Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 
Critical Review Report 
Agenda item 4.20 
 
 
 
 
Expert Committee on Drug Dependence 
Thirty‐sixth Meeting 
Geneva, 16‐20 June 2014 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

Acknowledgements 

This report has been drafted under the responsibility of the WHO Secretariat, Essential
Medicines and Health Products, Policy Access and Rational Use Unit. The WHO Secretariat
would like to thank the following people for their contribution in producing this critical
review report: Dr Ellen Walker, USA (literature review and drafting), Dr Caroline
Bodenschatz, Switzerland (editing) and Mr David Beran, Switzerland (questionnaire report
drafting).

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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

Contents 
Summary.................................................................................................................................................................... 7
1. Substance identification ................................................................................................................................. 8
A. International Nonproprietary Name (INN) .............................................................................................. 8
B. Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry Number ................................................................................ 8
C. Other Names ............................................................................................................................................. 8
D. Trade Names (hydrobromide salt) ........................................................................................................... 8
E. Street Names ............................................................................................................................................. 8
F. Physical properties ................................................................................................................................... 8
G. WHO Review History................................................................................................................................ 8
2. Chemistry .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
A. Chemical Name ......................................................................................................................................... 8
B. Chemical Structure ................................................................................................................................... 9
C. Stereoisomers ............................................................................................................................................ 9
D. Synthesis .................................................................................................................................................... 9
E. Chemical description ................................................................................................................................ 9
F. Chemical properties.................................................................................................................................. 9
G. Chemical identification........................................................................................................................... 10
3. Ease of convertibility into controlled substances ....................................................................................... 10
4. General pharmacology .................................................................................................................................. 10
4.1. Pharmacodynamics ................................................................................................................................. 10
4.2. Routes of administration and dosage ..................................................................................................... 11
4.3. Pharmacokinetics .................................................................................................................................... 11
5. Toxicology ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
6. Adverse reactions in humans ........................................................................................................................ 11
7. Dependence potential ..................................................................................................................................... 12
8. Abuse potential ............................................................................................................................................... 12
9. Therapeutic applications and extent of therapeutic use and epidemiology of medical use .................. 12
10. Listing on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines ........................................................................... 12
11. Marketing authorizations (as a medicine) .................................................................................................. 12
12. Industrial use .................................................................................................................................................. 13
13. Non-medical use, abuse and dependence .................................................................................................... 13
14. Nature and magnitude of public health problems related to misuse, abuse and dependence .............. 13
15. Licit production, consumption and international trade ............................................................................ 14
16. Illicit manufacture and traffic and related information ........................................................................... 14
17. Current international controls and their impact ....................................................................................... 14
18. Current and past national controls .............................................................................................................. 15
19. Other medical and scientific matters relevant for a recommendation on the scheduling of the
substance ......................................................................................................................................................... 15
References ................................................................................................................................................................ 17
Annex 1: Report on WHO Questionnaire for Review of Psychoactive Substances for the 36th ECDD:
Evaluation of Alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT) ........................................................................................ 19

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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

Summary 
Alpha methyltryptamine (AMT) is a tryptamine (indole ethylamine) derivative that shares
several similarities with various scheduled tryptamine hallucinogens. Human subjects using
AMT report euphoria, stimulation, visual effects such as blurry vision, bright colors, after
images and amphetamine-like mood elevating effects. Oral AMT has a slow onset of action of
3-4 h but an extended duration of 12-24 h although some users have reported effects for 2
days. Although essentially unknown as a recreational drug until the late 1990s, AMT has
slowly appeared in various countries as users seek legal highs and alternate hallucinogens.
AMT is less frequently used than other hallucinogenic tryptamines although it has recently
seen a relatively low but stable baseline of use globally. Pharmacologically, AMT has high
affinity for the serotonin (5-HT) transporter, a number of 5-HT receptors, and potently
inhibits reuptake of monoamines dopamine, 5-HT, and norepinephrine reuptake. Furthermore,
AMT was similar to methamphetamine in its effectiveness to release these monoamines.
AMT is also a monoamine oxidase A inhibitor which conceivably could contribute to its
pharmacological effect. The finding that AMT activates 5-HT2A/C receptors likely contributes
to its hallucinogenic activity. In animals, AMT produced discriminative stimulus effects
similar to DOM and MDMA. Some deaths have been associated with AMT especially in
combination with other substances and a number of countries have recently added AMT to
their controlled substances list. In summary, despite the general lack of preclinical or clinical
data on AMT, it appears that AMT produces effects and toxicities similar to other tryptamine
derivatives with hallucinogenic and stimulatory properties and therefore should be scheduled
as such.

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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

1.     Substance identification  
A. International Nonproprietary Name (INN)
α-Methyltryptamine

B. Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry Number

299-26-3
879-36-7 (hydrochloride)

C. Other Names
α-Methyltryptamine; alpha-Methyltryptamine; Indopan; IT-290; IT-403; U-14;
164E; 3-IT; (±)-α-Methyltryptamine; α-Methyl-3-indoleethanamine; 1H-
Indole-3-ethanamine; α-methyl-2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-1-methylethylamine; 3-(2-
Aminopropyl)-1H-indole; 3-(2-Aminopropyl)indole; Indole, 3-(2-
aminopropyl)-; NSC 97069; Ro 3-0926;
DL-3-(2-aminopropyl)indole (English, French) (REACH, EINECS)
DL-3-(2-Aminopropyl)indol (German) (EINECS)
DL-3-(2-aminopropil)indol (Spanish) (EINECS)
DL-3-(2-amminopropil)indolo (Italian)
DL-3-(2-aminopropyl)indol (Danish, Swedish)
DL-3-(2-aminopropyl)indool (Dutch)
DL-3-(2-aminopropyyli)indoli (Finnish)
DL-3-(2-aminopropil)indole (Portuguese)

D. Trade Names (hydrobromide salt)

Currently, there are no trade names for AMT. Originally developed by Upjohn
in the 1960s as a potential antidepressant, α-Methyltryptamine was labelled
Indopan.

E. Street Names
Alpha, Digital, Spirals

F. Physical properties
White, crystalline powder.

G. WHO Review History

AMT was not previously pre-reviewed or critically reviewed. A direct critical
review is proposed based on information brought to WHO’s attention that
AMT is clandestinely manufactured, of especially serious risk to public health
and society, and of no recognized therapeutic use by any party. Preliminary
data collected from literature and different countries indicated that this
substance may cause substantial harm and that it has no medical use.
2.   Chemistry 
A. Chemical Name
IUPAC Name: 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-1-methyl-ethylamine
CA Index Name: 1H-Indole-3-ethanamine, α-methyl-

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B. Chemical Structure
Free base:

Molecular Formula: C11 H14 N2

Molecular Weight: 174.24
Melting point: 151-153 °C
Boiling point: 344.5±17.0 °C
Fusion point: 189.0±8.1 °C

C. Stereoisomers
Two stereoisomers exist for α-methyltryptamine: (R)- α-methyltryptamine and
(S)- α-methyltryptamine.

D. Synthesis
There are a number of published synthesis strategies for α-methyltryptamine (1,
2)
. Probably the most relevant strategy for the synthesis of illicit AMT comes
from the highly referenced text TiHKAL(3). Briefly, an indole solution was
added to a second solution of dimethylformamide and phosphoryl trichloride.
Next, an intermediate solution of indole-3-carboxaldehyde was treated with
ammonium acetate and the excess reagent was removed yielding yellow solids
which were washed and air dried. After trituration, filtration, and air-drying, an
intermediate, 1-(3-indolyl)-2-nitropropene-1, remains. A reaction mixture of
lithium aluminium hydride, anhydrous tetrahydrofuran, and 1-(3-indolyl)-2-
nitropropene-1 was obtained and the excess hydride was removed and buffered
until no further solids formed. After filtration, washings, and drying, the
solvent was removed under vacuum and the residue was distilled to yield a
white oil that crystallized. This residue was recrystallized from an ethyl
acetate/petroleum ether mixture, dissolved in methanol, treated with glacial
acetic acid, and dried under vacuum to give the acetate salt which, on
recrystallization from ethyl acetate and air drying yielded the product α-
methyltryptamine (α-MT; AMT) as fine white crystals.

E. Chemical description
AMT contains a tryptamine backbone, which is structurally characterized by
an indole ring substituted at the third position by an ethanamine. Specifically,
AMT is tryptamine with a methyl substituent at the alpha carbon.

F. Chemical properties
AMT is available as the free base or either the hydrochloride or fumarate salt.
AMT has 3 freely rotatable bonds, three H donors and two H acceptors with
logD of -1.20 and logP of 1.895 at 25oC. As the free base, AMT is not
particularly water soluble but it is soluble in alcohol and other solvents.

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G. Chemical identification
As a class, tryptamines have an indole ring structure - a bicyclical combination
of a benzene ring and pyrrole ring, joined to an amino group by a two carbon
side chain. Most designer substitutions occur at the amino group, side chain
and aromatic ring at positions 4 or 5. AMT is classified as simple,
unsubstituted synthetic tryptamines(4).

3.  Ease of convertibility into controlled substances 
AMT is a tryptamine (indole ethylamine) derivative that shares share several similarities
with the Schedule I tryptamine hallucinogens such as alpha-ethyltryptamine, N,N-
dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), 5-
Methoxy-N,N-diallyltryptamine (5-MeO-DALT), 5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine
(5-MeO-DMT), and 5-methoxy – α- methyltryptamine (5-MeO-AMT) (4). The ease of
convertibility varies but generally occurs prior to the methylation on the α carbon as
once this carbon group is methylated it is no longer easily altered. From AMT, there are
five possible chain relocations, from the normal 3-position to the 2, the 4, the 5, the 6 or
the 7-positions with the 5-isomer, 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole (5-IT) used in man for
psychotropic effects(3) and has been responsible for fatalities(5).

4.   General pharmacology 
4.1. Pharmacodynamics

AMT has high affinity for the 5-HT transporter, a number of human, cloned 5-HT
receptors (5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT1D, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, 5-HT6, 5-HT7), and α2A and β1
adrenergic receptors(6). In rat brain synaptosomes, AMT potently inhibits monoamines
dopamine, 5-HT, and norepinephrine reuptake. Furthermore, AMT was similar to
methamphetamine for its effectiveness to release these some monoamines with release
being more dominate than reuptake inhibition. AMT’s effects on the serotoninergic
system were stronger than that of methampetamine but the effects on dopaminergic and
adrenergic systems were similar to methampetamine(7). AMT is also a potent
monoamine oxidase A inhibitor(8) which conceivable would contribute to its
pharmacological effect. In vitro screening of AMT in [35S]GTPγS binding in rat cortical
membranes receptors revealed only 39% of 5-HT-stimulated maximal binding i.e., less
than half of a maximal effect(9). However, in a more recent study, AMT was very
potent for activating 5-HT2A/B/C receptors with Emax values of 89%, 84%, and 95%,
respectively. This profile is likely contributing to the hallucinogenic activity AMT(6).

A dose of 10 mg/kg, i.p., to rats or rats produced lateral head weaving, hindlimb
abduction, and Straub tail for one hour which was followed by pronounced running
activity for 4-6 h(10, 11). These behavioural effects were reduced by nonselective 5-HT
antagonists methiothepin and metergoline or by the 5-HT releaser p-
chlorophenylalanine while the running activity was blocked by pimozide suggesting
both 5-HT and DA stimulation(12).

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4.2. Routes of administration and dosage

AMT is generally available in powder, tablet, or capsule and is most commonly

ingested but can also be smoked or rectally administered. Snorting appears to be a
infrequent route of administration due to burning and a bad odour. The inadequate
solubility and lack of increased pharmacological effects limits intravenous
administration. Oral doses generally range from 15-40 mg but can be higher (50-200
mg) while smoked doses range from 5-20 mg.

4.3. Pharmacokinetics

Little pharmacokinetic information is available on AMT. After oral administration of a

dose of 10 mg/kg AMT, the metabolites 2-oxo-AMT, 6-hydroxy-AMT, 7-hydroxy-
AMT and 10-hydroxy-AMT were detected in the urine of male, Wistar rats after 24h.
The peak intensities of these metabolites detected were smaller compared with that of
unchanged AMT, indicating AMT was poorly metabolized in rats. The authors
proposed metabolic pathways for AMT in rats that consist of hydroxylation or oxidation
on the indole ring at the 2-, 6- and 7-positions, whereas the 4- and 5-positions remain
unchanged. However, it is also possible that deamination to indole-3-acetone and
deamination followed by oxidation to indole-3-carboxylic acid are possible metabolic
pathways of AMT in rats(13).

In humans, 20 mg AMT has a slow onset of action of 3-4 h but an extended duration of
12-24 h although some users have reported effects for 2 days(14, 15). After ingestion, the
alpha methyl group protects AMT from degradation by MAO which would contribute
to its oral activity and longer duration(8).

5.    Toxicology  
Although tryptamines are considered not to produce life-threatening cardiovascular,
renal or hepatic toxicity because of their lack of affinity for the relative targets and
receptors(16, 17), there have been deaths associated with AMT use especially in
combination with other agents such as 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone, cocaine,
amphetamine, cathinones, MDMA, and cannabinoids(17) as investigated by ROAR
Forensics laboratory, UK. Other deaths related to AMT have been reported in the
US(18), Isle of Man, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, UK, and Japan.

A closely-related tryptamine, alpha-ethyltryptamine, is neurotoxic causing a reduction

in a number of serotonin brain markers(19). AMT may cause serotonin syndrome due to
its ability to inhibit MAO(8, 14).

6.    Adverse reactions in humans 
AMT produces various negative physical and psychological effects in users. Physical
effects of AMT include mild increases in blood pressure or respiration rate, tachycardia,
mydriasis, diaphoresis, salivation, severe nausea, severe vomiting, deep tendon reflexes,
impaired coordination, visual and auditory disturbances and distortions. Subjects report
uncomfortable feelings, muscular and nervous tension, irritability, restlessness, upset
stomach, and inability to sleep or relax. Psychological effects associated with the use of
AMT can include terrifying hallucinations, emotional distress, nervousness, tension,

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irritability, restlessness, and inability to sleep(3, 20). AMT also diminishes user
inhibitions and hallucinations, which can result in high-risk sexual activity or accidental
injury, respectively.

7.    Dependence potential  
As a class of agents, tryptamines are generally not physically addicting or likely to
cause psychological dependence(21). This generalization is supported by users that
report a lack of withdrawal effects following the discontinuation of use although some
users have reported a short period of tolerance or feelings of depression after AMT. The
users report that use for two days in a row is likely to lead to a diminished experience
the second day, although spaced 3-4 or more days apart, this effect is nearly non-
existent(3) and (Erowid Vault, accessed March 2014). However, without human
pharmacokinetic and controlled pharmacology data, dependence or tolerance potential
is essentially unknown for AMT.

8.   Abuse potential 
In animals, AMT produced discriminative stimulus effects similar to DOM and
MDMA(22, 23). AMT has only been tested in the drug discrimination procedure; no
results are available for self-administration or conditioned place preference animal
models of abuse liability. The abuse potential in humans has relied on anecdotal
reports(3), subjective effect reports, or retrospective reports. Human subjects using AMT
report euphoria, stimulation, visual effects such as blurry vision, bright colors, after
images, primarily hallucinogenic effects similar to 50 μg of LSD. AMT also produces
amphetamine-like mood elevating effects(14, 24) and indeed AMT is used as a substitute
for MDMA (DEA Federal Register, 2004). Apparently, lower doses produce stimulant
effects and increasing the dose causes more hallucinogenic effects. The fact that AMT
shares many similarities to other hallucinogenic tryptamines and MDMA suggests it has
potential for abuse.

9.  Therapeutic applications and extent of therapeutic use and 
epidemiology of medical use 
Historically, AMT was first developed in the 1960s as an antidepressant and MAOI with
a related compound alpha-ethyl-tryptamine which was sold for a short while by Upjohn
before being placed in Schedule I in 1971. AMT was available in the Soviet Union in
the 1960s as an antidepressant under the commercial name Indopan in 5 and 10 mg
tablets. There is no current legitimate medical or therapeutic use for AMT.

10.  Listing on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines 
AMT is not listed on the WHO List of Essential Medicines.

11.   Marketing authorizations (as a medicine) 
There are no marketing authorizations as a medicine for AMT.

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12.  Industrial use 
AMT remained an obscure chemical until the late 1990s when began being sold
commercially around the world as a research chemical. AMT has no industrial uses
although it may be used as an intermediate reactant or reagent for other chemicals or
agents.

13.   Non‐medical use, abuse and dependence  
The US DEA database, National Forensic Laboratory Information System collects
information on drugs and cases submitted to by US state and local forensic laboratories
and indicates its first record of AMT appeared in 1999. The recreational use of
tryptamines remains limited but has increased over the past five years. The DEA
estimated the number of tryptamine reports to State and local laboratories in the United
States rose from 42 reports in 2006 to 474 reports in 2010. From January 2006 to
December 2010, an estimated 1,302 reports of tryptamines were submitted to NFLIS
from as many as 35 States although most tryptamines were either DMT (79%) or 5-
MeO-DIPT (13%) with the remainder including AMT and some other variants. In 2010,
there were 71 reports of various tryptamines including AMT in the West, 105 reports in
the Midwest, 102 reports in the Northeast, and 196 reports in the South (NFLIS, 2012).

Similarly, AMT was first reported through the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs
and Drug Addiction’s (EMCDDA) Early Warning System in Finland in 2001 and since
that time, 11 additional neighbouring countries have detected AMT. Respondents to the
UNODC questionnaire on New Psychoactive Substances up to the year 2012 reported
the incidence of both natural and synthetic tryptamines including, 5-MeODMT, 5-MeO-
DPT, and AMT.

According to the 2010 SAMHSA’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH), lifetime use of DMT, AMT, or 5-MeO-DIPT among persons aged 12 or
older remained stable between 2006 and 2009, at 0.3% annually, but increased
significantly in 2010 to 0.5%. Among persons aged 18 to 25, 1.3% were lifetime users
in 2010, which was higher than the percentages in 2006 (0.9%) to 2008 (0.8% in 2007
and 2008). The prevalence of use among persons aged 26 or older also increased
significantly between 2009 and 2010, from 0.2% to 0.4%. In 2010, 0.7% of males and
0.3% of females were lifetime users. Between 2009 and 2010, lifetime use of DMT,
AMT, or 5-MeO-DIPT increased significantly among males, from 0.5% to 0.7%. The
past year use of DMT, AMT, or 5-MeODIPT among persons aged 12 or older remained
the same between 2008 and 2010, at 0.1% annually.

Please refer Annex 1: Report on WHO questionnaire for review of psychoactive

substances.

14.   Nature and magnitude of public health problems related to 
misuse, abuse and dependence 
The patterns of illicit sales and abuse have mostly been through internet sources.
Recently, the availability, cost, and sale of AMT have been monitored using
EMCDDA’s Internet snapshot methodology in March and October of 2012. In this

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study, the authors found a small decrease in the number of Internet sites selling AMT in
powder, capsules, and pellets and prices were decreasing and cheaper for bulk/potential
dealer sales compared to recreational, smaller purchases(25).

Patterns of use, clinical effects and possible harm of acute toxicity following
recreational use of AMT in the UK was reported by the National Poisons Information
Service (NPIS) and compared to mephedrone, a common NPS in the UK. There were
increasing numbers of telephone enquiries from 2009 to 2013 with most patients being
male (68%) with a median age of 20 years. The route of exposure was ingestion in most
cases and clinical effects recorded more frequently in AMT (n = 55) compared with
those of mephedrone (n = 488) users including acute mental health disturbances (66%
vs. 32%), stimulant effects (66% vs. 40%) and seizures (14% vs. 2%). The authors
concluded that although AMT use is still infrequent, toxicity following reported
exposure to AMT has been encountered in the UK since January 2011. Stimulant
features, acute mental health disturbances and seizures are more frequently reported than
in those presenting following reported use of another NPS, mephedrone(26).

Please refer Annex 1: Report on WHO questionnaire for review of psychoactive

substances.

15.   Licit production, consumption and international trade 
There are approximately 44 commercial vendors for AMT located in many countries
across the different continents (e.g., CA, CH, CN, DE, GB IN, RU, UA, UK, US).

16.   Illicit manufacture and traffic and related information 
Synthetic tryptamines such as AMT found their way into recreational use in the late
1990s as powder, capsules, or pellets. Although the use of tryptamines and specifically
AMT remains limited at the present time, the use appears to have increased over the past
five years. For example, the US DEA reported that the estimated number of tryptamine
reports (including AMT) to State and local laboratories in the United States rose from
42 reports in 2006 to 474 reports in 2010. UN Member States reported the incidence of
natural and synthetic tryptamines including, 5-MeODMT, 5-MeO-DPT, AMT, 4-AcO-
DMT, 4-AcODiPT, and 5-HTP. Of the tryptamines reported in the UNODC
questionnaire on NPS in 2012, AMT was 4-5th most commonly reported. The Global
Emergence of NPS (December 2013) reported the emergence of AMT in the following
countries: Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Russian
Federation, and United Kingdom..

Please refer Annex 1: Report on WHO questionnaire for review of psychoactive

substances.

17.   Current international controls and their impact 
AMT is not under international Control.

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18.  Current and past national controls 
In Australia, the 5-methoxy analogue, 5-MeO-αMT is schedule 9 and AMT is controlled
as an analogue of this compound. In Sweden (2005), the health ministry has classified
AMT as a "health hazard" under the Act on the Prohibition of Certain Goods Dangerous
to Health making AMT illegal to sell or possess. In Denmark (2010), the Danish
Minister for the Interior and Health placed AMT to their lists of controlled substances
(List B). AMT is listed under Narcotics Act, schedule 1 (narcotics not eligible for trade
and medical prescriptions) in Germany and AMT is placed under Austrian law (NPSG)
Group 6. AMT was controlled: on the Schedule C list in Hungary; on the List of
Hazardous Substances in Annex, § 2 in Slovakia (2013); on the Decree on Classification
of Illicit Drugs in Slovenia (2013); and in Spain (2005) according to the Act on the
Prohibition of Certain Goods. In Lithuania (2012), AMT is controlled as a tryptamine
derivative put under control in the 1st list of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances which use is prohibited for medical purposes.

In the United Kingdom, however, AMT does not fall under the tryptamine clause as its
substituent is not on the nitrogen position and therefore AMT remained legal. Similarly,
Canada has no mention of AMT in its Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. However,
AMT is on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
(REACH) list of pre-registered substances as of March 2009 and the European
Commission has recently proposed stricter rules to implement restriction of new
psychoactive substance in September 2013.

The US DEA monitored AMT and placed AMT temporarily in schedule I of the
Controlled Substances Act (CSA) on April 4, 2003 and on September 29, 2004, AMT
was permanently controlled as a Schedule I substance. At least nineteen states in US
have scheduled AMT as Schedule I since 2003.

Please refer Annex 1: Report on WHO questionnaire for review of psychoactive

substances.

19.   Other medical and scientific matters relevant for a 
recommendation on the scheduling of the substance  
There is no medical use of AMT at the present time. There is very little primary
literature in animals or humans on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, or toxicology
of AMT. Most of our understanding of the effects of AMT in humans relies on
anecdotal, retrospective or self-reports. Therefore, when scheduling AMT, judgement
must depend on literature and findings pertaining to other tryptamine compounds
(although these compounds are also understudied).

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References 
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enantioenriched form. Org Biomol Chem 9, 2274-2278
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Gibbons, S. (2013) An analysis of the synthetic tryptamines AMT and 5-MeO-DALT: emerging 'Novel
Psychoactive Drugs'. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 23, 3411-3415
7. Nagai, F., Nonaka, R., and Satoh Hisashi Kamimura, K. (2007) The effects of non-medically used
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8. Lessin, A. W., Long, R. F., and Parkes, M. W. (1965) Central Stimulant Actions of Alpha-Alkyl
Substituted Tryptamines in Mice. Br J Pharmacol Chemother 24, 49-67
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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

Annex 1:  
Report on WHO Questionnaire for Review of Psychoactive 
Substances for the 36th ECDD: Evaluation  of Alpha‐
methyltryptamine (AMT) 

Data were obtained from 72 WHO Member States (18 AFR, 13 AMR, 5 EMR, 29 EUR,
3SEAR, 4 WPR).

A total of 65 Member States answered the questionnaire for Alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT).

Of these, only 27 (AMR 5, EUR 19, WPR 3 ) had information on this substance.

LEGITIMATE USE

None reported that AMT was currently authorized or in the process of being
authorized/registered as a medical product in their country. Three respondents stated that this
substance was used in medical and scientific research. One respondent stated that there was
use in animal/veterinary care.

HARMFUL USE

Seventeen respondents confirmed there was recreational/harmful use of AMT; eight stated
that the common route of administration was oral, four oral, inhaling/sniffing and one
inhaling/sniffing. Eleven respondents stated this was obtained only via trafficking, one via
clandestine manufacturing and one via diversion and trafficking. Thirteen respondents
reported on the common formulations of AMT available with six reporting powder, five
powder and tablet, one powder, liquid and one powder, tablet and liquid forms. When asked
on use by special populations one respondent stated that it was used by the general population
and in clubs, two each only in clubs and only by general population. One respondent reported
3 emergency room visits in 2012 and 1 visit in 2013. Three respondents reported withdrawal,
tolerance and other adverse effects or medical illnesses caused by AMT. Effects include hyper
reflexia, jaw tightness, irritability, nervous tension, restlessness, nausea, increased heart rate,
blood pressure increase, dilated pupils, psychosis, agitated delirium, etc.

Additional information provided include ‘in 2003, there were two published case reports
describing the instances of emergency department admissions resulting from the abuse of
AMT and 5-MeO-DIPT (Long et al., Vet. Human Toxicol., 45:149, 2003; Meatherall and
Sharma, J. Anal. Toxicol., 27: 313-317, 2003). In 2003, there was one more confirmed death
caused by the abuse of AMT.’ ‘there were several cases of death in 2012 in the EU in
connection with 5-IT, an isomer of AMT.’

CONTROL

Of those with information on the substance, 19 reported that AMT was controlled under
legislation that was intended to regulate its availability; 12 under “controlled substance act”,
three under “medicines law”, one “temporary ban”, one under “analogue legislation” and two
“other” laws. Only one respondent stated that there were challenges with the implementation
of this legislation. On illicit activities related to AMT, one respondent reported clandestine
manufacture. Three respondents reported processing into the consumer product, 10 reported
trafficking, two reported diversion and 10 an internet market.

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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

Details on seizures are presented below.

2011 2012
(number of respondents) (number of respondents)
Total number of seizures 16 (5) 154 (9)
Total quantity seized (kg) 0.03 37.52
Total quantity seized 1 (1) 226 (4)
(tablets/pills)

IMPACT OF SCHEDULING

Twenty-five respondents reported that if AMT was placed under international control, they
would have the laboratory capacity to identify the substance. There is no reported medical
use.

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36th ECDD (2014) Agenda item 4.20    Alpha‐methyltryptamine (AMT) 

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