Note: This is the reason for doing this trial; it is rendered inactive because of first-pass metabolism, but what if I took enough that my body couldn't metabolize it all before it passed through? That's the basis for this.
Phenethylamine
Encyclopedic
Encyclopedic
Typical encyclopedia coverage. Cross-reference for important decisions.
- 5 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- PubChem toxicity data
- classified Research-chemical
Encyclopedic
Typical encyclopedia coverage. Cross-reference for important decisions.
- 5 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- PubChem toxicity data
- classified Research-chemical
Aliases: Pea, Benzeneethanamine, Beta-phenylethylamine
Summary
Phenethylamine is rapidly metabolized by monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) in the small intestine and liver, resulting in extremely low oral bioavailability and very short duration of effects. High doses (exceeding typical recommendations) can cause dangerous increases in blood pressure and have been associated with brain bleeds. The compound is naturally present in the human body as an endogenous trace amine and is found in various foods including chocolate.
Perspectives
“No effects.”
Dose Information
Dose basis. These ranges are collated from supplement labels and user reports; clinical dosing guidelines for psychoactive use do not exist. Many reports indicate little to no effect below several hundred milligrams due to rapid MAO-B metabolism; some users escalate to gram-level doses seeking short-lived euphoria, which carries significant cardiovascular risk and a high likelihood of compulsive redosing. Avoid co-administration with any MAOI (including Parkinson’s MAO-B inhibitors and the antibiotic linezolid). Sources are primarily user reports and harm-reduction discussions. (Dose figures and this note are from Drugs.Wiki.)
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 50-200mg | 200-500mg | 500-1000mg | 1000mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 10-30 min | 10-20 min | 15-30 min | 30-90 min | 1-4 hrs |
Effect Profile
13 reportsScores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Stimulant
5.6
Strong
6/10
Strong anxiety/jitters with moderate euphoria and focus, mild stimulation
Stimulation / Energy
×3
5
stimulation
wakefulness
Euphoria / Mood Lift
×2
7
physical euphoria
cognitive euphoria
motivation enhancement
Focus / Productivity
×2
7
focus enhancement
memory enhancement
motivation enhancement
Anxiety / Jitters
×1
8
anxiety
increased heart rate
vasoconstriction
Based on reports from:
Add to PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal logging app doesn't include every substance. To track Phenethylamine there, start adding an ingestion, search for the name, and choose to add it as a custom substance. Paste these values:
⬇ Download import file
Import this file as custom substances
and you get "Phenethylamine (Substance Search)" with every
route's full dose ladder and timeline, no typing. Works on iOS and
Android (v15+); the format is confirmed by the app's
developer. The manual values below work for older
versions.
Name
Phenethylamine
Unit
mg
Description
Phenethylamine Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com) Oral dose (mg): threshold 10-50 · light 50-200 · common 200-500 · strong 500-1000 · heavy 1000+ Oral duration: onset 10-30m · come-up 10-20m · peak 15-30m · offset 0.5-1.5h · total 1-4h · after-effects 0.17-1h 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 ~ 350 mg (Oral).
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.
Tolerance
Build-up
develops over days to weeks of regular use
Reset
3–7 days for acute tolerance; longer for full reset
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
1d
Half tolerance
3d
Baseline
~18d
Acute tolerance: develops within a single session — the reset numbers above apply after sustained heavy use, not after one binge. Within-session tachyphylaxis usually resets largely overnight.
Data are anecdotal; users frequently report rapid loss of effect with repeated dosing in a session and partial return to baseline sensitivity after several days to a week.
Cross-Tolerances
Effects
Aggregated from 13 Erowid experience reports
Positive Effects 6
Euphoria
53.8%
70%
Tactile Enhancement
46.2%
70%
Body High
38.5%
70%
Focus Enhancement
38.5%
70%
Stimulation
38.5%
70%
Empathy
30.8%
70%
Adverse Effects 5
Anxiety
46.2%
70%
Nausea
30.8%
70%
Sweating
23.1%
70%
Confusion
23.1%
70%
Muscle Tension
23.1%
70%
Community Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance. Tags summarise each author's own verdict — how reports are classified.
Erowid 4 reports 4 neutral visit
Bought some PEA online to try and get high from it. Took 1.5 grams when it got to me and nothing happened. Two days later, took 2.5 grams at once, and 45mins later, felt a bit of stimulation, but no noted euphoria just a bit tingly.
Phenylethylamine: P is for Passion I recently aquired some pure Phenylethylamine to experiment with. Reasons: I was recently dissapointed with the recent 'ban' of Mephedrone (4-mmc) & was researching something legal that was stimulating & enjoyable.
This is my own subjective experience of PEA (Phenethylamine) with no MAOI. Do not use this as a dose guide or as fact. Everyone is different and will experience this differently. Enjoy. Onset is always around 10-20 mins and peaks after 25-30 mins.
Bluelight 5 threads 5 neutral visit
I've been reading up on and experimenting with PEA (Phenethylamine HCL) on and off for a while now. It's a very interesting substance, completely and totally legal, often used as a workout supplement and nootropic.
Date: mid february 2015 Time: 5:30 PM - 6:00 AM Substance: Unknown phen (suspected close mescaline analogue), Diazepam, THC Dose: Unknown (phen), 20mg (diaz) The story starts with a mysterious waxpaper-wrapped caramel. It was said to contain mescaline. My friend takes 2 of the "mescaline" caramels.
Info on PEA: Phenylethylamine/Phenethylamine/PEA are all names for the same compound. In short, PEA is a natural neuromodulator that is produced in the brain. PEA is similar to dopamine and nor-epinephrine and is often touted on the Internet as “enhancing dopamine and nor-epinephrine transmission”, “elevating mood”, or...
Guys, Just wanted to share my experience today of using my 1st ever drug / nootropic whatever you wish to call it Took 1.5g of PEA along with a little B multivit, 1 g Vit C and a little grape juice.
The other night I tried Pargyline+PEA. I took a cap with 250mg PEA+pargyline. An hour later i felt mild stim/moodlift. So I decided to take some more, another 300mg mixed n juice. Had horrible buttbreathe but it went away quickly. I started getting very strong nice rushes, i was floored.
PiHKAL / TiHKAL
PiHKAL #142: PEA
“No effects.”
Phenethylamine's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
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