Amfepramone is a stimulant

Stimulant

Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...

 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 phenethylamine

Substituted phenethylamine

The substituted phenethylamines are chemical compounds with the 2-phenethylamine chemical structure modified at the phenyl ring, sidechain, and/or amino group. Some of them are psychoactive drugs, including stimulants, psychedelics, opioids, and entactogens, which exert their effects primarily...

, 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...

, and cathinone

Substituted cathinone

Substituted cathinones, which include some stimulants and entactogens, are derivatives of cathinone. They feature a phenethylamine core with an alkyl group attached to the alpha carbon, and a ketone group attached to the beta carbon, along with additional substitutions...

 chemical classes that is used as an appetite suppressant.

Pharmacology

Amfepramone itself lacks any affinity for the monoamine transporter

Monoamine transporter

Monoamine transporters are protein structures that function as integral plasma membrane transporters to regulate concentrations of extracellular monoamine neurotransmitters. Three major classes of MATs are responsible for the reuptake of their associated amine neurotransmitters...

s and instead functions as a prodrug

Prodrug

A prodrug is a pharmacological substance administered in an inactive form. Once administered, the prodrug is metabolised in vivo into an active metabolite, a process termed bioactivation. The rationale behind the use of a prodrug is generally for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and...

 to ethcathinone

Ethcathinone

Ethcathinone, also known as ethylpropion, is a stimulant drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and cathinone chemical classes. It is an active metabolite of the prodrug diethylcathinone and is fully responsible for its effects...

. Ethcathinone (and therefore amfepramone as well) is a very weak dopaminergic

Dopaminergic

Dopaminergic means related to the neurotransmitter dopamine. For example, certain proteins such as the dopamine transporter , vesicular monoamine transporter 2 , and dopamine receptors can be classified as dopaminergic, and neurons which synthesize or contain dopamine and synapses with dopamine...

 and serotonergic

Serotonergic

Serotonergic or serotoninergic means "related to the neurotransmitter serotonin". A synapse is serotonergic if it uses serotonin as its neurotransmitter...

, and is approximately 10x and 20x stronger on norepinephrine

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...

 in comparison, respectively. As a result, ethcathinone and amfepramone can essentially be considered selective

Functional Selectivity

Functional selectivity is the ligand-dependent selectivity for certain signal transduction pathways in one and the same receptor. This can be present when a receptor has several possible signal transduction pathways...

 norepinephrine

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...

 releasing agent

Releasing agent

A releasing agent , or simply releaser, is a drug that induces the release of a neurotransmitter from the presynaptic neuron into the synapse, leading to an increase in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter. Many drugs use neurotransmitter release to exert their psychological and...

s (NRAs).

Legality

Amfepramone is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance

Controlled substance

A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use are regulated by a government. This may include illegal drugs and prescription medications ....

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.
In the UK Amfepramone is a class C drug.

Chemistry

1. Propiophenone
   Propiophenone
   Propiophenone is an aryl ketone. It is a clear liquid that is insoluble in water, but miscible with methanol, ethanol, diethyl ether, benzene and toluene....
   
    is brominated to produce α-bromopropiophenone.
2. This is reacted with diethylamine
   Diethylamine
   Diethylamine is a secondary amine with the molecular structure CH3CH2NHCH2CH3. It is a flammable, strongly alkaline liquid. It is miscible with water and ethanol. It is a colorless liquid which often appears brown due to impurities...
   
   to yield the product, diethylpropion.

Reference: