PROFILES OF PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS
DMT
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs 8: 167-168. 1976
With this issue we are introducing a new column which will present
thumbnail sketches of the known psychedelic drugs. Rather than an attempt
to review the existing literature on each drug (some would have hundreds of
references and some perhaps two), the facts that are known concerning
history, human pharmacology and human psychopharmacology will be
amalgamated into a "profile." The drugs to be presented will be chosen
randomly, rather than with preference given to popularity, unusual potency,
or current availability. Botanical mixtures will not be considered as
such, but as their known active compnents. As there are upwards of a
hundred psychedelic drugs currently known, it is expected that these
"profiles" will eventually form an extensive reference atlas of compactly
presented drug information.
1. DMT
Description and properties:
DMT, N,N-diemethyltryptamine, Nigerine, desoxybufotenine,
3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-indole is a white, pungent-smelling, crystalline
solid with a melting point of 49-50 degrees Celsius, hydrochloride salt
hygroscopic, picrate m.p. 171-172 degrees Celsius and methiodide m.p.
215-216 degrees Celsius. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in organic
solvents and aqueous acids.
History:
DMT was first synthesized in 1931, and demonstrated to be hallucinogenic in
1956. It has been shown to be present in many plant genera (Acacia,
Anandenanthera, Mimosa, Piptadenia, Virola) and
is a major component of several hallucinogenic snuffs (cohoba, parica,
yopo). It is also present in the intoxicating beverage
"ayahuasca" made
from Banisteriopsis
caapi, and it may have oral effectiveness due to the presence of
several naturally occuring inhibitors of catabolic deamination.
Human Biochemistry and Pharmacology:
Both the parent compound tryptamine and the N-methyltransferase system
which is capable of converting it to DMT occur in humans, but there is as
yet no evidence that DMT is formed "in vivo." DMT has nonetheless been
identified in trace amounts in the blood and urine of both normals and of
schizophrenic patients, but its origins and functions are unknown.
Following intramuscular administration, maximum blood levels of about 100
ng/ml are observed in 10 minutes, coincident with the maximum changes in
electroencephalographic responses. The plasma clearance t-1/2 [half-life]
is about 15 minutes. Elevated blood levels of indoleacetic acid (IAA) are
seen during the time of peak effects, implying its role as a metabolite.
Urine levels of IAA are also elevated and account for about 30% of the
administered drug. An increase in 5-hydroxy-IAA excretion suggests the
involvement of serotonin in DMT action. Unchanged DMT is not excreted.
Human Psychopharmacology:
DMT is inactive orally at dosages of over 1000mg. With intramuscular
injection, there is an abrupt threshold of activity shown with 30mg, and a
complete psychedelic experience results from the administration of 50-70mg
(75mg subcutaneously, 30mg by inhalation). An unusual feature of the induced
intoxication is the speed of onset and short duration. Within 5 minutes of
administration there is mydriasis [dilated pupils], tachycardia [rapid heart
beat], a measurable increase in blood pressure, and related vegetative
disturbances which usually persist througout the drug experience. In 10-15
minutes, the full intoxication is realized, generally characterized by
hallucinations with the eyes either open or closed, and extensive movement
within the visual field. There is difficulty in the expression of one's
thoughts, and in concentration on a given subject. There is usually a mood
change to the euphoric with unmotivated laughter, but instances have been
reported in which paranoid ideation has promoted anxieties and feelings of
forboding into a state of panic. The subject is largely symptom-free at 60
minutes, although some residual effects have been seen in the second hour.
With the inhalation route of administration the time scale is contracted,
with onset of effects noted in 10 seconds, a short period of full
intoxication at 2-3 minute, and a complete freedom from any residual
effects within 10 minutes. At higher drug levels, there are increased
vegetative symptoms, and these effectively overwhelm the psychedelic
experience at dosages of 150mg i.m. Interactions with other drugs are
rarely seen; a sensitivity has been observed with pretreatment with
methlysergide, but there is no cross-tolerance with LSD. Repeated usage
does not appear to lead to either physical or psychological dependency.
Legal Status:
DMT is explicitly named as a Schedule I drug in the Federal Controlled
Substances Act; registry number 7435.
DMT
[Excerpt from a pharmacology textbook published in 1988]
Chemical structure and source:
This is the prototype member of the tryptamine subclass of indole
derivatives. The structural formula is:
/\ (CH2)2-N(CH3)2
// \ ____/
| || ||
| || ||
\\ /\ /
\/ \N/
H
N,N-dimethyltryptamine
The drug is a constituent of many of the same South American snuffs and
drinks that contain other psychedelic indole deriviatives, it is often
found in the same plants as 5-MeO-DMT, and Indians add a substance
containing it to drinks containing harmala alkaloids. DMT is the major
constituent of the bark of Virola calophylla, mentioned above; it is
also found in the seeds of Anadenanthera peregina; in the seeds of
the vine Mimosa hostilis, used in eastern Brazil to make a drink
called "ajuca" or "jurema"; in the leaves of Banisteriopsis
rusbyana, which are added to the harmaline drinks derived from other
plants of the Banisteriopsis
genus to make "oco-yage"; and in the leaves of
Psychotria viridis,
also added to the
Banisteriopsis drinks.
Like 5-MeO-DMT, DMT must be
combined with monoamine oxydase inhibitors to become active orally.
Dose:
First strong effects are felt at about 50mg, whether it is smoked or
injected. Tolerance develops only after extremely frequent use - injections
every two hours for three weeks in rats; at that dose frequency, but not
otherwise, there is also a cross-tolerance between DMT and LSD (Rosenberg
et al. 1964; Kovacic and Domino, 1976).
Physiological effects:
Resembles LSD, but sympathomimetic symptoms like dilated pupils, heightened
blood pressure, and increased pulse rate are more common and more intense.
Psychological Effects:
Like LSD but often more intense. Since it is not taken by mouth, the
effects come on suddenly and can be overwhelming. The term "mind blowing"
might have been invented for this drug. The experience was described by
Alan Watts as like "being fired out of the nozzle of an atomic cannon"
(Leary 1968a p.215). Thoughts and
visions crowd in at great speed; a sense of leaving or transcending time
and a feeling that objects have lost all form and dissolved into a play of
vibrations are characteristic. The effect can be like instant
transportation to another universe for a timeless sojourn.
Duration of action:
When DMT is smoked or injected, effects begin in seconds, reach a peak in
five to twenty minutes and end after a half hour or so. This has earned it
the name "businessman's trip." The brevity of the experience make its
intensity bearable, and, for some, desirable.
At least two synthetic drugs in which the methyl group of DMT is replaced
by a higher radical are psychedelic:
/\ (CH2)2-N(C2H5)2 /\ (CH2)2-N(CH2CH2CH2)2
// \ ____/ // \ ____/
| || || | || ||
| || || | || ||
\\ /\ / \\ /\ /
\/ \N/ \/ \N/
H H
N,N-diethyltryptamine N,N-dipropyltryptamine
The drug DET is active at the same dose as DMT and the effects last
slightly longer, about one and a half to two hours. DPT is longer-acting
still and has fewer autonomic side effects. In therapeutic experiments its
action continues for one and a half to two hours at the lowest effective
dose, 15 to 30mg, and for four to six hours at doses in the range of 60 to
150mg. Both DET and DPT are milder than DMT. The drug 6-FDET
(6-fluorodiethyltryptamine) resembles DET in its effects. All these drugs,
like DMT, are inactive orally and must be smoked or injected.
Dibutyltryptamine (DBT) and higher substitutions are inert, but other
synthetic drugs related to DMT may be psychoactive.
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