Bromo-DragonFLY
Bromo-DragonFLY is a synthetic psychedelic of the substituted phenethylamine and benzodifuran classes.12 First described in the scientific literature in 1998,1 its name derives from the insect-like appearance of two furan rings fused to a central benzene ring.3 The substance is extremely potent, estimated at roughly one-third the potency of LSD by weight, and produces unusually prolonged effects.4 It is considered highly dose-sensitive and has been associated with numerous hospitalizations and fatalities.25
Dosage & Duration
Dosage
This substance is exceptionally potent, and the strength of available material has varied considerably between batches and time periods—supplies circulating before 2006 were notably stronger than those appearing later. Combined with significant individual variation in response, this makes careful dosing essential. Approach any new or unfamiliar batch with extreme caution.
Duration
Subjective Effects
Bromo-DragonFLY produces a long-acting and unpredictable psychedelic experience characterized by profound hallucinations, visual distortions, and states ranging from peace, well-being, and a sense of connection with other realities to severe anxiety, panic, and terrifying hallucinations. The onset is markedly delayed, taking up to six hours to fully manifest, and the experience is exceptionally protracted, commonly lasting one to three days. At very high doses, reports describe multi-day durations accompanied by ego loss, dissociation, and overwhelmingly negative experiences; one survivor's account described the trip as an eternity of being dragged to hell and back.
Physical
The body experience is stimulating and restless, with pupil dilation, appetite suppression, sweating and chills, and muscle tension. Adverse physical effects include nausea and vomiting, headache, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, vasoconstriction, and, in severe cases, seizures.
Autonomic
Cardiovascular
Stimulation
Uncomfortable
Cognitive
The headspace combines euphoria, empathy, insight, and ego softening with emotional intensification, but readily shifts toward confusion, short-term memory disruption, anxiety, and panic. A sense of connection or belonging with other realities is a recurring feature.
Visual
Visuals span typical psychedelic enhancements and distortions at lower intensities, progressing to profound hallucinatory states at stronger ones.
Distortions
Hallucinatory States
Auditory
Tactile
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Bromo-DragonFLY is a potent full agonist at serotonin 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT2B receptors, with sub-nanomolar binding affinities across all three subtypes.1 Rather than being selective for 5-HT2A, it is best characterized as a non-subtype-selective 5-HT2 agonist, displaying roughly twice the potency at 5-HT2C compared to 5-HT2A.1 Bromo-DragonFLY is also a potent inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A).4 The (R)-enantiomer possesses greater binding affinity at the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors than the (S)-enantiomer.6
Pharmacokinetics
In pooled human liver microsomes, pooled human liver cytosol, and recombinant-enzyme systems, Bromo-DragonFLY was not detectably metabolized. The same in-vitro study measured competitive inhibition of MAO-A with a Ki of 0.352 μM, while cautioning that more data are needed to determine its effect on serotonin in vivo. A later ADME study used computational prediction rather than human dosing or experimental pharmacokinetic sampling, so its absorption, distribution, metabolic, and excretion estimates should not be presented as measured human parameters.47
Tolerance
Serotonergic psychedelics
Harm Potential
Addiction & Dependence
Psychological
Extremely LowBromo-DragonFLY is generally not associated with compulsive reuse. Motivation to take it again may decline with repeated use, and use is usually self-limiting.
Toxicity
Severe overdose causes extreme, prolonged vasoconstriction that can lead to dangerous hypertension, tissue necrosis of extremities, gangrene, and potentially limb amputation; elevated heart rate and blood pressure occur during typical intoxication but serious vascular damage is associated with massive overdoses.8
Psychosis Risk
Overdose effects include bizarre, delusional, and sometimes violent behavior, along with terrifying hallucinations, severe confusion, and amnesia. The extremely long duration of effects and the substance's abnormally prolonged presence in the body may increase psychological distress. Users may become severely agitated and unable to communicate.9
Seizure Risk
Seizures and convulsions have been reported as side effects, particularly in overdose situations.9 Multiple fatalities involved seizures as part of the clinical presentation, including cases where individuals experienced seizures, vomited blood, and suffered terrifying hallucinations before death.
History & Culture
Discovery and Synthesis
Bromo-DragonFLY emerged from academic research conducted at Purdue University during the mid-1990s, where it was initially developed as a novel chemical tool for studying serotonin receptor binding in rat brain tissue. The compound was formally synthesized and characterized in 1998 by Matthew…
Legality
International
Bromo-DragonFLY does not appear in the schedules to the 1961 Single Convention, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, or the tables to the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
By Country
References
Source Pages
Citations
- Matthew A. Parker, Danuta Marona-Lewicka, Virginia L. Lucaites, David L. Nelson, & David E. Nichols. (n.d.). |} Bromo-DragonFLY has very high [[affinity (pharmacology)|affinity]] for the [[serotonin]] [[5-HT2 receptor|5-HT<sub>2</sub> receptor]]s, including for the serotonin [[5-HT2A rece. https://doi.org/10.1021/jm980352512345
- | excretion = <!-- Identifiers --> | CAS_number = 219986-94-4 | CAS_supplemental = | PubChem = 9839057 | PubChemSubstance = | IUPHAR_ligand = | DrugBank = | ChemSpiderID = 8014776. (n.d.). https://doi.org/10.2174/157488411796151129123
- Halberstadt AL, Chatha M, Stratford A, Grill M, & Brandt SD. (2019). Comparison of the behavioral responses induced by phenylalkylamine hallucinogens and their tetrahydrobenzodifuran ("FLY") and benzodifuran ("DragonFLY") analogs. Neuropharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.10.0371
- Carolina Noble, Niels Bjerre Holm, Marie Mardal, & Kristian Linnet. (October 2018). Bromo-dragonfly, a psychoactive benzodifuran, is resistant to hepatic metabolism and potently inhibits monoamine oxidase A. Toxicology Letters, 295, 397–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxlet.2018.07.0181234
- Mette Findal Andreasen, Rasmus Telving, Rune Isak Dupont Birkler, Bente Schumacher, & Mogens Johannsen. (10 January 2009). A fatal poisoning involving Bromo-Dragonfly. Forensic Science International, 183(1), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2008.11.0011
- Chambers JJ, Kurrasch-Orbaugh DM, Parker MA, & Nichols DE. (2001). Enantiospecific synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a series of super-potent, conformationally restricted 5-HT2A/2C receptor agonists. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 44(6), 1003–1010. https://doi.org/10.1021/jm000491y1
- ADME of Bromo-DragonFLY as an example of a new psychoactive substance (NPS) - application of in Silico methods for prediction: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion. Sci Rep, 15(1), 22949 (July 2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06453-41
- Karin Thorlacius, Catharina Borna, & Mark Personne. (2008). [Bromo-dragon fly--life-threatening drug. Can cause tissue necrosis as demonstrated by the first described case]. Läkartidningen, 105(16), 1199–1200. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18522262/12
- David M. Wood, Jemma J. Looker, Loua Shaikh, Jenny Button, Malgorzata Puchnarewicz, Susannah Davies, Satnam Lidder, John Ramsey, David W. Holt, & Paul I. Dargan. (December 2009). Delayed onset of seizures and toxicity associated with recreational use of Bromo-dragonFLY. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 5(4), 226–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf0317827312
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- Decreto N.º 560/2019, Anexo II, ítem 13, en relación con el artículo 77 del Código Penal. argentina.gob.ar (n.d.). https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/decreto-560-2019-326675/texto1
- Decreto N.º 560/2019, Anexo II, ítem 13, en relación con el artículo 77 del Código Penal. argentina.gob.ar (n.d.). https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/326675_dec560-2_pdf/archivo1
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- Bekendtgørelse om euforiserende stoffer (BEK nr 405 af 26/03/2026). retsinformation.dk (n.d.). https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2026/405/pdf1
- Valtioneuvoston asetus huumausaineina pidettävistä aineista, valmisteista ja kasveista (543/2008). finlex.fi (n.d.). https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2008/200805431
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- 医薬品、医療機器等の品質、有効性及び安全性の確保等に関する法律第二条第十五項に規定する指定薬物及び同法第七十六条の四に規定する医療等の用途を定める省令, 第1条第261号; 医薬品、医療機器等の品質、有効性及び安全性の確保等に関する法律 第76条の4. elaws.e-gov.go.jp (n.d.). https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/document?lawid=419M600001000141
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Further Reading
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