Explorations of TFMPP and BZP

a series of experiments with piperazines

Substances: BZP, TFMPP

I recently got ahold of some TFMPP, or 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine monohydrochloride. Depending on who you ask, TFMPP is supposed to cause effects almost exactly like MDMA.

I ate 100 mg in a gelcap. I started to feel trippy effects a little before the one hour point, and effects reached full intensity by around 2.5 hours. The comedown began at the 5 or 6 hour point and I was not completely back to normal until 11 or 12 hours.

Quite simply, it was not MDMA. There were some skin sensations that seemed like they could be MDMA-like, but there was none of the incredible emotional release of MDMA. However, there was no question that I was tripping. My thought patterns were trippy, things would breathe slightly if I looked very carefully for it, and music had a trippy edge. A little marijuana seemed to enhance the effects some. My pupils were dilated, my jaw was clenched just a little towards the end of the trip, and I was quite thirsty - at least the physical effects were similar to MDMA.

--- Experiment #2 ---

35 mg was taken several days later. This, too, was mixed with marijuana after a while. No quantifiable effects were noticed, so it can be concluded that 100 mg was not any kind of overdose.

--- Experiment #3 ---

135 mg was taken after a couple more days. Effects were very similar to 100 mg. Both 100 mg and 135 mg left me with substantial headaches. In both cases, the effects could be categorized as a 1 on the Lycaeum's scale. TFMPP seems to only give a very mild trip, and as far as psychedelics go, it's not really "good", but it is psychedelic. No question about that.

--- Experiment #4 ---

After more research, I came across some reports that claim that TFMPP needs to be mixed with other piperazines to fully recreate the MDMA effect. I now obtained some benzylpiperazine (BZP) freebase. 50 mg of TFMPP monohydrochloride and 90 mg BZP freebase were dissolved in acidic fruit juice. The taste, even in fruit juice, was absolutely vile.

The plan was for another evening of marijuana usage with friends, but I held off on the pot until I was able to take note of the effects of the TFMPP/BZP combo. The BZP added a significant speedy effect that was very similar to MDMA. TFMPP's very mild skin sensation was amplified by the BZP, and I felt some degree of pleasure in touching other people. There was still no massive emotional release as with MDMA, nor was there any sort of absolutely clean, pure feeling. But I noticed that the set of effects taken as a whole actually was moving in the general direction of MDMA. The 50/90 combo is a fairly low dose, but I decided to start on the safe side.

This combo shows some promise. Marijuana had some effect, but it was subtle and probably only consisted of a "mellowing," like pot has on many other psychedelics. It may have accentuated my ability to take note of what I was feeling.

--- Other Experimental Subjects ---

Since I now had some idea of the reasonable dose range for these two drugs, I decided to let my friends do some experimenting too. I distributed several 75 mg TFMPP HCl / 150 mg BZP freebase doses to a few people who were experienced with MDMA, and I later talked to them about their experiences. In general, people mentioned the speedy effect and the skin-sensation effects. Most felt that it was lacking the MDMA magic. However, some people pointed out that the effects that were there lasted quite a bit longer than MDMA, and this was generally viewed as a good thing. No one had a chance to explore the emotional disinhibition properties. One friend who often vomits on psychedelics vomited after dosing with the combo. Without exception, the subjects consider the TFMPP/BZP combo to be a worthwhile trip.

One friend who is quite experienced with MDMA use and with dancing on MDMA reports that, when she took a 75/150 TFMPP/BZP combo at a concert, she found dancing to be very enjoyable in a way that was essentially the same as MDMA. Another friend later agreed with this assessment. So it would seem that TFMPP/BZP may be particularly useful as an MDMA substitute for raves and similar events, where MDMA's emotional effects take a backseat to the physical joy of dancing.

--- Experiment #5 ---

After the positive reports I'd heard from my friends, and since I finally had some more free time, I decided to do a 90/180 combo. I had used MDMA two times recently, 7 and 10 days previously, and both were truly outstanding experiences, so my mind had been refreshed about all the relevant characteristics of a good MDMA trip.

The combo came on slow. There was no MDMA-like rush. It took about two hours to reach full intensity. There was definitely not the same MDMA emotional characteristics, and I doubt there would be any even at higher doses. So we can rule out the possibility of this combo really mimicing MDMA. However, the overall feel I had was one of extreme pleasantness and contentedness. There were skin sensations that were very similar to MDMA. Not the same - but still, very similar, and enjoyable. Dancing and similar movement was really fun, and I now understand why my friend said she enjoyed dancing on this combo like she does on MDMA.

The trip certainly lasts long. The plateau is, maybe, from the 1.5 to 4.5 hour points. The comedown is very slow, subtle, and not at all unenjoyable. At the 10 hour point, I could still clearly feel the drugs, but they were in the background and continued to fade slowly. The trip seemed to come in waves every few minutes, with a new feeling of tingling of the skin, a new feeling of pleasantness, and a new surge of positive trippy energy. BZP on its own behaves very similar to amphetamines, and I definitely felt a more speedy characteristic with this combo than with MDMA. There was significant jaw-clenching and dry mouth.

About 10.5 hours after dosing, I fell asleep. My sleep was fitful and uncomfortable. I woke up for dinner, ate, and then fell asleep for an hour again. It took several hours of wakefulness after that final hour-long nap (a total of about 24 hours after dosing) for me to feel completely normal again. I suspect this is because I was already sleepy when I first dosed, and the drugs kept me very awake until they wore off, at which point I crashed hard. My "next day" feelings were probably more negative than they would normally be on the TFMPP/BZP combo.

--- Conclusions ---

TFMPP on its own is kinda boring. But it may have its uses. If you want a mild trip, with the mental effects but no visuals or sensory disruption, TFMPP will give it to you. It could be used as a way to stay awake; a friend used some this way. However, outside of a couple of narrow uses (and you'd have to try it at least once to see how it could be useful for you), TFMPP on its own seems to be mostly a curiosity, and not too worthy of serious consideration as a psychedelic.

However, when mixed with BZP, TFMPP takes on a whole new character. As one of my friends reported earlier, she felt that TFMPP/BZP was very good for dancing, in a way that was quite similar to MDMA, and I agree with her. It does not behave like MDMA, but regardless, the combo is plenty of fun in and of itself; it's definitely now on my list of "preferred psychedelics". It's a wonderful mind-altering but not mind-fucking combo that lends itself very well to social situations, whether that's at a rave, or with just a few friends. It cannot match MDMA's emotional disinhibition qualities, but I can totally understand how people would compare the two. MDMA's core feeling of everything being all right with the world, and its sensation of giving "authenticity" to whatever you might experience on the drug, is there with the combo, and it's awfully enjoyable. I recommend it.

I hope to be able to conduct some more experiments with 1-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine hydrochloride and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)piperazine monohydrochloride, two more piperazines that can supposedly modulate the TFMPP/BZP combo in all sorts of interesting trippy ways. More reports will be forthcoming once I get a chance to give these a try.

by Paradigm Shift (pshift@hotmail.com)