Lexi Webster
Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is a stimulant drug that has become a controlled substance in many countries. In Australia, it is classified as a Schedule 9 poison, meaning it is illegal to possess without authority. Methylone is associated with overdoses, suicides, and illicit use, and has been detected at Australian music festivals. It has similar effects to MDMA (ecstasy) but is considered gentler and shorter-lasting.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is Methylone | An entactogen and stimulant drug of the amphetamine, cathinone, and benzodioxole families related to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") |
| Other names | 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC) |
| Legality in Australia | Illegal to possess without authority |
| Legality in other countries | Banned in the US, UK, Sweden, and New Zealand |
| Side effects | Tachycardia, hangover, and insomnia |
| First synthesized | By Peyton Jacob III and Alexander Shulgin in the mid-1990s |
| First described in literature | 1996 |
| Controlled substance | In many countries |
| Treatment | Being developed for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
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What You'll Learn
Methylone is a controlled substance in Australia
Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is a controlled substance in Australia. It is a synthetic psychostimulant that has been associated with overdoses, suicides, and illicit use. Methylone is structurally similar to MDMA ("ecstasy") but has a different potency and effects. It is usually taken orally and acts as a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA).
In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has classified methylone as a Schedule 9 substance, which means it is a poison for which possession without authority is illegal. The poisons information centres and clinical toxicology units in Australia often receive inquiries about poisonings from methylone and other synthetic cathinones, which can cause agitation, tachycardia, hypertension, delirium, aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, hyperthermia, cardiac dysrhythmias, and seizures.
Methylone has been reported to have a strong compulsion for redosing and has led to dependence in some users. It is also known to have a high risk of dependency, abuse, misuse, and illicit use. Due to these risks and the significant toxicity profile of methylone, it has been placed under Schedule 9 by the TGA. This means that it is illegal to possess methylone without authority in Australia.
The control of methylone as a Schedule 9 substance in Australia is in line with the classification of this drug in other countries. Methylone is illegal in many jurisdictions, including the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and New Zealand. In the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an emergency ban on methylone in 2011 and later classified it as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 2013.
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It is a synthetic psychostimulant
Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is a synthetic psychostimulant. It is an entactogen drug of the amphetamine, cathinone, and benzodioxole families related to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy"). It is usually taken orally and acts as a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA).
Methylone was first synthesized in the mid-1990s and was initially patented as a potential antidepressant and antiparkinsonian agent. However, it was never developed or marketed for such uses. By 2004, methylone had emerged as a designer and recreational drug. It has become a controlled substance in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and New Zealand.
In Australia, methylone is classified as a Schedule 9 poison, meaning it is illegal to possess without authority. It is included in a group of drugs called "new psychoactive substances" (NPS), which are unregulated, mind-altering substances that have become newly available on the market and are intended to replicate the effects of illegal drugs.
Methylone has been associated with overdoses, suicides, and illicit use. Poisoning from methylone can cause agitation, tachycardia, hypertension, delirium, aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, hyperthermia, cardiac dysrhythmias, and seizures. It has a high risk of dependency, abuse, misuse, and illicit use, and possesses significant toxicity.
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It is similar to ecstasy (MDMA)
Methylone is chemically similar to ecstasy (MDMA). It is a β-keto or cathinone analogue of MDMA, with the only structural difference being the substitution of two hydrogen atoms by one oxygen atom in the β position of the phenethylamine core, forming a ketone group.
Methylone is usually taken orally and acts as a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA). It has much less activity at the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) than MDMA and may have less serotonergic neurotoxicity. In contrast to certain other entactogens like MDMA, methylone does not appear to be a significant agonist of the serotonin 5-HT2 receptors.
Methylone is similar in its effects to MDMA, producing entactogenic effects and euphoria. It has a faster onset of action and its subjective effects wear off sooner than MDMA, which might lead to a redosing pattern of use. Methylone has a reputation for being gentler than MDMA and only lasts about half as long. It also has less off-target effects than MDMA, which may be an advantage for medical applications.
Both drugs exhibit similar chemistry and mechanisms of action. They produce perceptible increases in SBP and DBP, with higher effects after MDMA administration, although differences between them were not statistically significant. Interestingly, maximum effects in SBP occurred earlier in time after methylone intake (1.5 hours), and this rise was also further extended in time (4 hours) compared to MDMA, which caused higher effects at 2 hours that returned to baseline values at the end of the session.
In acute pharmacological studies of methylone in humans, the drug produced physiological and psychological effects, including increased blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, pupil dilation, stimulation, euphoria, feelings of well-being, enhanced empathy, increased sociability, and altered perception.
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It has dangerous side effects
Methylone is illegal in Australia. It is a synthetic cathinone, and in Australia, specific New Psychoactive Substances, including synthetic cathinones, are banned.
Methylone has dangerous side effects. It is a potent stimulant that acts on the brain much like MDMA or ecstasy. It induces euphoria, stimulation, increased sociability, and altered perception. It has been reported to have killed people due to its intense side effects when accidentally taken instead of ecstasy.
The drug has a range of adverse effects, including tachycardia, hangover, insomnia, anxiety, agitation, palpitations, sweating, tremors, seizures, hyperthermia, and vomiting. Methylone's abuse potential is comparable to that of MDMA, with a faster onset and earlier disappearance of subjective effects.
The drug's toxic effects include moderate symptoms such as delusions of grandeur, intense depression, and fatigue. It can also cause soft tissue and vascular damage if injected. Methylone has a strong compulsion to redose, and its misuse potential is similar to that of MDMA.
The pharmacology of methylone is not well understood, and it has been scarcely explored in humans. However, it has been associated with dangerous side effects, leading to its classification as a dangerous drug in some jurisdictions.
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It is a new psychoactive substance
Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is a new psychoactive substance. It is a synthetic psychostimulant that has been associated with overdoses, suicides, and illicit use. Methylone is an entactogen and stimulant drug of the amphetamine, cathinone, and benzodioxole families related to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy").
Methylone is considered a new psychoactive substance (NPS) because it is an unregulated psychoactive (mind-altering) substance that has become newly available on the market and is intended to copy the effects of illegal drugs. NPS are often referred to as "synthetic cathinones" or "bath salts" and have become a concern for public health officials. Methylone, specifically, has been encountered as a designer and recreational drug since 2004 and has become a controlled substance in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and New Zealand.
In Australia, methylone is listed as a Schedule 9 substance, which means that it is a poison for which possession without authority is illegal. The Australian regulatory authorities have received inquiries regarding poisonings from methylone, featuring symptoms such as agitation, tachycardia, hypertension, delirium, aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, hyperthermia, cardiac dysrhythmias, and seizures.
Methylone has similar effects to MDMA, producing entactogenic effects and euphoria. However, it has a reputation for being gentler than MDMA and only lasts about half as long. Methylone was first synthesized in the mid-1990s and was initially patented as a potential antidepressant and antiparkinsonian agent, but it was never developed or marketed for such uses. Instead, it has become a controlled substance in multiple jurisdictions due to its recreational use and potential for harm.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, methylone is illegal in Australia. It is classified as a poison for which possession without authority is illegal.
Methylone is a synthetic psychostimulant with effects similar to MDMA (ecstasy). It is also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC).
Methylone acts as a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA) and produces entactogenic effects and euphoria. Its side effects include tachycardia, hangover, and insomnia.
Yes, methylone is illegal in many other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and New Zealand.
Other synthetic cathinones include mephedrone, methedrone, methadrone, alpha-PVP, MDPV ("monkey dust"), and naphyrone.
