Deschcloroketamine, or DCK, is a dissociative research chemical in the arylcyclohexylamine
class.
Its structure is very close to ketamine's.
And the effects fall closer to ketamine and MXE than PCP-like dissociatives.
Because it might have some antimicrobial properties, some people have been worried about its safety.
Though there's only tentative support for those properties.
Compared to ketamine, it's more potent and longer lasting.
Among the positives are dissociation, sedation, mood improvement, introspection, closed and
open eye visuals, physical euphoria, music enhancement, and anxiolysis.
The negatives can include memory impairment, motor control impairment, nausea, dizziness,
confusion, and insomnia.
It can be described as having effects between those of ketamine and PCP, but typically closer
to ketamine.
It lasts significantly longer, which can be both positive and negative.
Some people find the general feeling of dissociation and impairment lasts too long.
The mental effects tend to be fairly tame at common doses and it has a relatively low
risk of mania, though potentially higher than with ketamine.
As such, it might be easier to handle for people less familiar with this class of drugs.
People usually like the effects or find them boring.
It's not common to have severely negative experiences.
The boring reports involve cases where it doesn't do much beyond offer some basic dissociation
and sedation.
Why some people find it uninteresting, while others say it can be nearly as good as ketamine
or MXE, isn't clear.
The core visual effects include distortions like blurriness, reduced visual acuity, and
double vision.
It may also seem like things are closer or farther away.
And you can experience some colors and basic patterns with eyes closed.
At common doses, there's a progressive detachment from your body.
Your limbs feel different and your ability to engage in fluid, quick movements can be
impaired.
A sense of floatiness often develops and many people experience numbness around their body.
Pleasurable feelings of warmth and fuzziness are common.
On the psychological side, the effects are somewhat similar to actual dissociation.
This means your body can still carry out actions, but you don't identify with them as much.
Your mental activity can reduce or seem more distant than usual.
Sometimes this leads to a somewhat meditative state.
Essentially, you start to become an observer of your body and mind, rather than fully identified
with them.
Most people find it's a fairly lucid, rather than confusing, experience.
But you can definitely feel cognitively impaired, which can get tiring after a few hours.
Difficulty speaking and communicating is quite common with common and higher doses.
Some of the other effects include dose-dependent tactile changes, such as a blunting of physical
sensation.
And auditory disturbances, such as apparent changes in distance and volume.
DCK can offer a psychedelic-like feeling of profoundness and importance, but this isn't
the most typical response.
At sufficient doses, a significant level of dissociation can arise, leading to detachment
from the body.
This is a state where you are, at most, minimally aware of your body and you experience more
internal hallucinations.
This aspect of DCK been described as somewhat similar to MXE, but that varies.
It can feature colors, various dream-like worlds, and even memories.
Significant time dilation can occur, making the experience feel longer than it really
is.
At these kinds of doses, even if you don't become detached, the visual effects can become
more prominent.
Sometimes there will be basic open eye visuals like colors, twisting, morphing, and splicing.
While the closed eye visuals become more complex.
Though people have had full dissociative experiences on DCK, a lot of people say it's harder to
reach those effects than with ketamine.
Because your memory is often impaired, the experiences can be hard to remember.
There's a very tentative basis for believing in the notable antimicrobial properties of
DCK.
Some people have become more concerned than they probably should be, attaching nearly
any negative effect of the drug to these alleged properties.
This doesn't really make sense.
Some of the potential after effects of DCK include cognitive impairment, depression,
and depression reduction.
Cognitive impairment and depression typically only last for a day or so.
Depression reduction doesn't occur for everyone, but when it does, it can persist for a week
or longer.
The drug lasts for 4 to 6 hours when taken orally.
It has an onset of 30 to 60 minutes.
Intranasally, it lasts 3 to 6 hours, with an onset of 5 to 15 minutes.
Lingering dissociation and insomnia can persist for a few hours beyond these durations.
Pharmacology/Chemistry
DCK is an arylcyclohexylamine.
It only differs from ketamine in that a chlorine substitution has been removed.
Though we lack pharmacology studies on the drug, it probably functions as an NMDA antagonist.
This property can suppress global brain activity.
A couple patents from a group in Germany described the potential antimicrobial properties of
DCK.
Nothing else has happened with the info since then.
There's been no follow-up in the form of traditional studies.
Given the relatively low standard of proof for patents, using the information within
them to determine drug effects isn't wise.
According to these patents, DCK is effective against bacterial, fungal, viral, and protozoan
diseases.
For example, it allegedly treated herpetic infections, toxoplasmosis, and mycoplasmal
infections.
But the most we're offered as evidence are essentially a few case reports.
While these properties could indeed exist, I don't think the infrequent use of DCK is
especially concerning.
Orally, a light dose is 5 to 15 mg, a common dose is 15 to 30 mg, and a strong dose is
30 to 50 mg.
When taken intranasally, a light dose is 5 to 15 mg, a common dose is 15 to 25 mg, and
a strong dose is 25 to 40 mg.
There are varying reports regarding the dosing for DCK.
Some reports indicate 50 to 60 mg is a common amount, but I recommend trying lower amounts
first to see how you respond.
Because it's a research chemical, we don't have much information about its safety.
It's best to take common doses, infrequently, and without combinations.
At common doses, the negatives aren't likely to be physically dangerous.
Psychologically, it's possible to encounter confusion and potentially mania.
Some people find they're more depressed or experience emotional fluctuation after using
the drug.
Those with psychological issues are best off avoiding the drug.
Chronic, heavy use could contribute to cognitive impairment and psychological disturbances.
In the case of an overdose, the drug can cause unconsciousness, which comes with risks like
vomit aspiration.
It may have the same urinary tract issues as ketamine, but these are mainly a problem
for very heavy users.
As long as you don't take it daily or near daily at large doses, the risk is low.
Because of the potential antimicrobial properties, there may be an even greater reason to minimize
your use.
Infrequent exposure isn't likely to cause problems, whereas consistent exposure could
hypothetically disrupt the gut microbiome, among other things.
Some of the risky combinations include other depressants like benzodiazepines, ethanol,
and opioids.
It may also be best to avoid MAOIs and tramadol.
The history of DCK is very limited.
It was described in a 1966 patent from Calvin Stevens at Parke-Davis.
Nothing was written about it for decades until a group in Germany obtained a couple patents
focused on its alleged antimicrobial properties.
Those patents were dated 1998 to 2000.
In 2015, the EMCDDA got its first notification of DCK's presence.
The EU agency had received a report from the UK in March.
This timing fits with the appearance of experience reports, which have mainly accumulated since
2015.
A paper in 2016 reported on the analysis of seized drug samples in Italy.
All of the samples were said to be ketamine, but they turned out to be deschloroketamine
or methoxetamine.
Another 2016 report confirmed the existence of DCK on dark net markets during the second
quarter of 2016.
And according to the DEA's laboratory system, it was detected at least 8 times in the US
that same year.
It's uncontrolled in the US.
Though it's covered by laws in Canada, Latvia, and the UK.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.
You can also email me with questions.
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