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1,3-DMAA
1,3-dimethylamylamine | methylhexanamine | geranamine | Forthane (1944)
Aliases (10)
Overview
What is 1,3-DMAA?
1,3-DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine, methylhexanamine, geranamine) is an aliphatic primary amine sympathomimetic. Originally synthesized by Eli Lilly and approved by the FDA as Forthane nasal inhaler in 1948 (NDA 6-321), it was voluntarily withdrawn ~1971 as newer decongestants displaced it. It re-emerged in 2007-2008 as a pre-workout supplement ingredient (Ergopharm AMP, USPLabs Jack3d, OxyElite Pro), marketed as a 'natural geranium extract' — a claim subsequently debunked by analytical chemistry. The FDA banned DMAA from dietary supplements in April 2013 after multiple deaths (including US Army training fatalities in Afghanistan 2011-2012) and a growing case-report literature documenting hemorrhagic stroke, MI, hepatic failure, and hypertensive crisis at typical pre-workout doses (25-100 mg). WADA-prohibited (S6, in-competition).
Key Benefits
Subjective pre-workout effect (focus, vasoconstriction-driven 'pump,' appetite suppression, sympathetic surge) was real and commercially powerful — but every actionable benefit can be obtained more safely from caffeine + paraxanthine, ephedrine + caffeine (where legal), or phenylpiracetam + bromantane. There is no benefit unique to DMAA that justifies its safety profile.
Mechanism of Action
Indirect sympathomimetic — norepinephrine reuptake inhibition + displacement-type NE release at NET, weaker DAT effect, minimal SERT activity. Aliphatic structure (no catechol ring) means MAO does not efficiently metabolize it, giving an unusually long half-life (~8-9 hr) for an indirect sympathomimetic. Net hemodynamic profile: SBP +10-20 mmHg single dose at 50 mg, HR +5-15 bpm, effect persists 4-6 hr — escalates dramatically with caffeine stacking, exercise, heat, or dehydration (the Afghanistan-PT fatality context).
Pharmacokinetics
Quality Indicators
Any DMAA-containing supplement is by definition non-compliant
FDA banned DMAA from dietary supplements in 2013 ('not a dietary ingredient'). Any product containing it sold in the US is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. There is no compliant US source.
Gray-market dose variability (Cohen 2014)
Cohen analytical work showed 5-10x dose variability across DMAA products labeled identically. Users had no reliable way to know what dose they were getting — part of the mechanistic explanation for why ER admissions tracked specific product lots rather than nominal label dose.
Mislabeled positional isomer / homolog substitution
Some 2023-2024 European seizure samples sold as '1,3-DMAA' actually contained 1,4-DMAA, DMHA, or octodrine. Buyer cannot verify what they are taking even if they accept the underlying risk.
Counterfeit / contaminated international supply
Russian and Eastern European 'club drug' supplier networks are the largest current source. Quality control is absent. Contamination with other sympathomimetics (cathinones, amphetamines) has been reported.
What to Expect
- Week 1Tolerability and dose-response.
- Week 2-4Early effect window.
- Week 4-8Peak benefit assessment.
- Week 8+Cycle decision point.
Side Effects & Safety 15
Side Effects
- 1Hypertension (SBP +10-20 mmHg single dose; cumulative with stacking)
- 2Tachycardia (resting HR +5-15 bpm)
- 3Anxiety / jitteriness / irritability
- 4Insomnia (especially if dosed within 6-8 hr of bed)
- 5Headache
- 6Cold extremities / vasoconstriction discomfort
- 7Decreased appetite
- 8Tremor
- 9Severe hypertension (>180/110)
- 10Palpitations / arrhythmia (PVCs, brief SVT)
- 11Chest pain / tightness
- 12Nausea / vomiting
- 13Hepatic enzyme elevation (often subclinical, occasionally symptomatic)
- 14Dizziness / lightheadedness
- 15Anxiety / panic attack
When to Stop
- Hemorrhagic stroke — multiple case reports in young, otherwise-healthy adults at typical pre-workout doses. Mechanism: acute hypertensive surge → small-vessel rupture, often during exercise.
- Ischemic stroke / MI — vasospasm + sympathetic surge + dehydration + exercise heat = thrombotic or vasospastic infarct. Multiple case reports.
- Sudden cardiac death — Sparling / Cola fatalities + civilian case reports. Mechanism: arrhythmia in sympathetically primed heart, often during exercise / heat.
- Hypertensive crisis / encephalopathy — BP > 220/130 with cerebral symptoms. Reported with high-dose use, MAOI co-administration, or stacking with other sympathomimetics.
- Acute hepatic failure — at least one case of fulminant hepatitis (2023). Mechanism unclear; possibly idiosyncratic. The post-DMAA "OxyElite Pro New Formula" hepatitis cluster (2013, ~50 cases) was attributed to aegeline (a different ingredient), not DMAA itself, but DMAA-containing predecessors had also been associated with sporadic hepatic events.
- Rhabdomyolysis — case reports during heat/exercise, mechanism: vasoconstriction-driven muscle ischemia + sympathetic overdrive + dehydration.
- Cerebral edema with hyponatremia — Karnatovskaia 2015 case.
- Psychosis / mania — case reports; rare but documented in susceptible users.
- Any cardiovascular history (HTN, CAD, arrhythmia, prior MI, prior stroke)
- Any seizure history
- Any history of psychosis, bipolar, or severe anxiety
- Hyperthyroidism
- Pregnancy / breastfeeding
- Concurrent MAOI use (hypertensive crisis)
- Concurrent SSRI/SNRI (less acute risk than MAOI but elevated BP risk)
- Concurrent ephedrine, yohimbine, synephrine, or other sympathomimetic (cumulative cardiovascular load)
- Concurrent high-dose caffeine (the Jack3d formulation that killed Sparling)
- Dehydration / heat / endurance exercise context (the Afghanistan-training-run profile)
References
FDA Statement: DMAA in Dietary Supplements (April 2013 enforcement action)
formal "not a dietary ingredient" determination.
View StudyEliason, M.J., Eichner, A., Cancio, A., Bestervelt, L., Adams, B.D., Deuster, P.A. 2012 — Case reports: Death of active duty soldiers following ingestion of dietary supplements containing 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA)
Military Medicine. Sparling/Cola context plus mechanistic discussion.
View StudyCohen, P.A., Travis, J.C., Venhuis, B.J. 2014 — A methamphetamine analog (N,α-diethyl-phenylethylamine) identified in a mainstream dietary supplement / DMAA analytical work
Drug Testing and Analysis. Cohen lab series on supplement analytical chemistry; 5-10x dose variability across DMAA products.
View StudyLardieri, A., Cheng, C., Jones, S.C., McCulley, L. 2015 — Effects of dietary supplements containing 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA): Reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Journal of Dietary Supplements. FDA case-series review, hemorrhagic stroke and MI cases.
View StudyFoley, S., Butlin, E., Shields, W., Lacey, B. 2014 — Experience with OxyELITE Pro and acute liver injury in active duty service members
Drug Testing and Analysis. Case series including military fatalities.
View StudyBloomer, R.J., Harvey, I.C., Farney, T.M., Bell, Z.W., Canale, R.E. 2011 — Effects of 1,3-dimethylamylamine and caffeine alone or in combination on heart rate and blood pressure in healthy men and women
Phys Sportsmed. Industry-funded acute hemodynamic data; +10-20 mmHg SBP at 50 mg.
View StudySchilling, B.K., Hammond, K.G., Bloomer, R.J., Presley, C.S., Yates, C.R. 2013 — Physiological and pharmacokinetic effects of oral 1,3-dimethylamylamine administration in men
BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology. Half-life ~8-9 hr, peripheral effects predominate.
View StudyKarnatovskaia, L.V., Leoni, J.C., Freeman, M.L. 2015 — Cardiac arrest in a 21-year-old man after ingestion of 1,3-DMAA-containing workout supplement
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. Fatal cardiac arrest case.
View StudyLisi, A., Hasick, N., Kazlauskas, R., Goebel, C. 2011 — Studies of methylhexaneamine in supplements and geranium oil
Drug Testing and Analysis. Geranium-source claim debunking.
View StudyZhang, Y., Woods, R.M., Breitbach, Z.S., Armstrong, D.W. 2012 — 1,3-Dimethylamylamine (DMAA) in supplements and geranium products: natural or synthetic?
Drug Testing and Analysis. Confirms synthetic origin.
View StudyDoD Safety Review 2013 — DMAA-containing dietary supplements
Department of Defense formal safety review post-Sparling/Cola.
View StudyHealth Canada DMAA Advisory 2012
first major Western regulator ban.
View StudyWADA Prohibited List 2026 — S6 Stimulants
methylhexaneamine specified stimulant.
View StudyUSPLabs DOJ Indictment 2015 (DMAA / OxyElite Pro context)
federal criminal case context.
View StudyLilly Forthane / Methylhexamine — original Lilly NDA (FDA Drugs@FDA historical record)
historical regulatory record.
View StudyMethylhexanamine — Wikipedia 2026
composition, history, regulatory timeline.
View StudyHow was your experience with this compound?
Anonymous · one vote per session · results below at 5+ votes.
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