
Cognitive effects
- cognitive euphoriastate of intense well-being, happiness, and excitement More,
- compulsive redosing,
- conceptual thinking,
- depersonalisationfeeling detached from yourself, observing yourself and your feelings and thoughts as if they belong to someone else More,
- derealisationan alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems unreal. More,
- déjà vu,
- mania,
- time distortion,
- analysis enhancementbest described as a subtle to distinct enhancement of one's overall ability to process information and logically or creatively analyse concepts, ideas and scenarios. The experience of this leads onto deep and complex states of contemplation which often result in an abundance of new and insightful ideas. This gives the person a powerful ability to dissect and rationally analyse concepts and problems, allowing them to gain insights and reach new conclusions, perspectives and solutions which would have been otherwise difficult to conceive of. More,
- creativity enhancement,
- dream potentiationcan be described as a cognitive component which increases the intensity, vividness and frequency of sleeping dream states. This effect also creates higher detail and definition within dreams alongside of an increase in the likelihood of one's dreams becoming lucid. More,
- immersion enhancementThis is an effect which can be described as a pronounced increase in one's ability to become fully engulfed within external visual or auditory stimuli such as music, movies, video games and various other forms of media. More,
- increased libido,
- increased music appreciation,
- personal meaning enhancement,
- amnesiainability to remember,
- anxiety suppression,
- decreased libido,
- disinhibition,
- information processing suppressioncan be described as a partial to complete suppression of a person's ability to process information and logically analyse a situation in an understandable and linear fashion. This is something which can result in states of stupor, indecisiveness, confusion and even irrational behaviour or delirium. More,
- memory suppression,
- thought deceleration,
- existential self-realisation,
- unity and interconnectedness 4.
Visual effects
- environmental cubisma distortion characterised by a visual segmenting or partitioning of the external environment into squares and cubes of varying amounts and sizes. Once established, these partitions begin to slowly drift away from their original location and often change in size leading to gaps that are formed in between them. More,
- environmental orbisma visual distortion characterised by a partitioning of the environment a person is currently in. This is manifested in the form of spherical 3-dimensional "orbs" that retain most of the detail and identity of the space they're distorting. More,
- perspective distortions,
- scenery slicingbest described as an effect which only occurs spontaneously and rarely sustains itself for more than several seconds. The experience of this effect splits the visual field into separate sections. These individual slices then proceed to drift slowly away from their original position before disappearing and resetting to normality. More,
- acuity suppression,
- double vision,
- frame rate suppressiona visual suppression where one's FPS (frames per second) are significantly reduced or slowed down. While under the influence of this effect, one might feel like their vision is lagging and frame-like (similar to a strobe light) More,
- pattern recognition suppressionbest defined as the experience of a partial to complete inability to process currently perceivable visual information regardless of the clarity, detail and clearness of its visual acuity. For example, although one may be able to see what is in front of them with perfect detail, they will not be able to register or label what is in front of them. This can render even the most common of everyday objects as unrecognisable. More,
- visual disconnection,
- geometrybest described as the experience of a person's field of vision being partially or completely encompassed by fast-moving, colourful and indescribably complex geometric patterns, form constants, phosphenes, shapes, fractals, structures and colour. These geometric forms can also become structured and organised in a way that presents genuine information to the person experiencing it far beyond the perception of meaningless, although complex, shapes and colours. This happens through the experience of innately understood geometric representations that feel as though they depict specific concepts and neurological components that exist within the brain in a manner that is extremely detailed. More,
- autonomous entities,
- external hallucinationsbest described as the experience of perceiving imagined visual concepts and occurrences which display themselves seamlessly into the external environment as if they were actually happening. More,
- internal hallucinationsbest described as the perception of imagery and scenes which are experienced exclusively within a layer in front of one's open or closed eye vision and not seamlessly within the external environment around oneself. At lower levels, internal hallucinations begin with imagery which does not take up the entirety of one's visual field and is distinctively separate from its background. These can be described as spontaneous moving or still images of scenes, concepts, places, and anything one could imagine. They are manifested in varying levels of detail, ranging from ill-defined and cartoon-like in nature to completely realistic and beyond realism through seemingly impossible, non-euclidean geometric forms. They rarely hold their form for more than a few seconds before fading or shifting into another image. More,
- perspective alterations,
- scenarios and plots,
- settings, sceneries, and landscapes 4.
Auditory effects
- auditory distortion,
- auditory hallucinationswhere someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don't exist outside of their mind,
- auditory suppression 4.
Positive
Neutral
- distortion or loss of sensory perceptions (common),
- dissociation of mind from body,
- sweating,
- analgesiadecreased pain awareness. More,
- numbness,
- significant change in perception of time,
- increase in heart rate,
- confusiontrouble focusing, slow or disorganised thinking, poor short-term memory, unsure of time or place, or having difficulty following a conversation,
- disorientation 9.
Negative
- risk of psychological dependency,
- nasal discomfort upon insufflation,
- blacking out and forgetting one has taken a drug,
- discomfort, pain or numbness at injection site (with intramuscular injection),
- severe confusiontrouble focusing, slow or disorganised thinking, poor short-term memory, unsure of time or place, or having difficulty following a conversation,
- disorganised thinking,
- vertigoa medical condition where a person feels as if they or the objects around them are moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement More, spinning sensation (risk of injury),
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- susceptibility to accidents (from uncoordination and change in perception of body and time),
- severe dissociation,
- depersonalisationfeeling detached from yourself, observing yourself and your feelings and thoughts as if they belong to someone else More,
- loss of consciousness,
- depression of heart rate and respiration (risk increases with increased dose or when combined with depressants),
- entity contact 9.
Side-effects
- slurred speech,
- difficulty with communication,
- confusiontrouble focusing, slow or disorganised thinking, poor short-term memory, unsure of time or place, or having difficulty following a conversation,
- anxiety,
- agitation,
- fear and/or paranoiasuspicion, distrust or fear of other people,
- a distorted sense of time, distance, and body image,
- restlessness,
- a sensation of being near death,
- muscle incoordination,
- nausea,
- vomiting 7.
Overdose
In some cases, use may lead to toxicityThis is when too much of something is taken over a short period of time More, also known as an methoxetamine overdose, which can occur when too much of the drug accumulates in a person’s body 7. Methoxetamine toxicityThis is when too much of something is taken over a short period of time More can cause a range of psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, and cardiovascular problems –
Psychiatric symptoms
- significant anxiety,
- panic,
- agitation,
- anger,
- auditory hallucinationswhere someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don't exist outside of their mind,
- visual hallucinationswhere someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don't exist outside of their mind,
- violent behaviour 7.
Cognitive symptoms
Neurological changes
Cardiovascular symptoms
- rapid heart rate,
- high blood pressure,
- breathing problems,
- chest pains 7.
In severe cases, methoxetamine toxicityThis is when too much of something is taken over a short period of time More can be fatal. If you or someone you know is experiencing an methoxetamine overdose, it is important to seek medical attention immediately 7.
Risks
Short-term
The dissociative effects of methoxetamine make users feel detached from their body and surroundings, this could put users in danger of accidents or being hurt by others. In high doses users may experience a catatonic state which is a severe form of dissociation, when the user will be awake motionless and unresponsive. Individuals in this state make little or no eye contact with others, be mute and rigid for long periods. Also compulsive redosing and overdose 3.
Purity
There is virtually no evidence about this yet, but early tests have found methoxetamine that was cut with benzocaine and caffeine. It’s possible that what you think is methoxetamine is a different drug instead, with different effects and risks. One sample that was tested contained mephedrone, a class B drug 2.
Addiction
Can you get addicted?
Dependence
Health professionals use the term “substance use disorder” to diagnose problematic drug use in clients 7. Signs and symptoms of a substance use disorder include –
- taking more of the drug than intended,
- feeling unable to cut down or stop using the drug,
- spending a long time acquiring, using, or recovering from the drug,
- strong urges to use,
- difficulty carrying out responsibilities at work, home, or school because of drug use,
- continuing to use despite problems in relationships,
- giving up activities that were once important because of drug use,
- using in dangerous situations like driving or operating machinery,
- continuing to use the drug despite physical and psychological problems associated with use,
- developing a tolerancethis is the process by which the receptors in your brain become habituated to the action of a drug. When tolerance is reached, more of the drug is required to achieve the same effect. With benzodiazepines, and probably with many other classes of drugs as well, tolerance is virtually always associated with some degree of physical dependence. If you find that you are experiencing tolerance, this is a clear warning sign that you may have formed a dependence. More (experiencing less of an effect with the same amount of the drug or needing larger amounts in order to achieve the desired effects),
- withdrawal symptoms upon stopping the drug 7.
Interactions
Although many drugs are safe on their own, they can become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with other substances. The list below contains some common potentially dangerous combinations, but may not include all of them. Certain combinations may be safe in low doses of each but still increase the potential risk of death. Independent research should always be done to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe before consumption 4.
- Depressants – This combination potentiates the muscle relaxation, sedationthe state of being relaxed or sleepy because of a drug More and amnesiainability to remember caused by one another and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. There is also an increased risk of vomiting during unconsciousness and death from the resulting suffocation. If this occurs, users should attempt to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it. Examples include benzodiazepines, GBL / GHB, 2M2B, opioids, and most commonly, alcohol.
- Stimulants – This combination typically potentiates the anxiety-inducing, manic, delusional and disinhibiting aspects of dissociatives, particularly those without pronounced motor and consciousness-suppression components, like ketamine does, which can increase the likelihood of a panic event or psychoticthis is a mental state when you see or hear things which aren't there and have delusions More episode. Prominent examples include PCP and its analogs 3-MeO-PCP, MXE, as well as diarylethylamine class dissociatives like diphenidine or ephenidine. There is also evidence that suggests that combining these two increases their neurotoxicity. Anecdotally, worsened comedowns are also commonly reported when these two classes of substances are combined 4.
Dangerous
- αMT,
- Alcohol – There is a high risk of memory loss, vomiting and severe ataxialoss of motor coordination More from this combination.
- GBL / GHB – Both substances cause ataxialoss of motor coordination More and bring a risk of vomiting and unconsciousness. If the patient falls unconscious while under the influence there is a severe risk of vomit aspirationvomit being inhaled into the lungs, a potentially life-threatening condition More if they are not placed in the recovery position.
- Opioids – This combination can potentiate the effects of the opioid.
- Tramadol 5.
Withdrawal
- depression,
- impaired cognition,
- difficulty sleeping,
- suicidal thoughts and behaviours 7.
Legality
From 26th February 2013 methoxetamine has become a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This means it is now illegal to have, sell or supply methoxetamine, including giving it away to friends 2.
- Possession of products containing methoxetamine can get you up to five years in jail and/or an unlimited fine.
- Supplying someone else, including your friends, can get you fourteen years in jail and/or an unlimited fine 2.
Did you know?
- Like drinking and driving, driving when high is illegal – and you may still be unfit to drive the day after using methoxetamine. You can get a heavy fine, be disqualified from driving or even go to prison 2.
Harm reduction
In comparison to ketamine, the drug is seen to be more potent, and therefore the dosage needed is much lower. Methoxetamine can be induced in a number of different ways such as sniffing, oral consumption, rectally and injected. The recommended way to administer the drug is by sniffing or ‘bombing’ it orally. Do not inject as there is a far greater risk of overdose as well as the risk of blood-borne-viruses.
As the drug is much more potent than ketamine it is advised that one takes a test dose of just a few milligrams first; wait two hours to see if there are any negative effects and then re-dose (small quantities) if it is desired. There is very little research done on how much a person should take, due to this still being a research chemical 1.
Statistics
- methoxetamine use increased significantly in the United States between 2011 and 2012, just 2 years after the drug emerged on the market,
- during the same years, methoxetamine use decreased in the United Kingdom, which may be related to laws passed in 2012 banning methoxetamine,
- There continue to be no federal regulations on methoxetamine in the United States, but a handful of states have enacted laws criminalizing the drug 10,
- as of 2015, a reported 126 nonfatal overdoses and 22 deaths involved use of methoxetamine 11.
History
This drug is very new to the market. It is suggested that methoxetamine was initially synthesised for treatment for chronic pain. The drug first appeared for sale in 2010, and increased in popularity over 2011 1.
Footnotes:
Methoxetamine, 2017, http://www.release.org.uk/drugs/methoxetamine
Methoxetamine, 2017, http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/methoxetamine
Methoxetamine, 2014, http://www.dan247.org.uk/Drug_Methoxetamine.asp
Methoxetamine, 2017, https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Methoxetamine
MXE, 2017, http://drugs.tripsit.me/mxe
MXE, 2017, http://drugabuse.com/?s=MXE
MXE Drug Abuse, 2017, http://drugabuse.com/?s=MXE
Methoxetamine, 2013, http://wiki.bluelight.org/index.php/Methoxetamine
Methoxetamine, 2017, https://wiki.tripsit.me/wiki/Methoxetamine
Lawn, W. and Borschmann, R. and Cottrell, A. and Winstock, A., Methoxetamine: Prevalence of use in the USA and UK and associated urinary problems, Journal of Substance Use, 2016, 21, 2, 115-120, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266624393_Methoxetamine_Prevalence_of_use_in_the_USA_and_UK_and_associated_urinary_problems
WHO, Methoxetamine (MXE): Critical review report, World Health Organisation, 2015, http://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/5.9_Methoxetamine_CRev.pdf