This article has been medically reviewed by Dr Robert Lefever, a world-leading addictions specialist.
Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a hallucinogenic found in certain plants. DMT has been commonly used in spiritual rituals in South America for ages. Popularly known as the spirit molecule, DMT causes real experiences, but only exists in your mind or hallucinations. For example, you may experience euphoria and intense feelings that take you on mental trips, removing you from reality.
The effects of DMT, such as mentally removing you from reality, have been attracting more people in the Western world to the drug in recent decades. In the UK, the use of DMT as a recreational drug is increasing day by day.
How is DMT used?
In its appearance, DMT is usually a yellow or orange powder. In the UK, a half a gram wrap of DMT goes for approximately 25 pounds.
Usually, DMT is taken in the following forms:
- Injection
- Though rarely, injecting DMT is can be dangerous
- Sniffing
DMT is prepared by crushing it into a powder, and then you sniff it.
- Smoked
DMT can be vaporised and smoked in a pipe
- Drinking
DMT can be mixed with other ingredients as part of the Ayahuasca brew, which is taken orally.
What is the feeling of DMT?
After you take DMT, the hallucinogenic effects can come instantly and fade off quickly.
Like other psychedelic drugs, DMT affects your senses by altering your thinking and emotions, and as a result, you may hear and see things that are not real or feel a high effect.
As the DMT high effects begin, you may feel as if you are travelling out of the world, an out-of-the-body experience.
Also, you may feel like time is speeding up or slowing down. In addition, you may feel as if the sounds and colors are warped.
Depending on a person, the effects of DMT can vary from one person to the other. Some people may feel euphoric and enjoyment, while others experience intense fear and panic, which is a not so lovely experience.
What does DMT do to the brain?
As a hallucinogenic drug, DMT affects the neurotransmitter, specifically serotonin receptors in the brain. This particular receptor impacts your mood and mental awareness. As a result, you experience altered visual and auditory consciousness.
What is a bad DMT trip?
The experience of DMT varies from one person to the other. However, for some people, the DMT experience may lead to severe consequences.
A bad trip is a term that DMT users use to refer to a short-term psychological effect that may be unpleasant, confusing, disturbing, and extreme paranoia.
What are street names given to DMT?
In the streets, DMT is unofficially given the following slang terms:
- Fantasia
- Businessman’s trip
- Dimitri
- Businessman’s special
The common effects of DMT
Generally, the DMT experience may vary from one person to another; some people experience mild effects while others experience intense effects. Further, the following factors can determine the severity of side effects: the amount of DMT you use, whether you mixed with other drugs, the method you used, and whether you had eaten.
- High body temperature
- The blood pressure increases
- Increased heart rate
- Euphoria, elevated mood
- Visual and auditory hallucinations
- Anxiety and panic feelings
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Altered sense of time
- Chest pains
- Dilated pupils
How long does DMT last in the body?
The amount of time DMT effects last in the body may vary from one person to the other depending on various factors, such as the amount of dosage you used. However, you can experience the effects of DMT very quickly. Generally, the effects can last up to one hour. However, when used in Ayahuasca brew, the effects can last up to 6 hours.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in spiritual rituals in some parts of South America. DMT is a significant component of the Ayahuasca brew.
Therefore, DMT is related to Ayahuasca because it is a major component used in preparing Ayahuasca. For that reason, both DMT and Ayahuasca have hallucinogenic effects and euphoria.
Can you overdose on DMT?
For DMT, it is rare to overdose, but it is possible. Unlike other drugs, DMT may not cause drug tolerance that may cause you to increase the dosage for the same effects. Though unlikely, it would take an extremely high amount of overdose to cause lethal effects. The following are common side effects that may indicate DMT overdose:
- Seizures
- Intense chest pain
- Your skin colour begins to turn
- You experience extreme breathing difficulties
- Loss of consciousness
If you experience or observe someone with the above signs, you should seek medical attention urgently as the effects can degenerate into a life-threatening situation.
Is DMT addictive?
Generally, it is rare for an individual to be addicted to DMT. However, euphoria and the pleasurable high effect of DMT can lead you to crave the DMT drug. In addition, it can cause harmful effects; hence you should stop immediately.
Though there is no evidence that DMT is addictive, when you use it regularly to escape reality, you may experience psychological dependence. Some people use DMT as a therapy. The effect of using DMT periodically is that you may find it hard to stop, or it may act as a gateway to other potent hallucinogens.
What are the long-term side effects?
To date, there has been no conclusive research detailing the long-term effects of using DMT. For the above reason, you cannot pinpoint a specific effect of long-term usage of DMT.
However, just like any hallucinogenic substance, DMT usage is not exclusively safe. Accumulation of DMT in the body can lead to agitation, confusion, high blood pressure, headaches, and loss of machine control, coma, and even death.
Though it has not been established the extent to which DMT causes long term effects, in general, prolonged use of hallucinogenic substances may cause paranoia, anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
Can DMT be dangerous?
As discussed earlier, the severe effects of DMT vary from one person to the other. Similarly, some factors can affect the severity of DMT effects, such as the method used to take the DMT, your health condition, and the amount of DMT you take.
While some people may experience positive experiences with DMT use, other DMT users have had a terrible experience with DMT. If you take high doses of DMT, you might experience seizures, difficulty breathing, and intense chest pains. Worse, DMT can induce coma and even death.
People with mental illness are at risk of severe trauma caused by the psychological effects of using DMT. In addition, certain mental conditions such as psychotic disorders like schizophrenia can worsen.
Also, DMT usage causes an altered perception of reality. Therefore, your judgement can be impaired, making it dangerous to operate machines such as driving.
****Is the DMT legal?
As a hallucinogen, DMT is considered an illegal drug in the UK. However, DMT is a class A controlled drug. As a class A drug, it is illegal for you to possess it, give it away, or sell it. The penalty is seven years in jail, an unlimited fine or both.
Can DMT be used medically?
There have been talks that DMT may help certain mental conditions such as stress and depression. However, there has been no scientific research to support that.
Recently, UK authorities have given the green light for the medical trial of the use of DMT to treat depression. The clinical trial is expected to be done on healthy individuals, followed by a second trial on patients suffering from depression.
What draws people to DMT use?
For the last few decades, the use of DMT in Europe has increased in popularity. People who have used it have been giving positive feedback, increasing people’s curiosity to try the drug.
Moreover, DMT as a powerful psychedelic can ease your anxiety by raising your mood. Further, DMT causes an altered state of consciousness among individuals, which many people seek to escape from reality. Therefore, the DMT high effect has been an attractive quality that draws people to DMT use.
Mixing DMT with other drugs
Though there is not much information about DMT interaction with other drugs, you are advised not to consult a medical professional. Mixing DMT with other drugs can lead to severe effects.
As a psychedelic, some people mix DMT with other drugs to enhance the high effect of the drug. Mixing DMT with some drugs can be potentially dangerous. The following are drugs that people commonly mixed with DMT:
- Cocaine
- Cannabis
- Amphetamine
- Opioids
How is DMT usage treatment done?
Generally, DMT is not considered to have addictive qualities. However, if you continually take DMT, you will likely develop behavioural addiction and other severe effects. Things may be worse if you mix DMT with other drugs.
If you find yourself hooked on DMT use, the best thing is to seek treatment. You can call us on 0203 955 7700, and our professionals are dedicated to advising you and offering you a treatment plan.
After seeking help, the treatment providers will consider all factors to develop the best recovery programme, including rehab options.
Are you struggling with a DMT, don’t hesitate to contact a dedicated treatment provider today; Please call 0203 955 7700, and an experienced advisor is available to speak to and provide assistance.
Sources
- https://www.drugwise.org.uk/dmt/
- N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an Endogenous Hallucinogen: Past, Present, and Future Research to Determine Its Role and Function
- MIND Blog | Not in Your Third Eye – What Does DMT Do in the Brain
- Effects of ayahuasca on mental health and quality of life in naïve users: A longitudinal and cross-sectional study combination | Scientific Reports
- A DMT trip ‘feels like dying’ – and scientists now agree
- DMT: Side effects, facts, and health risks
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/dec/09/psychedelic-drug-dmt-to-be-trialled-in-uk-to-treat-depression
Meta description
DMT is a psychedelic substance with hallucinogenic properties. DMT is a psychoactive component commonly used in Ayahuasca brews in South America during spiritual rituals. Due to DMT effects, also called trips, many people begin to use DMT in the Western World, such as the UK.
