Today, its synthetic form is used for its powerful hallucinogenic effects. That’s why we’re committed to providing unbiased, evidence-based information about drugs, including harm-reduction strategies, regardless of legal status.Learn more about the principles of harm reduction. The intensity of orally administered DMT depends on the type and dose of MAOI administered alongside it. When ingested with 120mg of harmine (a RIMA and member of the harmala alkaloids), 20mg of DMT was reported to have psychoactive effects by author and ethnobotanist Jonathan Ott. Serious side effects occur more frequently if you have pre-existing mental health or physical conditions. Experts aren’t sure if DMT can cause long-term health effects.
Modern scientific research has primarily focused on intravenously injected DMT, though most people smoke or vaporize it when using it recreationally. Though DMT has received increasing media attention, alcohol intervention the compound is currently illegal in the U.S. The first comprehensive analysis of the DMT experience is now available, and a clinical trial for its therapeutic benefits is underway.
Can You Become Addicted to DMT?
Although less familiar than other psychedelics such as LSD or magic mushrooms, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) produces a brief but intense visual and auditory hallucinogenic experience. People use DMT for the intense psychedelic trip that feels like an out-of-body experience. But a range of physical and mental side effects accompany this powerful trip, some of which can be pretty unpleasant. DMT can result in high levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This can lead to a potentially life threatening condition called serotonin syndrome disorder.
But you’re more likely to find it in the slightly less pure form, which is a yellowish-pink looking powder. DMT is one of the active ingredients in ayahuasca, a psychedelic tea native to South America. Its street names include dimitri, businessman’s special, the spirit molecule, changa, or fantasia. People from various cultures have used it for hundreds of years for ritual and religious practices as well as recreationally. The presence of a sober sitter is particularly recommended with DMT.
However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using. People who use ayahuasca often do so as part of religious or cultural rituals. The brew contains a range of compounds that may help limit side effects and reduce the overall toxicity of DMT. Taking a high dose of DMT or using DMT while taking antidepressants can result in a condition called serotonin syndrome. Bad trips can happen with just about any hallucinogenic drug.
- Although DMT occurs naturally in plants, it can also be synthesised chemically, producing DMT in its base or salt form.
- While DMT is a naturally occurring substance, neither the organic nor the lab-made versions are approved for any legal use in the U.S.
- When consumed as a brew in the form of ayahuasca, the dose is between 0.6—0.85 mg for every kilogram of liquid.
- It is well known for inducing intense and short-lived psychedelic experiences.
If you’re caught using, selling, or buying the drug, you’ll likely face large fines or also jail time. Some people can turn strangely quiet or introverted after taking DMT. We rely on donations to continue to promote evidence-based information about drugs without political or commercial interference. While they may look similar, and have similar chemical structures, they induce different experiences and should not be confused. Some scientific studies speculate that DMT may contribute to neurodegenerative and neurorestorative processes.
DMT vs. ayahuasca
Read more on DMT harm reduction in the harm reduction advice section. This information page will focus specifically on DMT rather than ayahuasca, for more information on ayahuasca please click here. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies DMT as a Schedule 1 substance. This means it is illegal to buy, distribute, manufacture, or possess DMT in the United States. DMT and the neurotransmitter serotonin share a structural relationship.
If DMT is stored in synaptic vesicles,[169] such concentrations might occur during vesicular release. DMT induces a particularly potent psychedelic experience consisting of intense visual alterations and hallucinations, alongside alterations in emotion and mood. The intensity of the trip can be emotionally challenging for some people, inducing states of panic, anxiety and paranoia. For some people DMT produces an out-of-body experience or depersonalisation, which can be an overwhelming experience. Similar to all psychedelics, the psychological risks can be minimised by ‘set and setting’, ensuring that both your mind-set is stable and well prepared, and that the environment is safe and encouraging.
Many South American cultures use ayahuasca in religious and spiritual ceremonies and have done so for centuries. DMT produces effects similar to those of psychedelics, like LSD and magic mushrooms. Some people refer to the drug by other names including Dimitri and fantasia. The pure compound is not active when taken orally, because a digestive enzyme in the gastrointestinal (GI) system called monoamine oxidase breaks it down before it can affect the brain. But several street drugs including DMT are often laced or mixed in with other dangerous substances such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, or morphine. People who sell them often lace DMT with additional substances as they can produce a stronger trip.
Serotonin syndrome occurs when the body accumulates an excessive amount of serotonin. The condition is more likely in people taking a combination of different drugs. DMT users frequently claim that it has fewer side effects than other psychedelic drugs, but this is a difficult claim to measure and quantify. When consumed as a brew in the form of ayahuasca, the dose is between 0.6—0.85 mg for every kilogram of liquid. Effects begin within 60 minutes, peak after 90 minutes, and disappear in approximately 4 hours. DMT is a white crystalline powder derived from certain plants found in Mexico, South America, and parts of Asia, such as Psychotria viridis.
People may experience the drug’s effects within minutes of use. When used in religious ceremonies, plants and vines are boiled to create a tea-like drink of varying strengths. A variety of plants contain DMT at sufficient levels for being viable sources,[4] but specific plants such as Mimosa tenuiflora, Acacia acuminata and Acacia confusa are most often used. In December 2004, the Supreme Court lifted a stay, thereby allowing the Brazil-based União do Vegetal (UDV) church to use a decoction containing DMT in their Christmas services that year. This decoction is a tea made from boiled leaves and vines, known as hoasca within the UDV, and ayahuasca in different cultures.
Conjecture regarding endogenous effects
It’s important to tell emergency responders what drugs were taken so they can choose the best treatment option. Anecdotally, some folks report experiencing lingering mental effects for days or weeks after using DMT. How much you use, any other substances you take with it (which isn’t recommended, by the way), and even your weight and body composition influence how it will affect you. There’s also synthetic DMT, which comes in the form of a white, crystalline powder. This type of DMT is typically smoked or vaporized, though some snort or inject it. If you’re concerned about your drug use, there’s help available.
The effects peak and plateau for 2 to 5 minutes and gradually drop off with the duration of effect totaling up to 30 minutes. Despite its illegal status, people sometimes use DMT in religious ceremonies and various settings for an “awakening” or to obtain deep spiritual insight. Serotonin syndrome is a potentially cocaine addiction life threatening condition that requires immediate medical treatment. As with the physical effects, the psychological effects of DMT vary from person to person and depend on the same factors. If curious about trying DMT, it’s important to take certain steps to reduce your risk for serious effects.
Teen DMT Abuse
You could have a bad trip with your first exposure to DMT or your 10th time using. Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach. DMT is naturally found in some plant species and combined with other plants to produce a brew called ayahuasca, which is consumed in spiritual ceremonies in several South American cultures. DMT is extremely powerful, even though it naturally occurs in several plant species. If you’re going to try it, there are a few steps you can take to reduce your risk for having a bad reaction.
Regarding its psychoactive effects, people have described feeling like they’re traveling at speed through a tunnel of bright lights and shapes. Others describe 6 strategies to safely detox for pregnancy having an out-of-body experience and feeling like they’ve changed into something else. As with most drugs, DMT can affect people in very different ways.
DMT is found in trace amounts throughout nature, including the human body. Evidence shows that a key enzyme for DMT synthesis, called indole-ethylamine-methyltransferase (INMT), has been detected in the human cerebral cortex and pineal gland. N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a fast-acting psychedelic drug that produces a brief but fully immersive hallucinogenic experience.