science

MMDA (drug)

MMDA (drug) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MMDA (drug) rather than just read about it. In short: MMDA, also known as 3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine or as 5-methoxy-MDA, is a psychedelic and entactogen of the amphetamine family. Use and effects In his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved), Alexander Shulgin lists MMDA's dose as 100 to 250 mg orally and its duration as "moderate".

Key takeaways

MMDA (drug) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MMDA (drug) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MMDA (drug) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MMDA, also known as 3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine or as 5-methoxy-MDA, is a psychedelic and entactogen of the amphetamine family.

Use and effects In his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved), Alexander Shulgin lists MMDA's dose as 100 to 250 mg orally and its duration as "moderate". Its onset is described as 20 to 45 minutes. The effects of MMDA have been reported to include relaxation, time dilation, empathy, passivity, compassion, changes in music perception, closed-eye visuals such as geometric patterns, open-eye visuals, dream-like states described as "brain movies", and an afterglow. It has been said to be gentler than certain other psychedelics. The drug is said to have similar effects to MDA, but to be to some extent more psychedelic in comparison.

Side effects Side effects of MMDA have been reported to include restlessness, cold sensations, shivering, nausea, abdominal cramps, disorientation, social withdrawal, feeling ill, and anxiety.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics MMDA has been shown to act as a non-neurotoxic serotonin releasing agent, with no effects on release of dopamine or probably norepinephrine, and as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist. The latter property is thought to be responsible for its psychedelic effects, whereas the former action may be involved in its entactogenic effects.

Pharmacokinetics MMDA has been found to be formed from myristicin, a component of nutmeg, in rabbits and rats. However, MMDA could not be detected with nutmeg misuse in a human.

Chemistry

Synthesis The chemical synthesis of MMDA has been described.

Analogues Analogues of MMDA include lophophine (MMDPEA), MDA, MDMA, and TMA. Positional isomers of MMDA include MMDA-2, MMDA-3a, MMDA-3b, MMDA-4, and MMDA-5. Further analogues and derivatives of MMDA include DMMDA, DMMDA-2, DMMDA-3, DMMDA-4, DMMDA-5, and DMMDA-6. Other analogues of MMDA include 4T-MMDA-2 and 2T-MMDA-3a.

History MMDA was first synthesized and studied by Gordon Alles at the Edgewood Arsenal in the mid-1950s. Its Edgewood Arsenal code name is unknown. Subsequently, Alexander Shulgin synthesized MMDA in 1962 and discovered its psychoactive effects that same year. Shulgin published his findings on MMDA in the scientific literature in 1964. Use of MMDA in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy was studied by Shulgin, Thornton Sargent, and Claudio Naranjo in the mid-1960s and their findings were published in 1973. Naranjo also described MMDA for these purposes in his 1973 book The Healing Journey: New Approaches to Consciousness. Shulgin subsequently further described MMDA in his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved) in 1991.

Society and culture

Legal status

International Internationally, MMDA is a Schedule I drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Australia MMDA is considered a Schedule 9 prohibited substance in Australia under the Poisons Standard (October 2015). A Schedule 9 substance is a substance which may be abused or misused, the manufacture, possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except when required for medical or scientific research, or for analytical, teaching or training purposes with approval of Commonwealth and/or State or Territory Health Authorities.

Canada MMDA is a Schedule I controlled substance in Canada.

United States MMDA is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the United States.

See also Substituted methylenedioxyphenethylamine Substituted methoxyphenethylamine Methoxymethylenedioxyamphetamine Dimethoxymethylenedioxyamphetamine

References

External links MMDA - Isomer Design MMDA - PiHKAL - Erowid MMDA - PiHKAL - Isomer Design

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MMDA (drug)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MMDA (drug) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MMDA (drug) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MMDA (drug) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MMDA (drug)

In research: MMDA (drug) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MMDA (drug) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MMDA (drug) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 5-HT2A agonists, Alexander Shulgin, Designer drugs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MMDA (drug) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MMDA (drug) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MMDA (drug) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MMDA (drug) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MMDA (drug) in simple terms?

MMDA, also known as 3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine or as 5-methoxy-MDA, is a psychedelic and entactogen of the amphetamine family. Use and effects In his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved), Alexander Shulgin lists MMDA's dose as 100 to 250 mg orally and its duration as "m…

Why does MMDA (drug) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MMDA (drug)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MMDA (drug).