Methoxetamine: prevalence of use in the USA and UK and associated urinary problems

Abstract

Background: Methoxetamine is a novel psychoactive substance and a legal alternative to ketamine in many countries, including parts of the United States. Frequent recreational ketamine use can cause lower urinary tract symptoms, whereas methoxetamine was originally marketed as “bladder friendly”.

Aims: (1) To determine changes in prevalence of methoxetamine use between 2011 and 2012 in the USA and UK and (2) to investigate the prevalence of urinary symptoms in group of methoxetamine users, who had also used ketamine at least once in their lifetime.

Methods: Cross-sectional, anonymous online surveys exploring patterns of drug use were conducted in late 2011 (n = 15 200) and late 2012 (n = 22 289).

Results: Reported lifetime, past 12 months, and last month methoxetamine use significantly increased in the USA between 2011 and 2012; whereas, during the same period, past 12 months and last month methoxetamine use significantly decreased in the UK. Of the methoxetamine users questioned in the 2012 survey, 23.0% (n = 98) reported experiencing urinary symptoms. Prevalence of at least one urinary symptom was related to frequency of methoxetamine use in the last month.

Conclusions: Methoxetamine use appeared to increase in the United States and decrease in the UK between 2011 and 2012. Approximately, one-quarter of methoxetamine users questioned reported urinary symptoms; however, previous ketamine use cannot be ruled out as the cause of the symptoms.

• Ketamine
• legal high
• methoxetamine
• novel psychoactive substance
• urinary symptoms

Declaration of interest

This material has not been published elsewhere and is not being considered by other journals. All authors have personally and substantially contributed to this article. Relevant ethical safeguards were met during data collection: all data were anonymous.

A. W. is the founder of Global Drug Survey.

Global Drug Survey is self-funded. W. L.’s PhD is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, London, UK). The funding bodies had no role in the design, interpretation or write-up of this article.

Notes

¹States and month, year when made illegal: Arizona – April 2014, Florida – December 2012, Indiana – March 2012, Louisiana – June 2013, Minnesota – August 2012, North Dakota – November 2012, Ohio – December 2012 and Virginia – July 2012.