Skip to main content
Lyrea avatar

Not yet reviewed — this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.

Citation noticeOur citation system is being overhauled

References and citation markers may currently be incomplete, mismatched, or incorrect. This system is being rebuilt and reviewed before the full site launch.

Meai

This article is a stubmissing:
Interactions
Tolerance
Harm Potential
Legality
Meai molecule structureMeai molecule structure

MEAI, or 5-methoxy-2-aminoindane, is a monoamine releasing agent of the 2-aminoindane family that acts as a selective serotonin releasing agent. It appears to have been first synthesized in 1956 and was later positioned as an alcohol substitute and "binge behaviour regulator", reaching market as the MEAI-based drink Pace in 2018. Recreational reports describe mild, short-acting psychoactivity likened to gentle inebriation without the grogginess of alcohol.

Dosage & Duration

Dosage

Doses are population estimates that vary widely between individuals.

Threshold5-8 mg

Reference dosage listed as N/A. Reported single doses include 13mg with an additional 10mg added later, 15mg, and a 20mg self-experiment; the maximum dose experienced was staggered as 25mg+15mg+15mg. Redosing appears to add little: a dose of 55mg over several hours was not noticeably different, and effects plateaued around T+2.00.

Duration

Onset2 hours
Total4 hours

Subjective Effects

Legacy content. A statistically backed ontology from Mindstate Design Labs is coming soon.

MEAI produces a mild, hazy intoxication that has been compared to being slightly drunk without the grogginess or fuzziness of alcohol. Onset is slow, with nothing felt for the first half hour and a gentle buzz emerging around the first hour, building modestly before settling into an early plateau. The experience is described as pleasant but unremarkable, with contentedness and a head buzz but no significant euphoria or intensity.

Physical

The body effects are light, consisting of a head buzz with a little sedation and dilated pupils, though not fully so. Appetite is not suppressed, unlike with many stimulants.

Cognitive

The headspace remains clear enough to hold an unimpaired conversation and to perform precise, rational thought and non-trivial tasks, while still feeling distinctly under the influence. Contentedness and a slightly merry mood are the dominant emotional features, without ego inflation.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

MEAI is a monoamine releasing agent that acts as a modestly selective serotonin releasing agent, showing a 6-fold preference for triggering serotonin release over norepinephrine release and a 20-fold preference over dopamine release. Alongside this releasing activity, it has moderate affinity for the α2-adrenergic receptor. These properties suggest MEAI might produce MDMA-like entactogenic and sympathomimetic effects, though with potentially reduced misuse liability.

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption & half-lifenot documented yetMetabolitesnone documented yet

Interactions

Interactions not written up yet

An unlisted combination is an unknown one, not a safe one. Check a dedicated combination chart before mixing.

Check TripSit

Tolerance

Tolerance not written up yet

Harm Potential

Harm Potential not written up yet

History & Culture

MEAI appears to have been first synthesized in 1956, with the broader aminoindane family of molecules perhaps first chemically described in 1980. Its molecular structure was implicitly covered by a markush structure schema in a 1998 patent, but it was not explicitly and pharmacologically described

Legality

Legality not written up yet

Article Status

  • Josie Kins avatar
    Step 1 · Automated synthesis

    An autonomous workflow built by Josie Kins compiled this article's foundation from information published across the web.

  • Step 2 · First-pass reviewPending

    Not yet reviewed — this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.

  • Step 3 · Citation reviewPending

    No one has reviewed this article's citations yet. That second pass checks each claim against the source it cites.

Recent changes7 human edits · latest

Times are UTCNewest first

24 January 2026

  1. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

  2. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

  3. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

  4. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

  5. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

  6. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

  7. Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more

All changes to this article · Site-wide recent changes

Suggest an edit

Spotted a mistake, an outdated claim, or something missing from the Meai article? Send the editors a private note. Feedback lands in a moderation queue and is never shown on the site.

Wish to give generalised feedback? You can do so here.