TMA-6

2,4,6-Trimethoxyamphetamine

ψ-TMA-2

Psychoactive Class

Chemical Class

TMA-6 is a psychedelic amphetamine first documented by Alexander Shulgin in his 1991 book PiHKAL, where he described it as one of the most rewarding of the methoxylated amphetamines.¹ It produces a distinctive combination of stimulant, hallucinogenic, and entactogenic effects that set it apart from related phenethylamine psychedelics such as the 2C-x and DOx series. It remains an exceptionally rare research chemical with very limited availability.

Dosage & Duration

Dosage

Threshold~15 mg

Light15-20 mg

Moderate20-35 mg

Strong35-50 mg

Heavy50+ mg

Duration

Onset30-90 minutes

Come Up1.5-3 hours

Peak5-8 hours

Offset3-5 hours

After Effects6-18 hours

Total10-16 hours

Subjective Effects

TMA-6 produces a long-lasting psychedelic amphetamine experience that builds in intensity over roughly the first four hours and can leave users intoxicated for most of a day, with sleep remaining difficult even after other effects have faded. The experience is marked by an unusually strong current of humor — mundane tasks can become hilarious — alongside a forceful introspective drive capable of surfacing deep personal insights. Emotional tone can be unstable, with plateaus, exuberance, and strong negative feelings replacing one another, and intensity may vary considerably between sessions at the same dose.

Physical

Body effects include whole-body tingling, an energetic stimulation with restlessness, and a pronounced inner chill accompanied by sweating that can persist for hours. Stomach queasiness on the come-up, muscle tension, unsteady gait, appetite suppression, and post-experience insomnia are also reported.

Autonomic

Pupil dilation Appetite suppression

Stimulation

Uncomfortable

Muscle tension

Cognitive

The headspace is heavily intoxicated at moderate doses, with a halting quality to thought and difficulty accomplishing simple tasks, though some reports describe clear and steady conversation. Laughter, emotional openness, and probing introspection are recurring themes.

Confusion

Emotional

EuphoriaEmpathy enhancement

Enhancements

Analysis enhancement

Visual

Visuals are dose-dependent and somewhat inconsistent — nearly absent in some sessions, vivid and colorful in others at the same dose.

Tactile

Tactile enhancement

Reagent Testing

Expected colorimetric results for common reagent tests. Colors show reaction change over 1–2 minutes.

Marquis(MQ)

Mecke(ME)

Mandelin(MD)

Liebermann(LB)

PROtestkit.eu

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

TMA-6 acts as a potent full agonist at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, with an EC50 of 29.2 nM and maximal efficacy of 107%. It shows no meaningful affinity for the 5-HT1A or dopamine D2 receptors.² TMA-6 is also a potent inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), with an IC50 of 400 nM, while being inactive as a monoamine reuptake inhibitor or releasing agent in rat brain synaptosomes.³ In rodent drug discrimination assays, TMA-6 fully substitutes for the psychedelics DOM and 5-MeO-DMT⁴ and partially substitutes for dextroamphetamine.

Pharmacokinetics

TMA-6 has been included as a parent analyte in an LC-MS method for trimethoxyamphetamines in human urine, but that analytical method does not establish absorption, bioavailability, distribution, elimination half-life, clearance, urinary recovery, or a TMA-6-specific metabolite profile.⁵ A separate rat-urine metabolism study concerns TMA-2 (2,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine), not TMA-6 (2,4,6-trimethoxyamphetamine). Its metabolic pathways should not be presented as confirmed TMA-6 metabolism.⁶ Controlled human pharmacokinetic parameters and experimentally confirmed TMA-6-specific metabolites therefore remain unestablished in the located evidence.⁵⁶

Metabolitesnone documented yet

Interactions

Dangerous

Highest risk

These combinations are considered extremely harmful and should always be avoided. Reactions to these drugs taken in combination are highly unpredictable and have a potential to cause death.

5-HTPLithiumMAOIsSNRIsSSRIsSerotonin releasersStimulantsTramadol

TripSit

Tolerance

Full Tolerance

Tolerance to the effects of TMA-6 develops almost immediately following ingestion.

Baseline Reset

Approximately 7 days without further consumption

Half Tolerance

Approximately 3 days

Cross Tolerance

Psychedelics, Stimulants

Harm Potential

Addiction & Dependence

Psychological

Extremely Low

TMA-6 is generally regarded as non-habit-forming, and users report that interest in taking it may decrease after use. Its use is typically self-regulating.

History & Culture

TMA-6 emerged from Alexander Shulgin's systematic exploration of trimethoxyamphetamines. After discovering that relocating a single methoxy group from the original TMA (3,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine) to create TMA-2 resulted in a ten-fold increase in potency,⁷ Shulgin…

Legality

By Country

GermanyNpSG (Controlled)

Controlled under the Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz (New Psychoactive Substances Act) since November 26, 2016.⁸ Production and import with intent to distribute, administration to others, and trading are criminally punishable offenses.⁹ Possession is prohibited but does not carry criminal penalties.⁹

TurkeyIllegal

Classified as a controlled drug under national legislation. Possession, production, supply, and importation are all prohibited.

SwitzerlandPotentially illegal (analog provision)

Not explicitly scheduled by name. However, it may be considered an ether analog of PMA, which could render it controlled under Buchstabe C of the Swiss controlled substances regulations.

References

Source Pages

Citations

Reviewed & approved
Reviewed, edited, and approved by subject-matter expert Lyrea.
Automated synthesis
Information aggregated and synthesized using an autonomous workflow built by Josie Kins.

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