DEA/OD/ODE
Introduction:
Alpha-methyltryptamine
(AMT) is a tryptamine derivative and shares many pharmacological
similarities with those of schedule I hallucinogens such as
alpha-ethyltryptamine, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, psilocybin, and
LSD. Since 1999, there has been a growing popularity of AMT
among drug abusers for its hallucinogenic-like effects. In the
1960s, following extensive clinical studies on AMT as a possible
antidepressant drug, the Upjohn Company concluded that AMT was a
toxic substance and produces psychosis.
Licit Uses:
AMT has no approved
medical uses in the United States.
Chemistry/Pharmacology:
AMT is a tryptamine (indoleethylamine)
derivative. The hydrochloride salt of AMT is a white crystalline
powder. AMT, similar to several other schedule I hallucinogens,
binds with moderate affinities to serotonin (5-HT) receptors
(5-HT1 and 5-HT2). AMT inhibits the uptake of monoamines
especially 5-HT and is a potent inhibitor of monoamine oxidase
(MAO) (especially MAO-A), an enzyme critical for the metabolic
degradation of monoamines, the brain chemicals important for
sensory, emotional and other behavioral functions. AMT has been
shown to produce locomotor stimulant effects in animals. It has
been hypothesized that both 5-HT and dopamine systems mediate
the stimulant effects of AMT. In animals, AMT produces
behavioral effects that are substantially similar to those of
1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOM) and
methylene- dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), both schedule I
hallucinogens, in animals.
In humans, AMT elicits
subjective effects including hallucinations. It has an onset of
action of about 3 to 4 hours and duration of about 12 to 24
hours, but may produce an extended duration of 2 days in some
subjects. Subjects report uncomfortable feelings, muscular
tension, nervous tension, irritability, restlessness, unsettled
feeling in stomach, and the inability to relax and sleep. AMT
can alter sensory perception and judgment and can pose serious
health risks to the user and the general public. Abuse of AMT
led to two emergency department admissions and one death. AMT
increases blood pressure and heart rate and dilates pupils,
causes deep tendon reflexes and impairs coordination.
Illicit Uses:
AMT is abused for its
hallucinogenic effects and is used as substitute for MDMA. It is
often administered orally as either powder or capsules at doses
ranging from 15-40 mg. Other routes of administration include
smoking and snorting.
User Population:
Youth and young adults are
the main abusers of AMT. Internet websites are a source that
high school students and United States soldiers have used to
obtain and abuse AMT.
Illicit Distribution:
According to the System to
Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence (STRIDE) data, first
recorded submission by law enforcement to DEA laboratories of a
drug exhibit containing AMT occurred in 1999. During 1999 to
2006, DEA forensic laboratories analyzed 38 drug exhibits from
16 different law enforcement cases pertaining to the
trafficking, distribution and abuse of AMT. The analyzed drug
exhibits comprised of 21 capsules and 1,014.36 grams of powder.
There were 4 cases with 6 exhibits, and 7 cases with 19 exhibits
in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Following federal control of AMT
as a schedule I substance in 2003, number of AMT encounters by
law enforcement as reported in STRIDE decreased to 2 cases with
5 exhibits, and 1 case with 1 exhibit in 2004 and 2005,
respectively. In 2006, no cases were recorded in the STRIDE
system.
According to the National
Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS), state and local
forensic laboratories analyzed 19 AMT drug items from 16
different law enforcement cases during 1999 through 2006.
According to the STRIDE and NFLIS, AMT has been encountered in a
number of states including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Virginia, and Wisconsin. AMT has been illicitly available from
United States and foreign chemical companies and from Internet
websites. Additionally, there is evidence of attempted
clandestine production of AMT.
Control Status:
The Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) placed AMT temporarily in schedule I of the
Controlled Substances Act (CSA) on April 4, 2003, pursuant to
the temporary scheduling provisions of the CSA (68 FR 16427). On
September 29, 2004, AMT was controlled as a schedule I substance
under the CSA (69 FR 58050).
Comments and additional information are welcome by the Drug and Chemical
Evaluation Section, FAX 202-353-1263 or telephone 202-307-7183.