aMT Stats & Data
CC(N)Cc1cnc2ccccc12QSQQQURBVYWZKJ-UHFFFAOYSA-NPharmacology
DrugBankDescription
Indopan (alpha-methyltryptamine) is a stimulant and psychoactive drug which produces effects similar to 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), despite being structurally dissimilar. It was developed in the 1960's by Upjohn with the intention for use as an antidepressant. In the 1990's, indopan became regulated as a Schedule I controlled substance in the United states.
Pharmacodynamics
With 20-30 milligrams, euphoria, empathy and psychedelic effects are noticeable. Side effects reported have included anxiety, restlessness, tachycardia, muscle tension, jaw tightness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and pupil dilation.
Toxicity
Long lasting serotonin neuro-toxicity at high doses is potentially possible, and is seen with a close analogue of alpha-methyltryptmaine: alpha-ethyltryptamine.
Receptor Profile
Receptor Actions
Receptor Binding
History & Culture
1929–1960s
Alpha-methyltryptamine appears to have first been described in the scientific literature around 1929, though it remained relatively unstudied until the late 1950s. More intensive research on AMT began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, conducted alongside its close structural relative alpha-ethyltryptamine (aET). The compound was investigated by multiple pharmaceutical companies during this period, with Upjohn in the United States assigning it the code name U-14,164E, while Sandoz researched it under the designation IT-290. During the 1960s, AMT was briefly marketed in the Soviet Union as an antidepressant under the trade name Indopan (sometimes spelled Indopane). The medication was prescribed in tablet form at doses of 5 to 10 milligrams. However, its clinical use was short-lived, and the drug was withdrawn from the market after only a brief period of therapeutic application. The related compound aET saw somewhat broader pharmaceutical use, being sold commercially in the United States as an antidepressant under the brand name Monase before being placed in Schedule I in 1971.
1960s–2003
AMT began to see recreational use during the 1960s, concurrent with its pharmaceutical development. The compound was also employed in certain psychotherapeutic studies during this decade. Despite this early use, AMT remained a relatively obscure substance for several decades following its withdrawal from clinical application. The compound experienced renewed interest in the late 1990s when it became one of the first psychoactive tryptamines to be widely sold as a "research chemical" through online vendors. This period marked the beginning of the modern research chemical market, with AMT becoming available to a significantly broader user base through internet commerce. The increased availability and use of AMT during this era eventually led to regulatory action, with the substance being emergency scheduled in the United States in April 2003 and permanently placed in Schedule I in September 2004.
Subjective Effect Notes
physical: The physical effects of AMT can be broken down into six components all of which progressively intensify proportional to dosage.
cognitive: In comparison to more traditional psychedelics such as LSD, DMT and Psilocin, the AMT head space is described as not nearly as deep, insightful or profound.
Effect Profile
Curated + 391 ReportsStrong visuals, headspace, body load, and auditory effects
Strong empathy, stimulation, sensory enhancement, and euphoria
Strong anxiety/jitters and stimulation with moderate euphoria, mild focus
Duration Timeline
BluelightEmpirical Duration
Erowid ReportsCommunity Effects
TripSitTolerance & Pharmacokinetics
drugs.wikiTolerance Decay
Acutely diminished effects if re-dosed within days; spacing of at least 1–2 weeks is commonly recommended in HR communities to minimize tolerance and after-effects.
Cross-Tolerances
Demographics
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reports Over Time
Effect Analysis
Erowid + BluelightEffects aggregated from 330 experience reports (280 Erowid + 111 Bluelight)
Effect Sentiment Distribution
Confidence Distribution
Positive Effects 69
Adverse Effects 50
Dose-Response Correlation
How effect frequency changes across dose levels
View data table
| Effect | Light (n=21) | Common (n=54) | Strong (n=64) | Heavy (n=43) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Distortions | 81.0% | 83.3% | 73.4% | 79.1% |
| Nausea | 42.9% | 59.3% | 60.9% | 62.8% |
| Music Enhancement | 28.6% | 42.6% | 53.1% | 53.5% |
| Color Enhancement | 47.6% | 50.0% | 46.9% | 51.2% |
| Stimulation | 38.1% | 37.0% | 48.4% | 51.2% |
| Anxiety | 33.3% | 40.7% | 46.9% | 39.5% |
| Euphoria | 28.6% | 46.3% | 42.2% | 41.9% |
| Sedation | 23.8% | 35.2% | 42.2% | 32.6% |
| Empathy | 14.3% | 40.7% | 32.8% | 37.2% |
| Confusion | 33.3% | 31.5% | 37.5% | 39.5% |
| Auditory Effects | 9.5% | 18.5% | 26.6% | 39.5% |
| Pupil Dilation | 28.6% | 16.7% | 35.9% | 18.6% |
| Closed-Eye Visuals | 23.8% | 20.4% | 23.4% | 34.9% |
| Tactile Enhancement | 14.3% | 31.5% | 32.8% | 20.9% |
| Focus Enhancement | 19.0% | 25.9% | 15.6% | 30.2% |
Subjective Effect Ontology
Experience ReportsStructured effect tags extracted from 391 Erowid & Bluelight experience reports using a controlled vocabulary of 220+ canonical effects across 15 domains.
Auditory
Cognitive
Emotional
Gastrointestinal
Motor
Visual
Dose–Effect Mapping
Experience ReportsHow reported effects shift across dose tiers, based on 280 experience reports.
| Effect | Light (n=21) | Common (n=54) | Strong (n=64) | Heavy (n=43) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| visual distortions | → | ||||
| nausea | ↑ | ||||
| music enhancement | ↑ | ||||
| color enhancement | → | ||||
| stimulation | ↑ | ||||
| anxiety | ↑ | ||||
| euphoria | ↑ | ||||
| sedation | ↑ | ||||
| empathy | ↑ | ||||
| confusion | ↑ | ||||
| auditory effects | ↑ | ||||
| pupil dilation | ↓ | ||||
| closed-eye visuals | ↑ | ||||
| tactile enhancement | ↑ | ||||
| focus enhancement | ↑ | ||||
| body high | ↑ | ||||
| jaw clenching | ↑ | ||||
| hospital | ↑ | ||||
| headache | ↑ | ||||
| introspection | → |
Showing top 20 of 33 effects
Risk Escalation
Sentiment AnalysisAverage frequency of positive vs adverse effects across dose tiers
View effect breakdown
Adverse Effects
| Effect | Light (n=21) | Common (n=54) | Strong (n=64) | Heavy (n=43) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | +46% | ||||
| Anxiety | +18% | ||||
| Confusion | +18% | ||||
| Pupil Dilation | -34% | ||||
| Jaw Clenching | +46% | ||||
| Headache | +169% | ||||
| Muscle Tension | -21% | ||||
| Sweating | -50% | ||||
| Memory Suppression | +22% | ||||
| Motor Impairment | — | +150% | |||
| Increased Heart Rate | -2% | ||||
| Psychosis | — | — | -50% | ||
| Thought Loops | — | — | — | 0% | |
| Seizure | — | — | — | 0% |
Positive Effects
| Effect | Light (n=21) | Common (n=54) | Strong (n=64) | Heavy (n=43) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music Enhancement | +87% | ||||
| Color Enhancement | 7% | ||||
| Stimulation | +34% | ||||
| Euphoria | +46% | ||||
| Empathy | +160% | ||||
| Tactile Enhancement | +46% | ||||
| Focus Enhancement | +58% | ||||
| Body High | +217% | ||||
| Introspection | -2% | ||||
| Creativity Enhancement | -51% |
Dosage Distribution
Dose distribution from experience reports
Real-World Dose Distribution
62K DosesFrom 348 individual dose entries
Insufflated (n=15)
Oral (n=287)
Smoked (n=15)
Common Combinations
Most co-occurring substances in experience reports
Form / Preparation
Most common forms and preparations reported
Body-Weight Dosing
Dose relative to body weight from reports with weight data
Oral
Insufflated
Redose Patterns
Redosing behavior across 212 reports
Legal Status
| Country | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Controlled (analogue) | Controlled as an analogue of 5-MeO-AMT, which is a Schedule 9 prohibited substance under the Poisons Standard. Possession, production, and sale are illegal. Reportedly listed on Schedule 8 of the Australian Customs import list since 2001. |
| Austria | NPSG Group 6 | Controlled under the Neue-Psychoaktive-Substanzen-Gesetz (New Psychoactive Substances Act). Possession, production, and sale are prohibited. |
| Canada | Not specifically scheduled | Not mentioned in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. May still be subject to analogue provisions if sold for human consumption. |
| China | Controlled | Classified as a controlled substance as of October 2015. Production, sale, import, and export are prohibited. |
| Denmark | List B | Placed on List B of controlled substances by the Danish Minister for the Interior and Health in 2010. |
| Finland | Controlled | Classified as a controlled drug under Finnish national drug legislation. |
| Germany | Anlage I BtMG | Listed in Anlage I (Schedule I) of the Betäubungsmittelgesetz (Narcotics Act) since January 31, 1993. Manufacturing, possession, import, export, purchase, sale, and dispensing without license are prohibited. |
| Greece | Controlled | Prohibited under Law 4139/2013. Became a controlled substance on February 18, 2003. Possession, production, and sale are illegal. |
| Hungary | Schedule C | Placed on the Schedule C list of controlled substances in 2013. |
| Japan | Controlled | Made illegal on April 17, 2005. Possession, production, and sale are prohibited. |
| Latvia | Schedule I | Classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under Latvian drug legislation. |
| Lithuania | List I | Controlled as a tryptamine derivative since 2012, listed on the 1st list of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Medical use is prohibited. |
| Russia | Controlled | AMT and certain derivatives have been controlled substances since June 4, 2012. Possession, production, and sale are illegal. |
| Slovakia | Controlled | Placed on the List of Hazardous Substances in Annex, § 2 in 2013. |
| Slovenia | Controlled | Listed on the Decree on Classification of Illicit Drugs since 2013. |
| Spain | Legal | Not specifically controlled under Spanish drug legislation as of available sources, though some references cite control under general prohibition laws. |
| Sweden | Controlled | Classified as a health hazard under Lagen om förbud mot vissa hälsofarliga varor (Act on the Prohibition of Certain Goods Dangerous to Health) since March 1, 2005 via regulation SFS 2005:26. Sale and possession are illegal. |
| Switzerland | Verzeichnis D | Specifically named as a controlled substance alongside AET under Verzeichnis D (Schedule D) of Swiss controlled substances legislation. |
| United Kingdom | Class A | Made illegal on January 7, 2015 as a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 following an Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommendation to update the tryptamine catch-all clause. Previously uncontrolled because its alkyl substitution occurs on the alpha carbon rather than the nitrogen position. |
| United States | Schedule I | Temporarily placed in Schedule I on April 4, 2003 under emergency scheduling procedures, then permanently scheduled on September 29, 2004. Classified as a hallucinogen with high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. Also listed as a dangerous drug in Arizona since April 2014 and Schedule I in Illinois. |
Harm Reduction
drugs.wikiAMT is a long-acting serotonergic tryptamine with stimulant and entactogenic features; nausea and vomiting are common, especially early in the experience. Onset is often slow (60–180 minutes), which leads some to redose prematurely; this is a frequent cause of overdosing—wait at least 2.5–3 hours before considering any change. AMT’s serotonergic action and reported mild MAOI activity mean combinations with other serotonergic agents (e.g., SSRIs/SNRIs/TCAs, MAOIs, MDMA, tramadol, dextromethorphan, linezolid, St John’s Wort) significantly increase the risk of serotonin syndrome; avoid these mixes entirely. Distinguish AMT from 5-MeO-AMT: 5-MeO-AMT is active at single-digit milligram doses and has been linked to medical emergencies; confusing the two has led to overdoses—verify substance identity via trusted drug checking. Because AMT is sometimes sold as different salt forms (e.g., succinate) or freebase, be aware that equal milligram weights may not equal the same base amount; if the salt form is unknown, start at the very low end. Insufflation and smoking/freebasing produce faster, sharper onsets and are associated with more nausea, irritation, and anxiety; oral use is generally better tolerated. Plan for the very long duration and potential insomnia: avoid driving/operating machinery until the next day and keep the environment cool, with periodic fluids and electrolytes to mitigate hyperthermia risk if exerting. Use an accurate milligram scale and avoid eyeballing; if volumetric dosing is used, label clearly and measure precisely. Given variable potency and common misrepresentation in the unregulated market, use professional drug checking where available and avoid polydrug use.
References
Data Sources
Cited References
- Arai et al. 1986 - AMT MAOI Properties
- Barceloux 2012 - Medical Toxicology of Drug Abuse
- Bluelight: AMT Discussion
- Boland et al. 2005 - Fatality due to acute AMT intoxication
- DEA: Alpha-Methyltryptamine
- DrugBank: Indopan (AMT)
- DrugWise: AMT
- Erowid: AMT Vault
- FRANK: aMT
- Greig et al. 1959 - Tryptamine derivatives on serotonin metabolism
- Nagai et al. 2007 - Effects on monoamine neurotransmission
- Nonaka et al. 2007 - In vitro screening by GTPγS binding
- PsychonautWiki: αMT
- Shulgin & Shulgin - TiHKAL Entry #48
- WHO Critical Review Report - AMT
- TripSit Factsheet: AMT
- Drug Users Bible: Index
Drugs.wiki References
- Erowid AMT: Dosage & duration
- Erowid AMT: Main vault (warning re: 5-MeO-AMT confusion)
- Erowid AMT: FAQ (aliases, smoked route)
- DrugWise: AMT overview & serotonin toxicity warning
- DrugBank (DB01446): Indopan (AMT) entry (half-life not available)
- Bluelight AMT megathread (route-specific tolerability notes)
- Drug Users Bible AMT page (general HR framing)
- NCBI Bookshelf: StatPearls – Serotonin Syndrome (serotonergic agents list, management)
- Toronto Drug Checking Service – program info (why to test)