Four Views

More alphamethyltrypping

Substances: AMT

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From:
Subject: AMT
To:
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997 21:49:47 +0200 (MET DST)

Here's some clinical notes: Many people in Tampa have tried it and find it preferable to LSD, not as heavy but still trippy and very euphoric. It lasts a long time. Apparently one can focus and function fairly well on it in doses less than 60-80 mg.

IT-290

dl-alpha-methyltryptamine

This is a heavily edited version of the following paper:

Rosenquist, N. (1960) Comparison of three psychotropic drugs (Psilocybin, JB-329, and IT-290) in volunteer subjects. J Nerv Mental Dis 131:428-434

These notes are restricted to IT-290 as data on psilocybin is well documented elsewhere; JB-329 is a synthetic with unpleasant effects similar to atropine. If in any doubt always consult the original paper.

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Introduction

Having decided to study these two compounds [psilocybin, JB-329] concurrently, we further decided to introduce a comparison drug. For this purpose we chose IT-290 (dl-alpha-methyltryptamine), the indole analog of amphetamine. Animal pharmacologic studies indicated some amphetamine like properties, though IT-290 seemed appropriate as a comparison agent because of its chemical relationship to psilocybin and pharmacologic effects mimicking in part those of psychotomimetic agents.

Method of Study

IT-290 was administered in eight trials in as many subjects. All doses were oral, ranging from 384 to 810 mcg/K. The volunteers were mostly graduate students, their age varied between 22 and 44 years.

Trials were conducted on a medical ward of a psychiatric hospital. Subjects were placed in a private room, small and austerely furnished. To minimize the effects of external influence, subjects were visited by hospital personnel only for obtaining clinical or laboratory data.

Two measures of mental function were used. One consisted of a series of simple arithmetic problems (Number Facility test). The other consisted of linear drawings, each comparing four lines which had to be copied from a completed drawing (Flexibility of Closure). Subjects were also tested for ability to estimate varying periods of time (5, 15, 30 and 60 seconds).

Results of Study

Clinical Syndrome

With IT-290, onset was slower than with psilocybin and effects were longer, sometimes lasting over a 16-18 hour period. Direct stimulation was greater than with psilocybin, early symptoms of jitteriness, restlessness and anxiety being more pronounced. The visual effects, not often present were slight. Mental function was little impaired. Somatic symptoms were greater in number and degree than with psilocybin, many subjects complaining of feeling ill for various reasons. With lower doses these effects could be moderated without changing the general effect of the drug on mood. Except for the somatic effects, the drug experience was considered to be pleasant, though not as meaningful as with psilocybin.

Clinical and Biochemical Measures

IT-290 increased blood pressure and pulse rate beyond physiologic limits in one subject who received a large dose of the drug and was the oldest subject in the series. Dilation of the pupils was constant, averaging 3 mm. over a 2 hour period. Deep tendon reflexes were increased in seven trials. Impairment of coordination tests was noted in two subjects. No changes were noted in the remaining biochemical tests nor on the electroencephalograms, though a decrease in total circulating eosinophils just missed statistical significance.

Psychometic Tests

IT-290 produced no significant changes on the Number facility test, Flexibility of Closure test, or time estimates during the first 4 hour period of drug administration as compared with the control measures. On the Flexibility of Closure tests, both the number of lines attempted and completed correctly showed a progressive increase during the first four hours, but failed to reach significance.

Discussion

Distinct differences were noted between psilocybin and IT-290. Psilocybin resembled LSD-25 and can properly be classified as a psychotometic agent.

IT-290 had a mood elevating effect similar to but stronger than dextroamphetamine. A peculiar mixture of other effects was also noted. Most patients complained of yawning, dreaminess, and lethargy despite the fact that mental functions were not impaired. This aspect of the drug, as well as some other somatic effects, were reminiscent of reserpine. Some of the visual effects resembled those from LSD-25 though less frequent and much milder. The long duration of action of IT-290 as compared with psilocybin may be in part due to the larger dose used.

Psilocybin impaired motivation more than performance as the ratio of correct responses to line drawings attempted remained constant even though the number attempted was reduced. With IT-290 confidence was increased with more drawings being attempted, although the ratio done correctly remained constant.

Each of these three drugs may prove to have therapeutic usefulness. Psilocybin has already been used for facilitating psychotherapy. IT-290 may be useful in similar fashion as well as an antidepressant.

Table 1

Clinical Syndromes for IT-290

0-30 Minutes Euphoria
Nausea, heartburn
Yawning, drowsiness

30-120 Minutes Nausea, retching
Dizzy, unsteady
Euphoria, restlessness, jittery
Yawning, lethargy
Decreased concentration, silly, inappropriate smiling

120-240 Minutes Visual effects (blurring, apparent movement of objects,
sharper outlines, brighter colors, longer after images, decreased depth
perception)
"Drunk", euphoria, poor coordination
Tremors, numbness of extremities

4-12 Hours Visual effects (patterns, eyes closed)
Muscle aching, shivering
Decreased appetite
Weakness, lethargy

Later Effects Continued stimulation, insomnia, fatigue, muscle aching,
headache, heartburn, "hangover"

Less Common Effects General malaise, salivation increased, paresthesia,
dreamy state, mild depersonalization

Table 2

Clinical and Biochemical Measures During 8 Trials with IT-290

Blood pressure 1 elevated
Pulse rate 1 elevated
Pupils Dilated 8, ave. 3 mm.
Reflexes Increased in 7
Coordination tests ? pos. Romburg 2
Urine mgP/mg creatinine n.s.d*
Total eosinophil count n.s.d
Serum glutamic oxalacetic n.s.d
transaminase
Serum pseudocholinesterase n.s.d
Serum alkaline phosphatase n.s.d
Serum cholesterol n.s.d
Electroencephalogram No change

*n.s.d: no significant difference
----------------------------- END --------------------------

Our group consisted of five individuals: A (male), B (female), C (male), myself, and a Ground Control figure (female) who took notes for the first two thirds of the main part of the experience before having to get some sleep before work the next morning. All of us are experienced with a wide range of psychedelics; none of us had tried AMT before this experience. The first part of this report is a straight reporting of the physical sensations as reported in our log; after that, I‚ve included first person notes/accounts from all of us on the more subjective sensations we experienced.

9:00 pm - Oral ingestion of 40 mgs each, the solution dissolved in glasses of juice.

9:26 pm - A, B and myself have begun feeling detached, floaty, smily. C is still feeling relatively down to earth. We joke somewhat playfully about being "ready to take more!" though of course we do not. Soon after, A and B begin to report funny stomach feelings, though they suggest it may have something to do with the strange pig samples in the Woob CD we‚re listening to. This will turn out not to be the case.

9:38 pm - A and B are now feeling speedy effects and have sweaty palms. A also comments that there is definitely something going on down there in his stomach. C reports possible visuals. I now have an unsettled stomach as well; I‚m feeling buzzed, and am noticing slight visual distortions. I‚m also feeling hot; this will continue throughout the experience for me. I sweated profusely throughout the entire experience, although the others didn‚t seem to share that effect.

9:48 pm - C has begun to hear a high pitched tone in his head similar to the tone he always hears when taking psilocybin or 2CB; it is, to him, the first significant "alarm". B and myself both report disturbances in the visual field, with me noting quite a disturbance in my depth perception; A still has accurate depth perception. A and I are both yawning quite a bit, though there‚s no hint whatsoever of tiredness.

9:52 pm - A is vomiting. He suggests that it may be the bad breakfast he had earlier that day. B is now laying down, as it seems to help her nausea. C is now experiencing both closed and open eye visuals. For me, the visuals at this point have the flavor of psilocybin, though not the "content" as it were. Around this point, we decide to light candles and dim the lamps - a very good idea!

10:01 pm - B reports sensations similar to DMT, though doesn‚t get more specific. I‚m feeling very smily at this point. Soon after, all 4 of us have our eyes closed. GC reports that I am moaning lightly, rolling on the floor, yawning; and I report feeling restless but inert. I note that I seem to be "treading space." Both A and I report a mild and unsettling psychedelic feeling, with A noticing that everything in general seems to be fuzzy but objects in particular are crisp. He wishes he had vomited with the lights on in the bathroom, now thinking it might have been beautiful as on LSD. B comments that the whole thing feels like "psychedelic speed."

10:08 pm - C is now vomiting.

10:15 pm - Lots of laughter in the room. Another Woob CD is put on. The whole experience is sort of revolving around the intersection of really excellent music and the new space that the drug is opening up for us. A comments that he "hasn‚t stepped into the Rolls Royce" but is definitely enjoying the experience (Neil Cassady reportedly called AMT "the Rolls Royce of psychedelics"). GC‚s question of the moment is: Is it worth the vomiting? A and C report that it is, so far. A is not feeling the same sort of dissociation that I am feeling; throughout, it seems to be the case that it hit me a little harder than it hit A. B reports lots of visuals.

10:43 pm - Jaw clenching all around. I report a very dry mouth, and am very much riding in the nausea-mobile. A is feeling overconfident, heh - says that he could operate heavy machinery if he had to. He‚s basically reporting that he doesn‚t feel his mental function to have been impaired. B is quite chatty at this point.

11:01 pm - A is vomiting again. B and myself both report euphoria, and feeling floaty and loungy. Laughter. I comment that the experience is very sensual and not mental, and B agrees. C reports further nausea and jaw clenching. The trip seems to be building for all of us. C and I both report feeling multidimensional, as though we‚re phasing in and out of this space, interacting with space. At this point, A comments that he feels he could have gone for a higher dosage, that it‚s not an explosion or a kick in the head but instead meanders. I reply that maybe this isn‚t a drug where you *should* look for an explosion or a kick in the head. The "tryptamine" in the chemical name might indicate a DMT like trip, but that ain‚t this.

11:20 pm - C reports that he is DOING GOOD!!! :)

There‚s a gap in the record, which was basically a "peak" plateau. Vomiting/nausea finally dissipated, and we coasted for several hours, enjoying the trip - our subjective comments below will speak more about the character of this plateau, which constituted the "peak" of the experience. A general comment about the plateua is that it was characterized by a strong empathogenic feeling among the group. This empathogensis was given much more "authority" by the tryptamine signature than the empathogensis of MDMA tends to provide.

3:24 am - I report that for me, the euphoria is beginning to dissipate, and I‚m in a transition from a relatively empathogenic tryptamine space into a starkly psychedelic tryptamine space, though not particularly overwhelming in any meaningful way. All along the way, we‚ve felt a strong sense of synaesthesia, and I report an inability to read whatsoever (more on that later) due to a kind of multidimensional blurring effect.

4:30 am - B now also reports that the euphoria is fading, though for her, the empathogenic qualities are still present, alongside some very psychedelic/hallucinogenic sensations.

4:57 am - A is able to eat again. It‚s Doritos, of course.

7:30 am - I‚m finally starting to get hints of my normal reading vision back - quite a relief. I‚m also noticing a significant drop in intensity over the last couple hours or so.

9:00 am - We are mostly "down", excepting residual visual distortion/blurriness and some mild twitchy, jumpy restlessness. None of us will actually sleep for many hours to come. I personally don‚t fall asleep until 10:30 pm that night! (Others did get to sleep earlier, and I may have been able to if I had tried properly.)

Subjective Experiences

A:
"Noticed mild effects after about an hour. Mild nausea growing to intense nausea. I felt much better after a good vomiting session. Shortly thereafter the "full effect" of the amt started to settle in. It definitely *felt* trippy but had nothing of the "slap in the head" I associate with high dose LSD, Psilocybin, DMT....etc...

"It definitely lacked the going over the waterfall psychedelic experience. This is not to say it was somehow inferior just different. On the whole it was a very pleasant, mild, and LONG trip. I still felt noticeable effects at the 9 or 10 hour point. I definitely got some useful work done but the pace was slow and never rushed or uncomfortable.

"I would repeat this experience though probably with a higher dosage and would probably skip breakfast :)

"I don't think I would put amt on my A list, but it was still a damn good time."

B:
"At 9pm we started and I said what I always say right after starting into a psychedelic experience...‚it's too late now‚ and with that we finished our drinks and went into the living room. There were 5 of us total, 4 zooming, 1 ground control. We started off with a Woob cd. Having heard of this drug's tendency to cause nausea and vomitus, I laid down flat - i.e. I monopolized the couch. I really do detest vomitus. About a half an hour into it i began to notice some effect which reminded me of some of the physical effects of methamphetamine - sweaty palms, increased energy. However, unlike meth i didn't feel like getting up or doing anything per se. Shortly thereafter (pretty much when those pig noises on the woob cd kicked in) i began to have a funny feeling in my stomach - not quite nausea but more like a burning sensation from drinking too much coffee and having had no food. This turned into nausea that was somewhat compounded by the sounds of A being sick in the bathroom (aka...going on 'vacation'). By this time it's about 10pm and the nausea continues but it's not as nervous or threatening as i started to feel something somewhere between detachment, euphoria, and silliness. Not wanting to risk it i continued in my monopoly of the couch and having Gonzo the doll helped me relax. Within an hour the nausea had subsided and things started to get noticably psychedelic - visuals began to ebb in and Gonzo became immensely fun to play with. My thoughts began to wander to random objects in the room - the windows, the ceiling, the company - with no real thoughts about any of it, just a magnetic fascination. At some point during this time a second woob cd was put on (prior to that C got sick and i recall feeling very bad for him and wanting to comfort him but for reasons unknown to me, i could not). Although i liked the first woob cd (minus the pig noises), i was really blown away by the second one - it had a markedly mystical quality to it (i.e. It's Just The Drugs). The psychedelic effects kept rising (this is approximately midnight - 3 hours into it) and all feelings of nausea were gone and things were definitely getting euphoric and sensual. Somewhat comparable to MDMA except not as strong and with no inclination to touch anyone (or reach out to them in any way) and nothing on the empathogenic front either. Not yet at least. We put the futon couch out to a bed so others could share it and i put Gonzo into fetal position for a nap - i no longer felt a need for him and he seemed tired anyways.

"For a period of time after this i remained laying down with my eyes closed. The closed eye visuals for me were not very intense, at times hardly even noticeable, but closing my eyes was like looking into outer space without the stars being there - i imagine it's what looking into the void might look like but without being scared on accounta it's the void and all. In fact, at no point during this entire experience did i feel scared, just a little anxious initially during the nausea phase. Also - this drug did not seem to affect (for better or for worse) my cognitive functioning. The same was expressed by A to be the case. What i meant by that is that if the phone rang i could have answered it (yes even if it was my mom) or if the police showed up at the front door for whatever reason I felt confident that i could've answered it and dealt with them in a rational manner without freaking out - not that i wanted to mind you. Anyways, after having had my eyes closed for a while i opened them and looked into a world that had gone all psychedelic while i was closing my eyes. Visuals were very intense to the point where at times i could not focus on anything in my visual field. That's when i knew it was time to close my eyes again for a bit.

"Throughout the experience i had periods where i felt hot to the point of opening windows then later would feel freezing, close windows and huddle up in blankies and socks. i noticed the other zoomfolks were yawning a lot and many of them said they get that when they do mushrooms but i dont get that from mushrooms nor did i get anything like that from this substance. i recall at one point i said the whole experience felt like 'psychedelic speed' but it occurs to me now that the psychedelic state can have many different flavors and that this particular psychedelic state seems to have elements of many others. It had the sensuality and empathogenic qualities of MDMA but not nearly as strongly or as in-your-face as MDMA can be. The headspace it put me in was something akin to 2cb but with a tryptamine 'edge' to it, if you can imagine that. The energy it gave me was like a mixture of MDMA, methamphetamine, and lsd. It certainly had an extremely long duration, much like lsd, but after we had come down, sleeping for me wasn't an option for several hours to come but it never got to that annoying point lsd gets to where i *just* *want* *to* *sleep* *NOW*! i found that once i had slept (a good 26 hours after taking this substance) that 8 hours sufficed but that for several days after i found i needed at least 8-10 hours of sleep nightly and that i was pretty exhausted for several days after - it felt much in the same way as after using mathamphetamine for several days then stopping.

"Although i was awake for a good long time after being down, i found i had no words to put to any of it, which makes this different from every other psychedelic i have ever done.

"All in all i found alpha-methyl-tryptamine to be not only enjoyable (minus the nausea) but useful as well in that the empathogenic qualities it possesses are there and significantly affected the zoom but didn't monopolize the experience - it was subtle. i think this could be useful (an in fact during this zoom was useful) as it didn't overwhelm me and i didn't get the feelings of grandiosity about how i love everyone SO much and how i love the whole world SO much and how i love that pillow SO much and that song - you get the idea. The in-your-face-ness that MDMA has is useful, don't get me wrong, i think MDMA is quite useful for forging connections with other people (and re-affirming), but this substance seemed to be useful for helping *fix* connections that may have broken down at some point. i think this is a result of coupling the subtle euphoric and empathogenic qualities of this substance with the psychedelic-that-reminds-me-of-2cb-but-more-tryptaminey qualities facilitated not only powerful introspection but it also aided in open and honest and yes, loving communication. It almost seems like most aspects of this drug were somewhat subtle, yet in combination, synergistic.

"i would definitely do this again...‚i loved it...better than Cats...i'll do it again and again...‚"

C:
"This AMT experience was for me not just one with a new drug, but one with a totally new setting. While this certainly makes it a lot more interesting it also makes it very hard to distinguish between set, setting, and substance. The most outstanding feature of it appeared to be the empathogenic quality, although I couldn't effectivly compare it to, say, 2C-B with which I have a lot of experience, but always in a dark room, with no people there; clearly a very different setting! I can't even begin to comment on the difference in set.

"Still, the onset was very familiar; I tend to stay grounded for quite a long time, and this is exactly what happened. However, a bit after the others reported feeling the effects I noticed the 'early entheogen warning' I always get with both 2C-B and mushrooms, a high pitched tone, similar to that of an old TV. Soon after that the nausea followed, and while I tried to remind myself that it‚s all in my head soon enough I could taste it, and realised that the little food I had taken earlier should have been avoided. There wasn‚t much to throw up, but my stomach sure put in the effort. Nausea continued to play a subtle part in the background, but didn‚t really bother me as long I wasn't thinking about it.

"The whole experience had a very multidimensional character, in that I would occasionally 'catch myself tripping' without being aware of it; this is a reason to try a higher dosage at some point in the future, but it also makes it a very comfortable tool to get some work done without being 'distracted' in any way, until you actually take the time and be distracted. Was it worth the nausea ? Definitely. I‚m very curious about both higher and lower dosages of this substance, especialy since it didn‚t seem to have any of the 'noise' of low dosage mushrooms. (which I interpret as 'tripping parts of the brain trying to communicate with parts that are still grounded‚). Something which appeals to me even more is to follow up the AMT with some mushrooms; I have a hard time getting the right mind set for mushrooms, but I specifically think the very long coming down period of AMT seems like a very good time to do a serious amount of mushrooms."

Me:
I found the empathogenic qualities of this experience to be very useful, and I qualify that by saying that the tryptamine influence of AMT makes this a more honest-feeling experience than MDMA. MDMA sometimes feels to me too ungrounded for the "work" to last, whereas here, I felt that I actually made some progress in sharing my feelings with a couple of the individuals present. AMT doesn‚t offer any "content" of its own; instead, it opens *wide* a very unique space, and gives you *plenty* of time to explore it, figure it out, and start using it however you like. The space is so wide open that it seems natural to move into an empathogenic space, while all the while, the corners of the space are starkly tryptamine-ish. There‚s no real "flash" to the experience, either. The psychedelic properties come on very subtly, nausea notwithstanding. In addition to the empathogensis, our appreciation of music was *thoroughly* enhanced, and we took turns playing CDs for each other that the rest of the group hadn‚t heard. At one point, of course, a Banco de Gaia CD we had in began to skip over a certain percussion section - and none of us noticed the skip until I actually happened to walk by the CD player and see the numbers skip back. So - the "infinite remix" of Banco was quite amusing. Synaesthesia was heavy; I particularly enjoyed juggling and "hearing/seeing" the sounds/trails the balls were making in front of my eyes.

I tried juggling at several points throughout the experience, and never lost my motor control such that I couldn‚t do it; however, it *did* get significantly trippier as the evening went on, and harder to do. The objects took on what I can only call multidimensional properties, in that I seemed to be able to both see the objects and see through the objects at the same time. My depth perception was way off all night long, and my balance was obviously affected by that, though slightly; I could still walk, but every time I stood up it took some getting used to again. Closed eye visuals were a mix of psilocybin/DMT flavored images and geometries, but without any of the "oomph" of those drugs. They were interesting, and they were reminders that the whole space was being supported by some kind of tryptamine energy, but they were never particularly intrusive. I could find them when I wanted to, but most of the time, I didn‚t.

I loved the fact that the peak lasted for such a long time, and that the peak was not so "confusing" or "abrasive" as, say, the peak is on LSD. My perception of self was only slightly altered in a direct way by this; rather, my perception of environment was *strongly* altered, and any further changes to perception of self were as a result of the fun I was having figuring out this new space and enjoying it. The only really disconcerting effect of the AMT experience for me was the blurred vision: losing my ability to read. That was a mildly powerful experience all unto itself. When I noticed this feature during the euphoria, I properly contextualized it as a result of the multidimensional nature of the experience; I had no qualms about asking GC to read a CD case for me, for example. But as the euphoria faded, it began to disturb me, this notion that I could write words on a pad of paper and not be able to recognize them as they came out due to too much blurring. Later on, it occured to me to try reading with only one eye and then the other; each eye could read just fine on its own, but the two eyes together just plain weren‚t cooperating. This didn‚t properly "reset" until late in the day, and it was a slow, gradual process. In retrospect, I should have taken the 1960 clinical report at its word when it listed "blurring" as an effect!

The "inappropriate smiling" note in the 1960 report cracked us up all evening, btw. :)

Coming down was arduous, though no more so than coming down from a high dose LSD experience. On LSD, when I try to disco-nap my way to sleep, the visuals are often pretty banal by the time I‚m coming down, and I can usual convince myself to sleep despite all the "noise". I couldn‚t do that on AMT, as the disco-nap visuals were too creepy and strange and tryptamine-y for me to fall asleep. Mind you, they weren‚t interesting from a "content" point of view at any point during the experience, but they were definitely creepy by this point. The length of the coming down period means: plan ahead! Give yourself *plenty* of time to recover. I also had stomach cramps all day the next day and other, shall we say, gastrointestinal unpleasantness; this lasted into the next morning. This drug definitely has a high body load, probably the most taxing thing, physically, that I‚ve experienced in a while. I have no experience whatsoever with speed, but maybe the general exhaustion is due to the amphetamine influence. At any rate, the drug is likely "worth" dealing with the nausea/stomach problems (though we speculated that Dramamine might be a neat thing to try at the top of the trip) and likely "worth" dealing with the strongly annoying and extremely long coming down period. I‚d certainly take it again, though I‚d want to wait some time before doing it again. We speculated that higher doses would probably be in order next time, though I‚d of course be wary that a higher dose would increase the nausea and lengthen the coming down period without really boosting the intensity of the peak or lengthening that portion (similar to what the Xochi poster reports about boosting DOB dosage); still, it‚s worth researching! (Actually, I‚m sure TIHKAL will have something to say on this subject) I‚d also look at lower doses too, just to see if the nausea goes away at any point without losing the fun and intensity of the peak.