Methylone

Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is an <a href="/facts/Entactogen/hxo3LqDS">entactogen</a> and <a href="/facts/Stimulant/nmBdAXM5">stimulant</a> <a href="/facts/Drug/FFFUI9n4">drug</a> of the <a href="/facts/Substituted_amphetamine/KlmrodPb">amphetamine</a>, <a href="/facts/Substituted_cathinone/6p5r2YLm">cathinone</a>, and <a href="/facts/Substituted_benzodioxole/Ig1sAJ6p">benzodioxole</a> families related to <a href="/facts/3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine/WYDACxGN">3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine</a> (MDMA; "ecstasy"). It is the β-<a href="/facts/Ketone/BqQXpLo4">keto</a> or cathinone <a href="/facts/Structural_analogue/3aysWSVG">analogue</a> of MDMA. Methylone is usually taken <a href="/facts/Oral_administration/vNQcvLVx">orally</a>, but is also used by other <a href="/facts/Route_of_administration/LsyoHTzH">routes</a>.
The drug acts as a <a href="/facts/Serotonin%E2%80%93norepinephrine%E2%80%93dopamine_releasing_agent/F83X4jjy">serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine releasing agent</a> (SNDRA). It has much less activity at the <a href="/facts/Vesicular_monoamine_transporter_2/SnQpq1zy">vesicular monoamine transporter 2</a> (VMAT2) than MDMA and may have less <a href="/facts/Serotonergic_neurotoxicity/c4S00WQj">serotonergic neurotoxicity</a>. In contrast to certain other entactogens like MDMA, methylone does not appear to be a significant <a href="/facts/Agonist/nz8U5NNp">agonist</a> of the <a href="/facts/Serotonin/EzY58q4a">serotonin</a> <a href="/facts/5-HT2_receptor/83TWw6EC">5-HT2 receptors</a>. Methylone is similar in its effects to MDMA, producing entactogenic effects and <a href="/facts/Euphoriant/u4cnbWC4">euphoria</a>, but has a reputation of being gentler than MDMA and only lasts about half as long. <a href="/facts/Side_effect/PhuX2haY">Side effects</a> of methylone include <a href="/facts/Tachycardia/ycmyzP7q">tachycardia</a>, <a href="/facts/Hangover/jNRqAvCn">hangover</a>, and <a href="/facts/Insomnia/C1TnQTb2">insomnia</a>. It may have reduced negative <a href="/facts/After-effects/jNRqAvCn">after-effects</a> compared to MDMA. Methylone's <a href="/facts/Onset_of_action/BTIWvLSY">onset</a> is about 0.5 hours and its <a href="/facts/Duration_of_action/zdvfFshl">duration</a> is about 2 to 3 hours.
Methylone was first <a href="/facts/Chemical_synthesis/3KXsVVwC">synthesized</a> by <a href="/facts/Peyton_Jacob_III/Jwn3w1eQ">Peyton Jacob III</a> and <a href="/facts/Alexander_Shulgin/DK7CAPtu">Alexander Shulgin</a> in the mid-1990s and was first described in the literature in 1996. It was <a href="/facts/Patent/LjT2bG3A">patented</a> by Jacob and Shulgin as a potential <a href="/facts/Antidepressant/N62ND3Fa">antidepressant</a> and <a href="/facts/Antiparkinsonian_agent/ESoJ5bf5">antiparkinsonian agent</a>, but was never developed or marketed for such uses. Methylone was encountered as a <a href="/facts/Designer_drug/QWFd3KV4">designer</a> and <a href="/facts/Recreational_drug/eoBD3vKn">recreational drug</a> by 2004 and has become a <a href="/facts/Controlled_substance/Hx9cKG4f">controlled substance</a> in many countries. Similarly to MDMA, it is being developed for the treatment of <a href="/facts/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder/9etKu7bX">post-traumatic stress disorder</a> (PTSD).

Methylone open-in-new

Methylone