Methoxetamine

Methoxetamine (MXE, 3-MeO-2'-oxo-PCE) is a synthetic dissociative anesthetic of the arylcyclohexylamine class, designed as a structural analog of ketamine with a 3-methoxy group added to the phenyl ring and an N-ethyl group replacing the methylamine nitrogen. MXE holds a unique and beloved place in dissociative community history — widely considered by its community of users to be among the most sophisticated and remarkable dissociative experiences available, occupying a category described as combining ketamine's dissociative depth with meaningful antidepressant aftereffects and a distinctive psychedelic dimension absent from ketamine.

MXE was developed and briefly popularized in the early 2010s before being scheduled in the UK in 2012 (the first novel psychoactive substance to receive emergency temporary class drug status in the UK) and subsequently in other jurisdictions. Its unavailability has become part of its legend — community members who used MXE in its accessible period frequently describe it in reverential terms, and it has served as a benchmark against which other dissociatives are compared. Community experience data, while now historical, is rich: users describe a warm, deeply introspective dissociation with pronounced music enhancement, sustained antidepressant effects lasting days to weeks after a single experience, and a visual and philosophical depth not typical of other arylcyclohexylamines.

Despite its celebrated status, MXE carried meaningful toxicity concerns — particularly cerebellar toxicity (ataxia, coordination problems) and reports of kidney damage with regular use, which distinguished its toxicity profile somewhat from ketamine. The concern about kidney toxicity (not just bladder toxicity as with ketamine) represents an important and underappreciated harm from the MXE era.