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    PMA

    Aliases: 4-ma, 4-methoxyamphetamine

    Summary Erowid

    PMA is a strong psychedelic which may cause dangerous overheating of the body. PMA has been sold in ecstasy tablets, and has lead to life-threatening or fatal hyperthermia in some users.

    Perspectives

    “At just over an hour, there was a sudden blood pressure rise, with the systolic going up 55 mm. This was maintained for another hour. I found the effects reminiscent of DET, distinct after-images, and some parasthesia. I was without any residue by early evening (after 5 hours).”

    Dose Information PsychonautWiki

    ROA Light Common Strong Heavy
    Oral 20-40mg 40-60mg - -
    Light Common Strong Heavy

    Effect Profile

    17 reports

    Scores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:

    • Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
    • Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)

    Full methodology

    Psychedelic 4.6
    Moderate+ 5/10

    Moderate visuals with mild auditory effects and body load, low headspace

    Visual Intensity ×3
    7
    color enhancement drifting tracers pattern recognition enhancement
    Headspace Depth ×3
    2
    time distortion confusion
    Auditory Effects ×1
    4
    auditory distortion
    Body Load / Somatic Effects ×1
    4
    nausea increased heart rate
    Stimulant 3.8
    Moderate 4/10

    Strong anxiety/jitters with moderate stimulation, low euphoria and focus

    Stimulation / Energy ×3
    6
    stimulation wakefulness alertness enhancement
    Euphoria / Mood Lift ×2
    3
    euphoria
    Focus / Productivity ×2
    2
    analysis enhancement
    Anxiety / Jitters ×1
    8
    anxiety restlessness increased heart rate
    Opioid 2.6
    Light+ 3/10

    Mild itching/nausea with low euphoria and sedation

    Euphoria / Warmth ×3
    3
    euphoria
    Analgesia ×2
    0
    Sedation / Relaxation ×1
    3
    sedation
    Itching / Nausea ×1
    4
    nausea

    Tolerance

    Build-up develops within days of regular use; analgesic tolerance faster than respiratory depression tolerance
    Reset 7–14 days for partial reset; full reset may take weeks — tolerance loss greatly increases overdose risk

    Tolerance Decay

    Full tolerance 1d Half tolerance 3d Baseline ~7d

    Data on PMA-specific tolerance are scarce; pattern approximated from amphetamine-like stimulants with serotonergic activity. Anecdotal reports suggest rapid acute tolerance during binges and partial cross-tolerance with MDMA-class agents.

    Cross-Tolerances

    Effects Erowid

    Aggregated from 17 Erowid experience reports

    Positive Effects 5

    Euphoria 52.9% 70%
    Anxiety Suppression 47.1% 70%
    Sedation 35.3% 70%
    Color Enhancement 17.6% 70%
    Music Enhancement 17.6% 70%

    Adverse Effects 2

    Nausea 41.2% 70%
    Confusion 17.6% 70%

    Combinations TripSit

    PiHKAL / TiHKAL Shulgin

    PiHKAL #97: 4-MA

    “At just over an hour, there was a sudden blood pressure rise, with the systolic going up 55 mm. This was maintained for another hour. I found the effects reminiscent of DET, distinct after-images, and some parasthesia. I was without any residue by early evening (after 5 hours).”

    — Alexander Shulgin, PiHKAL (with 60 mg)

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