Para-Methoxyamphetamine
chemical compound
para-Methoxyamphetamine (PMA), also known as 4-methoxyamphetamine (4-MA), is a designer drug of the amphetamine class with serotonergic effects. Unlike other similar drugs of this family, PMA does not produce stimulant, euphoriant, or entactogenic effects, and behaves more like an antidepressant in comparison, though it does have some psychedelic properties.
PMA has been found in black market tablets sold as MDMA (ecstasy) although its effects are markedly different compared to those of MDMA. The consequences of such deception have often included hospitalization and death for unwitting users. PMA is commonly synthesized from anethole, the essential oil of anise and fennel, mainly because the starting material for MDMA and MDA, safrole (a major component of the essential oil of sassafras), has become less available due to increasing government controls, causing illicit drug manufacturers to make PMA as an alternative.
Use and effects
According to Alexander Shulgin in PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved), the effects of PMA at doses of 50 to 80 mg orally included hypertension, diethyltryptamine (DET)-reminiscent effects, distinct after-images, and some paresthesia, "intoxication" or alcohol-like intoxication, and no psychedelic effects. In clinical studies, PMA produced excitation, other central effects, and sympathomimetic effects, but similarly no psychotomimetic effects.
Adverse effects
PMA has been associated with numerous adverse reactions including death. Effects of PMA ingestion include many effects of the hallucinogenic amphetamines including accelerated and irregular heartbeat, blurred vision, and a strong feeling of intoxication that is often unpleasant. At high doses unpleasant effects such as nausea and vomiting, severe hyperthermia and hallucinations may occur. The effects of PMA also seem to be much more unpredictable and variable between individuals than those of MDMA, and sensitive individuals may die from a dose of PMA by which a less susceptible person might only be mildly affected.
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This entry incorporates text from “Para-Methoxyamphetamine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.