Before anyone gets any ideas, OTC this stuff is often mixed with acetaminophen which is can be very bad for the liver, and DMX itself may have adverse impacts on the kidneys. Don't go gulping this stuff down.
But if the trials pan out it would be incredible to have a rapid efficacy drug along the lines of ketamine that is safe enough that it's put in OTC meds. Ketamine unfortunately has both a stigma and lower safety profile.
DXM on the other hand, as a less funny matter of fact, regularly makes people do stuff like shit their pants and/or die if they combine it with the wrong stuff like maybe a bit of booze. I don't know why people think it's somehow safer.
It hits so many receptor sites and interacts with so many other drugs in the brain/liver, ketamine is not a dirty drug
in that regard. I think this puts restrictions on its comparative therapeutic use. [1]
Yes, and it's also an SRI so mixing with other medications, specifically SSRI's or SNRI's has significant negative risks of potentiation that could cause serotonin syndrome.
Ketamine however is pretty hard on the kidneys, and its LD50 is significantly closer to therapeutic levels than DXM. Some quick searching shows it to be about 20x the dose used for depression while DXM, near as I can tell checking out a few sources that didn't always agree, has an LD50 roughly 100x higher than therapeutic doses. That doesn't mean it can't do other bad things to you (it can) but it's got a much more forgiving margin of error on acute toxicity. Most literature on severe overdoses mentions polydrug usage.
Throwaway for obvious reasons - me and a bunch of people I went to high school with did pretty frequent and sometimes high doses of this stuff. Rather fun - when you weren't puking your guts out. None of us seem to have come out of it terribly worse for the wear, though there are certainly some horror stories you can read about out there. Plenty of trip reports on Erowid.
In the spirit of harm reduction - you have to be very careful if you decide you're going to (ab)use this stuff OTC to make sure you're not getting any other drugs along with it like acetaminophen, Guaifenesin, chlorpheniramine, pseudoephedrine, or any other active ingredients. They can do permanent damage to various organs or cause very unpleasant effects.
I've taken it a number of times and had a great time every time. it's an incredibly unique experience. That being said I have access to a syrup that is pure DXM - no other BS that's dangerous in high doses.
I'm adamant people who have bad times really just haven't understood what they're messing with and/or haven't dosed it correctly. I've heard the same story from people during my highschool time in fact. To do DXM for quick, legal high is doing it 'wrong' IMO and people don't expect it to have the effect that it does.
You need to work up your doses to find the right one for you.
Dosage is based of body weight which you can calculate online - though, looking around it seems none of the websites I used to use to calculate my doses are still around, sadly.
I mentioned it in another comment, but "The DXM FAQ" is essential reading for anyone who wants to experience DXM.
DXM is not what I'd call a "safe" drug, it can be dangerous when abused so I'd recommend at least reading a lot about it before trying it out.
Edit: http://www.dexcalc.com/ - Calculates DXM dosage based on bodyweight + amount of DXM in your syrup
It's been long known that NMDA receptor antagonists worked this way, I've been using DXM for its antidepressant properties for years. I take 20mg nightly before bed.
Another nifty property of it is that it reduces tolerance to other substances, like caffeine. Something about calcium ions that are usually released in response to neurotransmitters, as a mechanism to cause downregulation for homeostasis -- and DXM + other NDMA antagonists blocking them.
If you're withdrawing from opiates for example, your best (legal) bet is to buy some Kratom online, or pick up Immodium from your local drugstore. Immodium is a weak opiate that doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier -- so it'll alleviate withdrawal symptoms, but doesn't have psychoactive effects.
If you're withdrawing from stimulants, the best thing you could get is probably Clonidine or Gabapentin, but neither of those are OTC unfortunately.
It certainly won't hurt to take DXM if you're having WD/s, regardless of the substance though.
I don’t have high hopes for DXM, it’s more of a deliriant less so a dissociative, imagine fever dream. Another comment states they are mixing it with bupropion which is rather stimulating, perhaps this is where synergistic effects occur.
How much have you used DXM? It's not deliriant-esque in it's effects at all, IME. While having notable differences in a few secondary aspects of it's effects profile, a majority of it's effects are classic arylcyclohexylamine dissociative effects.
Context: I've used a large amount of DXM as well as numerous ACH dissociatives.
Since rediscovering DXM ~2009, I have said many times, one 900mg dose of dextromethorphan will cure clinical Major Depression like an aspirin cures a headache; stops it in it's tracks and effects can last up to 9 months. Good to know they're doing serious research on this, and this even though it can't be patented.
DXM is an incredibly interesting psychoactive substance because it's dosage ranges can change it's effects significantly; from "drowsy" to almost full psychedelic experience. These dosages ranges are called "Plataeus" and vary depending on your body weight.
For more info on this definitely check "The DXM FAQ" which you can find online. Incredibly interesting read and definitely essential for anyone who wants to dabble in DXM recreationally. However, definitely take note of the warnings written in it - DXM is not something you want to abuse frequently, or at all if you want to be totally safe.
I got the itch a few times - I hear OTC antihistamines can reduce this or make it cease completely, but I didn't think it was that annoying, it was easy to ignore for me. I got insane nausea one time and puked - but I still thought it was fun a time lol.
I think that hot feeling is part of the same itch reaction, so antihistamines might have helped. But yeah I can attest to feeling foggy days after.
I tried it when I temporarily ran out of prescribed ketamine lozenges recently. Half-life is too long and experience is very unpleasant. Not great qualities for a drug that one frequently needs to take after work.
Like most dissociatives, it is unpleasant until it "clicks".
Once it clicks, it is just as pleasurable as Ketamine, Methoxetamine, and other related ACHs.
One major difference between DXM and K is that DXM is quite stimulating whereas K is rather subdued and relaxing. If you don't have dissociative experience besides Ketamine, I'm not surprised that trying DXM after K would lead to an unpleasant experience.
I find ketamine to be a mix of stimulation and relaxation.
> Once it clicks, it is just as pleasurable as Ketamine, Methoxetamine, and other related ACHs.
If that was the case recreational users would move exclusively to research chemicals. There is a clear preference. But in some places DXM is much easier to access so that's what people do.
In trials they are mixing it with quinidine or bupropion, which increases the bioavailability so lower doses are effective. Maybe that will help negative effects.
Unfortunately there will probably never be one single silver bullet solution here, but another tool in the tool belt is always useful.
DXM is one of a few dissociative compounds besides Ketamine that I feel should be further studied for psychological and emotional benefit, the most important, in my opinion, being Methoxetamine (MXE).
If anyone that has any pull is reading this, do trials with MXE. It's Ketamine on steroids.
Is MXE accessible anymore (not-so-legally, I mean)?
Last I heard online everybody in the RC scene was super bummed that they couldn't get it anymore. And there were a lot of sellers around selling other chemicals as MXE.
Apparently it isn't. I'm not sure if China, where many of these come from, has banned it's production or what. I recall someone saying that was why but who knows really. There are other dissassociative RCs that are sold now but I think they're all generally rated as not being very pleasant
There are a few clinical trials underway [1]
Before anyone gets any ideas, OTC this stuff is often mixed with acetaminophen which is can be very bad for the liver, and DMX itself may have adverse impacts on the kidneys. Don't go gulping this stuff down.
But if the trials pan out it would be incredible to have a rapid efficacy drug along the lines of ketamine that is safe enough that it's put in OTC meds. Ketamine unfortunately has both a stigma and lower safety profile.
[1] https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05181527