What is 5-MeO-DMT?

5-MeO-DMT is a naturally occurring psychedelic that’s more potent than DMT. It can be found in many plants and is also produced by a specific toad. People have taken the drug for centuries, often in the form of intranasal snuffs. The positive effects include euphoria, closed and open eye visuals, meaningful experiences, sexual enhancement, dissociation, and pleasant physical sensations. Negative effects include fear, panic, anxiety, unconsciousness, muscle twitches, amnesia, nausea, hyperthermia, tachycardia, and increased blood pressure.

Is 5-MeO-DMT like DMT?

Compared to DMT, 5-MeO-DMT provides significantly less visual effects. In fact, it’s common for there to be no visual input other than a white or occasionally dark light. The void people are put into is all-encompassing, so there’s usually no sense of distance. Sometimes there can be entities, animals, scenery, and other things that emerge out of the void. Other times the visual effects remain largely absent. 

Like with DMT, the experience begins quickly and lasts for under 15 minutes when inhaled. Both drugs can produce terror and anxiety responses but 5-MeO-DMT seems to do so more often. Overwhelming feelings of love or bliss have been reported, yet it appears the opposite is more common, at least during the come up period. Tinnitus is often reported as well.

What are the effects of 5-MeO-DMT?

If an adequate dose is taken, dissociation is reliably produced. This means that you can be detached from your body and environment. Dissociation from your identity isn’t as common, so it is possible to be left with concerns about your physical well-being.

When sub-breakthrough doses are taken, some open and closed eye psychedelic effects may occur, but they’re less significant than with DMT. Many people, though not everyone, report pleasant bodily sensations along with mental euphoria. 

What are the physical effects of 5-MeO-DMT?

The drug’s physical effects seem to be more concerning than what exists with DMT. Your heart rate can increase, hyperthermia can be produced, and convulsions have also occurred. Its physical effects are primarily concerning at doses above the strong range. 

Can I take 5-MeO-DMT orally?

Reports have differed over time regarding 5-MeO-DMT’s oral efficacy. It is commonly said to be inactive, but that doesn’t appear to be true – at least not for everyone. It is certainly less potent, but doses between 30 and 50 mg have led to clear psychoactivity for some users. The effects are more reliably produced if an MAOI (Monoamine oxidase inhibitor) is also used. However, taking it with an MAOI is more risky and the physical effects of oral use, in general, often make the experience uncomfortable.

How long does 5-MeO-DMT take to kick in?

When inhaled, the drug works in less than a minute and lasts for five to twenty minutes. Intranasally it begins in two to five minutes and lasts for 1 to 1.5 hours. Sublingually the effects begin in 10 to 15 minutes and persist for 45 to an hour. When it is used orally, it may work in 10 to 30 minutes and last for 1 to 2 hours. 

What exactly is 5-MeO-DMT?

5-MeO-DMT is a psychedelic tryptamine which appears to be an endogenous drug in the human body. The role that it may play in humans, if there even is one, is unknown. The substance is also found in many plants. Further, it can be obtained from the bufo alvarius or the Colorado River Toad. The toad’s venom contains an appreciable amount of 5-MeO-DMT. 

The serotonin receptors, including 5HT2A and 5HT1A, seem to be the drug’s primary targets. It has a much higher affinity for 5HT1A, but its activity at that receptor probably doesn’t account for its psychoactivity. The drug also inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, which could contribute to its effects and toxicity. 

How much 5-MeO-DMT should I take?

When inhaled, a light dose is 2-5 mgs, a common dose is 5-10 mgs, and a strong dose is 10-15 mgs. Taken intranasally or sublingually, those numbers are 5-8 mgs, 8-15 mgs, and over 15 mgs respectively. Orally, those numbers are much higher, with a light dose being 10-20 mgs, a common dose 20-40 mgs, and a strong dose over 40 mgs. However when taken with an MAOI, the dose can be reduced to 10-20 mgs. 

The optimal dose for 5-MeO-DMT varies by user, with some people obtaining very intense effects at a low or common dose. For this reason, you should work your way up and initially take a light dose. 

Where did 5-MeO-DMT come from?

The use of 5-MeO-DMT dates back centuries. Ramon Payne, a Spanish friar, reported the use of psychoactive snuff in the Caribbean in 1496. The snuff was being used by the Indigenous populations there. Further reports of psychoactive snuff were reported in the Caribbean and South America between the 1500s and 1800s. A lot of the use was documented around Colombia.

While not all of the preparations contained 5-MeO-DMT, some certainly did. In addition to snuffs, there is some reason to believe oral and sublingual preparations were also taken. In 1936 the drug was synthesized in  Japan when a team was conducting research pertaining to another drug. 

Is 5-MeO-DMT illegal?

5-MeO-DMT has never been as popular as DMT in the West, but it was taken by many people during the 1990s and 2000s. It became a schedule one drug in the US in 2011. It is also illegal in the UK, New Zealand, and Germany. Some countries have yet to make it illegal.