Methoxetamine (MXE)

Doses typically range from between 5 mg and 90 mg. The effects begin within ten minutes of taking the drug and usually last for one to three hours. Some users, however, take more of the drug as a top-up, which is a dangerous practice as the drug can build up in your system. Like other psychoactive drugs, the MXE high is described as pleasurable, and includes stimulant, relaxant, and dissociative effects. But MXE has unpredictable and intense side effects—particularly with higher doses—that are extremely unpleasant both physically and psychologically. This is sometimes called an m-hole.

Hospital reports show that, while people can recover from MXE toxicity, this recovery period can require several days of hospitalization, with treatment including detox medication, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support. In addition, news stories have blamed several deaths on consumption of the drug, MXE.

Given the unpredictability of the drug, and the fact that it has only emerged as a recreational drug in the years following 2010, very little is known about how to manage the medical consequences of the drug, making it a risky substance to take.

If you or anyone else has taken MXE and seem to be losing consciousness, call 911 immediately. Inform the paramedic that MXE was taken, as well as any other drugs or alcohol that were also consumed. The effects of MXE can be life-threatening.

MXE has been available on the Internet since 2010, through on line chemical manufacturers and head shops, who sell it as a “research chemical” and as a “legal high.” By being marketed as a research chemical, which is a way that designer drugs can be sold semi-legally, it can potentially get through a legal loophole. However, lawmakers are getting increasingly savvy about drugs that are substantially similar to illegal drugs, so don’t count on getting away with possession or dealing MXE. A number of deaths have been reported, which have been associated with people taking MXE, so any legal case would also take the dangerousness of the substance into account.