Harm reduction journal
July 28, 2023
Théo Willeman, Nathan Grundig, Christine Pochon et al.
8 citations
Between February and September 2021, a study of 45 samples from 33 people who use 3-MMC in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, found that the purity of the powder ranged from 21% to 98%. Most users were male (91%), median age 40, and regular users who bought the drug online via the Clear Web. Intravenous use was reported by 15.2% of participants. Other drugs, including 4-CEC, 4-MMC, and 2-FDCK, were also detected. Drug testing was requested by 86% of users, indicating a strong desire for harm reduction services. The data suggest that drug-checking programs can help this population.
The International journal on drug policy
July 1, 2026
Salim Mezaache, Liselotte Pochard, Hélène Peyrière et al.
Use of ketamine analogues, substances structurally related to ketamine, is increasing in France and poses significant health risks, some potentially exceeding those of ketamine itself. Analysis of 56 cases reported to the French Addictovigilance Network from 2017 to 2024, predominantly involving 2-fluorodeschloroketamine (2-FDCK, 52%) and N-ethyldeschloroketamine (O-PCE, 38%), showed that most users were men (93%) with an average age of 32.1 years. Adverse effects were mainly neurological and psychiatric, including dissociation and impaired consciousness. Serious cases accounted for 61%, including 11% deaths. Four user profiles emerged: recreational experimenters, self-medicating individuals, regular users, and those unintentionally exposed, often in chemsex contexts, which was frequently linked to distressing experiences.
British journal of clinical pharmacology
November 1, 2022
Bruno Revol, Maryse Lapeyre-Mestre, Nathalie Fouilhé Sam-Lai et al.
All four N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists examined—dextromethorphan, ketamine, amantadine, and memantine—showed a statistically significant association with reports of drug abuse and dependence in the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase®), which contains over 21 million case reports from more than 130 countries. The strongest signal was for dextromethorphan, followed by ketamine, with weaker but still significant signals for amantadine and memantine. This suggests a possible class effect for abuse potential among NMDAR antagonists. The authors call for further investigation and alert health professionals to this risk, especially given growing interest in these drugs as non-opioid pain treatments during the opioid epidemic.