Alright - gave MXE another try after an underwhelming first experience.
For the record, I acquired this from a vendor who's other products have been excellent in quality and potency. My MXE isn't fluffy or powdery, but more like very very find sand. It's off-white, almost a yellow tint and tastes salty but has a sort of "minty/sweet" scent when I snort it.
I started out with 25mg insufflated - not much, a little disorientation. After 50 mins did an additional 30mg. Effects are more pronounced, I feel "out of it" and kind of clumsy. I'm pretty sure I'm not okay to drive. Not much euphoria, just disconnection. About 45 mins after this I snort 35-40mg. Thoughts are more confusing, it's hard to stay focused. Hard to "direct" my train of thought. I feel like I'm sitting farther away from my laptop than I actually am. I feel pretty "heady" and conversation is slightly awkward. This never really peaks for me, though. I didn't feel extremely stimulated, but It was difficult to fall asleep for a few hours afterward.
So now I'm not really doubting that what I have is MXE (or is even "bad" MXE) but I might be expecting too much/something different than what this drug offers. Maybe I need to go for the M-hole? I guess I'm just not all that impressed with what I'm getting at sub-intense doses. Also, the dissociation for me is not as novel or alien as the shifts psychedelics cause. I'm not sure if this is because I already experience mild dissociation due to anxiety/trauma?
I take 50mg Pristiq (an SNRI) and 30mg Adderal XR. I wonder if my mild dopamine tolerance is affecting anything.