3-Methoxy-4,5-methylendioxyamphetamine
Encyclopedia
3-Methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MMDA; 3-Methoxy-MDA) is a psychedelic
and entactogen drug
of the amphetamine
class. It is an analogue of lophophine
, MDA
, and MDMA, and also bears resemblance to the essential oil
myristicin
found in nutmeg
.
MMDA was described by Alexander Shulgin
in his book PiHKAL
. Shulgin lists the dosage range of MMDA as 100–250 mg. The first symptoms appear within 30–60 minutes following oral administration. MMDA produces euphoria
and loving warmth, and attenuates feelings such as anxiety
and loneliness
. MMDA also produces eyes-closed visuals
, a state of drowsiness, muscle relaxation
, and time dilation
. Side effects
include moderate mydriasis
, dizziness
, sensations of heat or cold, and trembling. The imagery
is generally realistic, and often related to everyday perception
of people, landscapes, or objects. The effects of MMDA usually reach a peak
after the first hour following the initial symptoms, and begin to wane during the second hour, and usually completely disappear by the end of the fifth hour.
explored the psychotherapeutic potential of MMDA. Like MDA, he found that MMDA facilitates communication
and suggested it has potential applications in psychotherapy
. Worldwide , MMDA has not been approved for any human applications.
with no effects on dopamine
release and probably norepinephrine
release as well, and as a 5-HT2A receptor
agonist
. The latter property is responsible for its psychedelic
effects, whereas the former mediates its mood
-lifting and empathogenic effects.
http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/green.pdf.
Psychedelic drug
A psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception. Psychedelics are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes related substances such as dissociatives and deliriants...
and entactogen drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
of the amphetamine
Substituted amphetamine
Substituted amphetamines are a chemical class of stimulants, entactogens, hallucinogens, and other drugs. They feature a phenethylamine core with a methyl group attached to the alpha carbon resulting in amphetamine, along with additional substitutions...
class. It is an analogue of lophophine
Lophophine
Lophophine, also known as 3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyphenethylamine , is a psychedelic and entactogen drug of the phenethylamine class...
, MDA
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine , also known as tenamfetamine , is a psychedelic and entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes...
, and MDMA, and also bears resemblance to the essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
myristicin
Myristicin
Myristicin is a phenylpropene, a natural organic compound present in small amounts in the essential oil of nutmeg and to a lesser extent in other spices such as parsley and dill.It is insoluble in water, but soluble in ethanol and acetone.-Uses:...
found in nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
.
MMDA was described by Alexander Shulgin
Alexander Shulgin
Alexander "Sasha" Theodore Shulgin is an American pharmacologist, chemist, artist, and drug developer.Shulgin is credited with the popularization of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially for psychopharmaceutical use and the treatment of depression and...
in his book PiHKAL
PiHKAL
PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story is a book by Dr. Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin which was published in 1991. The subject of the work is psychoactive phenethylamine chemical derivatives, notably those that act as psychedelics and/or empathogen-entactogens...
. Shulgin lists the dosage range of MMDA as 100–250 mg. The first symptoms appear within 30–60 minutes following oral administration. MMDA produces euphoria
Euphoria (emotion)
Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, ecstasy, excitement and joy...
and loving warmth, and attenuates feelings such as anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
and loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness is an unpleasant feeling in which a person feels a strong sense of emptiness and solitude resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships. However, it is a subjective experience...
. MMDA also produces eyes-closed visuals
Mental image
A mental image is an experience that, on most occasions, significantly resembles the experience of perceiving some object, event, or scene, but occurs when the relevant object, event, or scene is not actually present to the senses...
, a state of drowsiness, muscle relaxation
Muscle relaxant
A muscle relaxant is a drug which affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics...
, and time dilation
Time dilation
In the theory of relativity, time dilation is an observed difference of elapsed time between two events as measured by observers either moving relative to each other or differently situated from gravitational masses. An accurate clock at rest with respect to one observer may be measured to tick at...
. Side effects
Adverse drug reaction
An adverse drug reaction is an expression that describes harm associated with the use of given medications at a normal dosage. ADRs may occur following a single dose or prolonged administration of a drug or result from the combination of two or more drugs...
include moderate mydriasis
Mydriasis
Mydriasis is a dilation of the pupil due to disease, trauma or the use of drugs. Normally, the pupil dilates in the dark and constricts in the light to respectively improve vividity at night and to protect the retina from sunlight damage during the day...
, dizziness
Dizziness
Dizziness refers to an impairment in spatial perception and stability. The term is somewhat imprecise. It can be used to mean vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, or a non-specific feeling such as giddiness or foolishness....
, sensations of heat or cold, and trembling. The imagery
Imagery analysis
Imagery analysis is the extraction of useful information from bi-dimensional graphic formats, including screen shots. This includes color and black-and-white photographs, infra-red photographs and video, radar screens and synthetic aperture radar formats, ultrasound, EKG, EEG, MRI, echo...
is generally realistic, and often related to everyday perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
of people, landscapes, or objects. The effects of MMDA usually reach a peak
Peak experiences
Peak experience is a term used to describe certain transpersonal and ecstatic states, particularly ones tinged with themes of euphoria, harmonization and interconnectedness...
after the first hour following the initial symptoms, and begin to wane during the second hour, and usually completely disappear by the end of the fifth hour.
Psychotherapeutic actions
In his 1973 book, "The Healing Journey", Claudio NaranjoClaudio Naranjo
Claudio Naranjo is a Chilean psychiatrist who is considered a pioneer in integrating psychotherapy and the spiritual traditions. He is one of the three successors named by Fritz Perls , and a developer of the Enneagram of Personality and founder of the Seekers After Truth Institute...
explored the psychotherapeutic potential of MMDA. Like MDA, he found that MMDA facilitates communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and suggested it has potential applications in psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
. Worldwide , MMDA has not been approved for any human applications.
Pharmacology
MMDA has been shown to act as a non-neurotoxic serotonin releasing agentSerotonin releasing agent
A serotonin releasing agent is a type of drug which induces the release of serotonin from the pre-synaptic neuron into the synapse...
with no effects on dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
release and probably norepinephrine
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...
release as well, and as a 5-HT2A receptor
5-HT2A receptor
The mammalian 5-HT2A receptor is a subtype of the 5-HT2 receptor that belongs to the serotonin receptor family and is a G protein-coupled receptor . This is the main excitatory receptor subtype among the GPCRs for serotonin , although 5-HT2A may also have an inhibitory effect on certain areas such...
agonist
Agonist
An agonist is a chemical that binds to a receptor of a cell and triggers a response by that cell. Agonists often mimic the action of a naturally occurring substance...
. The latter property is responsible for its psychedelic
Psychedelic drug
A psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception. Psychedelics are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes related substances such as dissociatives and deliriants...
effects, whereas the former mediates its mood
Mood
Mood may refer to:*Mood , a relatively long lasting emotional state*Grammatical mood, one of a set of morphologically distinctive forms that are used to signal modality*Mood , a city in Iran*Mood District, a district in Iran...
-lifting and empathogenic effects.
Legality
MMDA is classified as a Schedule 1 substance in the United States, and is similarly controlled in other parts of the world. Internationally, MMDA is a Schedule I drug under the Convention on Psychotropic SubstancesConvention on Psychotropic Substances
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 is a United Nations treaty designed to control psychoactive drugs such as amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and psychedelics signed at Vienna on February 21, 1971...
http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/green.pdf.
See also
- LophophineLophophineLophophine, also known as 3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyphenethylamine , is a psychedelic and entactogen drug of the phenethylamine class...
- MMDA-2MMDA-22-Methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine is a psychedelic drug of the amphetamine class. It is closely related to MMDA and MDA....
- 5-Methyl-MDA
- MDA
- MDMA