What Does DMT Look Like? Effects, Dosage, Harmful Risks

In its pure form, DMT is a white, crystalline powder. However, in shades from yellow to pink, impure DMT is more frequently encountered. DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogen capable of inducing a psychedelic “trip,” which typically ranges from 30 to 45 minutes.


What Does DMT Look Like?

DMT is a white, crystalline powder when it is pure. However, it is more common to encounter impure DMT, which comes in hues ranging from yellow to pink. Usually, DMT is derived from organic material, such as the root bark of the Jurema tree, which appears slightly purple, and the leaves of the Chacruna shrub.

DMT is often consumed as ayahuasca, a brewed drink typically made from Chacruna leaves and Caapi vine, although other recipes exist. When brewed, ayahuasca is a reddish-brown liquid.

What is DMT Drug?

DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogen capable of inducing a psychedelic “trip,” which typically ranges from 30 to 45 minutes. DMT drug is a Schedule 1 under the Controlled Substance Act and has no recognized medical use in the United States. DMT can be extracted from a variety of plant sources. The drug can also be synthesized in a lab.

DMT first became famous as a drug of abuse in the 1960s and has regained popularity among drug users within the last decade. The history of human consumption of DMT dates back hundreds of years. Brews containing DMT have long been associated with sacred rituals and religious practices.

Experience from Taking Drugs with DMT

The DMT experience can be overwhelming and unpredictable because of the many factors involved. But, some common experiences might occur during a trip. For example, you may feel like your body is moving, or vibrations become intense enough for objects around you (such as furniture) to shake uncontrollably without any logical explanation. Why this should always happen while other people watching seem utterly unfazed by anything around them is unknown. These events don’t necessarily mean something wrong happened on an individual DMT drug journey. But these experiences can be part-and-parcel with what happens when using substances such as DMTT/LSD/ mushrooms, which have been associated historically with causing visions.

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DMT Drugs Statistics

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, approximately 114,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 used hallucinogens in 2016. Furthermore, 668,000 young adults aged 18 to 25 used hallucinogens.


75%

Approximately 75% of the population tested positive for at least one biological specimen of drugs or alcohol. Of that 75%, more than one-third of those attendees were confirmed to contain one or more NPS or MDMA.

Source: Forensic Science International

2.8 million

An estimated 2.8 million people used tryptamines, such as DMT, in 2018, up from 2.6 million in 2017 and continuing a trend of increasing prevalence over the past several years.

Source: National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health

DMT (dimethyltryptamine) Fact Sheet

DMT (dimethyltryptamine)

The standard indolethylamine hallucinogen is N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Since DMT use is connected to several religious ceremonies and practices, the history of human experience with it likely dates back several hundred years. DMT is a compound that occurs naturally in a variety of plant species and is found in a number of South American snuffs and brewing concoctions, including Ayahuasca.

DMT can also be created synthetically. Richard Manske, a British scientist, carried out the first synthesis in 1931. DMT became a popular substance of abuse in the 1960s, and when the Controlled Substances Act was created in 1971, it was put under federal jurisdiction under schedule I. Along with a number of other tryptamine hallucinogens, it is still available illegally today.

LICIT USES

The use of DMT by researchers is permitted under a category I research registration, which needs both DEA and Food and Drug Administration permission. DMT has no recognized medical use in the United States.

ILLICIT USES

DMT is employed for its psychoactive properties. Individuals who want the psychedelic experience but do not want to experience the mind altering perceptions over an extended period, as occurs with other hallucinogens, find the intense effects and short duration of action appealing such as LSD. DMT is typically smoked or consumed orally in the form of brews such as Ayahuasca.

PHARMACOLOGY

DMT is typically snorted, smoked, or injected when administered alone because its oral bioavailability is very low unless combined with a substance that inhibits its metabolism. In ayahuasca, for example, Harmala alkaloids (harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmaline) inhibits monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that metabolizes typically DMT. As a result, DMT remains intact long enough after oral administration to be detected in sufficient quantities to affect brain function and produce psychoactive effects

In clinical studies, DMT administered intravenously was fully hallucinogenic at doses ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 mg/kg. DMT effects appear quickly but usually wear off within 30 to 45 minutes. Some of the psychological effects include intense visual hallucinations, depersonalization, auditory distortions, and an altered sense of time and body image.

Hypertension and other physiological effects include agitation, seizures, dilated pupils, nystagmus (involuntary rapid rhythmic movement of the eye), dizziness, and ataxia (muscular incoordination). In addition, coma and respiratory arrest have been linked to DMT exposure, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC).

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE CLASSIFICATION

Vyvanse is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance. Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse.

What is the drug DMT? DMT drugs are hallucinogenic and can produce severe episodes for users. The DMT drug can be taken orally, injected, smoked, or snorted. While DMT drugs may not be addictive in the way that heroin or cocaine is, they can still negatively influence both the brain and body.
What is the drug DMT? DMT drugs are hallucinogenic and can produce severe episodes for users. The DMT drug can be taken orally, injected, smoked, or snorted. While DMT drugs may not be addictive in the way that heroin or cocaine is, they can still negatively influence the brain and body.

What Does A DMT Trip Look Like?

These Are The Following Effects Of DMT Drug:

  • Altered sense of time and space
  • Altered sense of one’s physical body
  • Depersonalization/out-of-body experience
  • Profound and intense visual hallucinations
  • Auditory hallucinations or distortions
  • Perception of otherworldly images
  • Altered visual perception
  • Altered auditory perception

Many people who use DMT describe the trip as life-changing, often returning to sobriety filled with insights they believe in having been from God, aliens, or other majestic or magical beings. Scientific research has illustrated those small quantities of DMT occur naturally in the human brain.

This has led to hypotheses of endogenous DMT playing a role in spontaneous mystical experiences, alien encounters, and near-death experiences. Even though the compound occurs naturally within the human brain, it is still a Schedule 1 drug for which possession can lead to incarceration, fines, and other legal consequences.

The risk of addiction to DMT is still unknown, and more research needs to be conducted to determine the long-term effects of using the drug. Unlike other hallucinogens, DMT does not appear to produce physical tolerance in the body, making it less likely to lead to addiction. Although it is rarely reported, some users may develop a psychological addiction to the drug and, as a result, begin to use DMT more often. Frequent use of any hallucinogenic drug has the potential to lead to psychosis and other mental health problems.

Some Signs That A Person May Be Abusing DMT Drugs Include:

  • Financial problems due to spending money obtaining DMT
  • Using DMT drugs regularly and having trouble maintaining personal and professional commitments as a result of drug use
  • Experiencing flashbacks/feeling psychoactive effects similar to the DMT trip when not using the drug
  • Feeling out of touch with reality
  • Lying about drug use to friends and family
  • Extreme preoccupation with using DMT
  • Using DMT with other medications

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Side Effects Of DMT Drug

DMT drug is a powerful substance that can cause several mental and physical side effects. Some of these are desirable, but others are not so much.

Mental Effects Of DMT Drugs

  • Euphoria
  • Floating
  • Vivid Hallucinations
  • Altered sense of time
  • Depersonalization

*Keep in mind that some people taking DMT drugs experience lingering mental effects for days or weeks after use.

Physical Effects Of DMT Drugs:

  • Rapid Heart Rate
  • Increased Blood Pressure
  • Visual Disturbances
  • Dizziness
  • Dilated Pupils
  • Agitation
  • Paranoia
  • Rapid rhythmic eye movements
  • Chest pain or tightness
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea or Vomiting

Drugs DMT Street Names

  • Fantasia.
  • Businessman’s trip.
  • Businessman’s special.
  • Dimitri.
  • 45-minute psychosis.

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How Is DMT Drug Abused?

Synthetic DMT drug appears in white crystalline powder form. When taken on its own, DMT is typically consumed by snorting, smoking, or injecting the substance. It is not essential to exert its psychedelic effects since DMT is fully hallucinogenic at dosages as low as 0.2 mg/kg.

What kind of drug is DMT? DMT drugs produce psychoactive effects by acting on specific serotonin receptors in the brain. DMT has a rapid onset, with products beginning immediately after consumption (smoked, snorted, or injected). Effects are short-lived, however, lasting only approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

For this reason, the DMT drug is popular for those who want to experience psychedelic effects similar to LSD or psilocybin without a long intoxication period. DMT does not usually produce psychoactive effects when taken orally, as it is quickly rendered inactive by a metabolic enzyme known as monoamine oxidase.

However, when taken orally with other plants that prevent its metabolization, it can produce psychoactive effects, such as the case with ayahuasca. Shamanic tribes in the Amazon have long used this mind-altering plant brew. The brew is made with Chacruna leaves, which contain the DMT compound, and other plant matter containing harmala alkaloids that prevent the metabolization of DMT (through inhibition of the monoamine oxidase enzyme). As a result, the drug is sufficiently absorbed in the body to produce a high. 

Ayahuasca produces different effects than synthetic DMT, with the trip lasting much longer, with some users claiming the trip can last up to 10 hours. Because it is taken orally, ayahuasca is associated with several characteristic physical effects unseen with its often-smoked synthetic DMT counterparts, such as nausea and vomiting. Ayahuasca produces different results than synthetic DMT, with the trip lasting much longer, with some users claiming the trip can last up to 10 hours. Because it is taken orally, ayahuasca is associated with several characteristic physical effects unseen with its often-smoked synthetic DMT counterparts, such as nausea and vomiting.

The DMT drug is a potent psychedelic drug that can cause violent vomiting, intense hallucinations, and other serious physical effects.
The DMT drug is a potent psychedelic drug that can cause violent vomiting, intense hallucinations, and other serious physical effects.

Effects Of DMT Drug Abuse

“BAD TRIPS”

The significant psychological risk of DMT drug use in the short term is having what users refer to as a “bad trip.” A bad trip may be frightening, unpleasant, disturbing, confusing, or distorting. For example, users have reported seeing violent imagery, hearing terrifying sounds, and experiencing various negative emotions, from extreme anxiety to paranoia to despair.

Short-Term Physiological Effects Of Synthetic DMT Drugs

  • Elevated heart rate
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Dilated pupils
  • Involuntary rapid eye movements
  • Dizziness
  • Ataxia (lack of muscle coordination)
  • Agitation
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Respiratory arrest

Short-Term Physiological Effects Of Ayahuasca

  • Elevated Blood Pressure
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

Long-Term Effects Of DMT Drugs

There is currently no indication that DMT drug in any amount produces tolerance. Similarly, ayahuasca (DMT) has not produced any lasting adverse physiological effects, especially in those who drink the brew in a ceremonial or religious setting.

Persistent psychosis and hallucination persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is associated with the use of classic hallucinogens such as DMT, although the onset of either is quite rare.

Symptoms Of HPPD And Persistent Psychosis

  • Paranoia
  • Mood Swings
  • Visual Disturbances
  • Disorganized Thoughts
  • Flashbacks (recurrence of drug-induced experiences, i.e., hallucinations, altered perception, etc.)

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What is DMT Drug? FAQs

How is DMT Consumed?

Due to its psychedelic properties, DMT is used. People who want the psychedelic experience but do not want to experience the mind-altering perceptions for an extended period as occurs with other hallucinogens, like LSD, find the powerful effects and short duration of action appealing. DMT is typically ingested orally in brews like ayahuasca or through smoking.

What Does DMT Look Like?

Due to its psychedelic properties, DMT is used. People who want the psychedelic experience but do not want to experience the mind-altering perceptions for an extended period as occurs with other hallucinogens, like LSD, find the powerful effects and short duration of action appealing. DMT is typically ingested orally in brews like ayahuasca or through smoking.

What Does DMT Do?

Ayahuasca-derived DMT taken orally has behavioral and neurochemical consequences, including decreased motor activity, cognitive impairment, sympathomimetic effects, elevated prolactin and cortisol levels, and increased natural killer cells. Ayahuasca doses that were 15 or 30 times greater than those used in customary rituals boosted serotonergic neurotransmission. DMT in ayahuasca consumption over a long period alters the brain in observable ways.

Compared to matched controls, long-term ayahuasca users exhibit differences in midline brain structures on MRI. Interestingly, while ayahuasca caused some mild cognitive damage in first-time users, experienced users showed little to no impairment.

DMT Drugs Rehab & Treatment Programs

Although DMT and other hallucinogens are not considered drugs with high addictive properties, it is still possible to develop a tolerance, meaning that more of the drug must be taken to achieve the same effects. It is also possible to create a behavioral addiction, and I believe it is necessary to take psychedelic drugs to maintain happiness and enlightenment. If you or a loved one is abusing DMT, other illicit drugs, or a combination of various medications, there are reasons to be concerned. After high doses, DMT has increased heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac and respiratory arrest. 

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Sources:

[1] Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). (January 2013). N, N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE (DMT). Drugs with DMT.

[2] National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (February 2015). How Do Hallucinogens (LSD, Psilocybin, Peyote, DMT, and Ayahuasca) Affect the Brain and Body?

[3] SAMHSA. (2013). Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables.

[4] Winstock, A., Kaar, S., & Borschmann, R. (January 2014). Journal of Psychopharmacology. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT): prevalence, user characteristics, and abuse liability in a large global sample.

[5] National Institute on Drug Abuse. Hallucinogen Drug Facts 2019 [cited 15.09.2021].

[6] Vazquez G Zarate C  Brietzke E. Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression. 1 ed2020.