“Being with a Buddha”: A Case Report of Methoxetamine Use in a United States Veteran with PTSD
Case Reports in Psychiatry January 29, 2017 Joan M. Striebel, E. Nelson, Raj K. Kalapatapu
A US veteran with PTSD and heavy polysubstance use self-injected high doses of methoxetamine (MXE), a ketamine analogue, for its calming effect. MXE is a designer drug widely available online and not detected by routine urine screens. Because of MXE's structural similarity to ketamine and evidence that ketamine reduces PTSD symptoms, the authors hypothesize that MXE alleviated the veteran's PTSD through NMDA receptor action and influences on BDNF. This is the first reported case of self-reported MXE use in a US veteran. Greater awareness of designer drugs is needed to engage patients in addiction treatment in both military and civilian settings.