PMA

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For other uses, see PMA (disambiguation).

8 pills of PMA recovered by the DEA

PMA structure

PMA 3D structure

PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine, or p-methoxyamphetamine) is a synthetic phenethylamine drug, psychostimulant and hallucinogen. It is often synthesized starting from anethole, the flavor compound of anise and fennel. Once thought to be a human invention, PMA is now known to occur as a trace alkaloid in plants including certain Acacia species.[1] It is classified as a Schedule I hallucinogen under the Controlled Substances Act in the United States. Internationally, PMA is a Schedule I drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances [2].

PMA is sometimes found in illicit street "Ecstasy" tablets, either alone or in combination with other drugs, and has been associated with numerous adverse reactions including death. Effects of PMA ingestion include many effects of the hallucinogen amphetamines including accelerated and irregular heartbeat, blurred vision, and a strong, reportedly unpleasant feeling of intoxication. There are approximately twice as many deaths caused by PMA as by MDMA, although the actual occurrence of PMA on the market is only a fraction of that of MDMA.

It appears that the drug elevates body temperatures dramatically. Many amphetamines and adrenergic compounds raise body temperatures: whereas some tend to produce more euphoric activity, or peripheral vasoconstriction, or tend to favor one effect over another, it appears that PMA activates the hypothalamus much more strongly than MDMA and other drugs like ephedrine, thereby causing rapid increases in body temperature (which is the major cause of death in PMA mortalities). Many people taking PMA try to get rid of the heat by taking off their clothes and sometimes by shaving off their hair.

Because PMA is given out at the same places that "Ecstasy" tablets are, the risk of being severely injured or hospitalized go up. It is most often sold as "Ecstasy", in the form of tan, beige, or red-colored pills featuring a Mitsubishi logo. [3][4]

Two analogues of PMA are known from the street: PMMA, and 4-MTA. These are the N-methyl and 4-methylthio analogues of PMA, respectively. The latter was implicated in several deaths in the late 1990s.