6-MAM
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 3 corroborating sources
- 3 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 29 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki)
- classified Research-chemical
- dose data not in PW/TripSit (unverifiable)
- 3 corroborating sources
- 3 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 29 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki)
- classified Research-chemical
- dose data not in PW/TripSit (unverifiable)
Aliases: 6-am, 6-acetylmorphine
Summary
6-MAM is the primary active metabolite of heroin and is responsible for heroin's characteristic rapid rush and intense euphoria. It crosses the blood-brain barrier more efficiently than morphine and appears in brain tissue at higher concentrations than heroin itself. Rarely sold in pure form; most encounters arise from black-tar heroin or deliberate synthesis.
Dose Information
Dose basis. The dose figures on this page come from clinical practice, where this drug is given by trained staff who are titrating to effect with airway support and monitoring immediately available. They are not a self-administration guide, and the margin they assume does not exist outside that setting. Assume full respiratory depression, keep naloxone to hand, never dose alone, and never combine with benzodiazepines, alcohol or other depressants.
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intravenous | 3-5mg | 5-10mg | 10-15mg | 15mg+ |
| Insufflated | 5-15mg | 15-25mg | 25-35mg | 35mg+ |
| Smoked | 2-5mg | 5-15mg | 15-25mg | 25mg+ |
Sources
Intravenous
Dose ladder — Drugs.WikiInsufflated
Dose ladder — Drugs.WikiSmoked
Dose ladder — Drugs.WikiOnset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intravenous | <1-1 min | 1-2 min | 5-30 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.1-2.55 hrs |
| Insufflated | 1-5 min | 5-10 min | 10-45 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.27-3 hrs |
| Smoked | <1-2 min | 1-3 min | 5-30 min | 1-2 hrs | 1.1-2.58 hrs |
Effect Profile
Scores (0–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Strong euphoria and pain relief with moderate itching/nausea and sedation
Tolerance
No tolerance chart. Our decay curves for opioids were estimates, and a curve can make tolerance look longer-lasting than it is, which is the dangerous direction.
Opioid tolerance drops fast when you stop, and even a few days off can be enough, so a dose that used to be normal can now stop your breathing. Overdose deaths rise sharply after prison, detox or leaving treatment, and tolerance also falls during a hospital stay. After any break, start with a much smaller amount, try a test dose first, don't use alone, and keep naloxone within reach. Alcohol, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids and other sedatives make an opioid overdose much more likely.
Sources: FRANK: heroin ยท National Harm Reduction Coalition ยท WHO: opioid overdose ยท Merrall et al. 2010 ยท Binswanger et al. 2007 ยท Strang et al. 2003 ยท FDA 2019: gabapentinoids and breathing
Cross-Tolerances
Effects
Effect glossary — · full glossary
Combinations
Cross-Check 6-MAM with another substanceHelpful Links
Add to PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal logging app doesn't include every substance. To track 6-MAM there, start adding an ingestion, search for the name, and choose to add it as a custom substance. Paste these values:
6-MAM Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com) Intravenous dose (mg): threshold 2 ยท light 3-5 ยท common 5-10 ยท strong 10-15 ยท heavy 15+ Insufflated dose (mg): threshold 5 ยท light 5-15 ยท common 15-25 ยท strong 25-35 ยท heavy 35+ Smoked dose (mg): threshold 2 ยท light 2-5 ยท common 5-15 ยท strong 15-25 ยท heavy 25+ Intravenous duration: onset <1-1m ยท come-up 1-2m ยท peak 5-30m ยท offset 1-2h ยท total 1.1-2.55h ยท after-effects 0.5-1h Insufflated duration: onset 1-5m ยท come-up 5-10m ยท peak 10-45m ยท offset 1-2h ยท total 1.27-3h ยท after-effects 0.5-1h Smoked duration: onset <1-2m ยท come-up 1-3m ยท peak 5-30m ยท offset 1-2h ยท total 1.1-2.58h ยท after-effects 0.5-1h Note: ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription. Start low, go slow, and test your substances.
Tip: for quicker logging you can also add a Custom Unit in the app, e.g. common dose ~ 7.5 mg (Intravenous).
The app keeps custom substances simple, so the full dose ranges live in the description text above. Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Report an issue or suggest an edit
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