Substituted tryptamine in the context of "Psilocin"

Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and investigational drug found in more than 200 species of mushrooms, with hallucinogenic and serotonergic effects. Effects include euphoria, changes in perception, a distorted sense of time (via brain desynchronization), and perceived spiritual experiences. It can also cause adverse reactions such as nausea and panic attacks.

Psilocybin is a prodrug of psilocin. That is, the compound itself is biologically inactive but quickly converted by the body to psilocin. Psilocybin is transformed into psilocin by dephosphorylation mediated via phosphatase enzymes. Psilocin is chemically related to the neurotransmitter serotonin and acts as a non-selective agonist of the serotonin receptors. Activation of one serotonin receptor, the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor, is specifically responsible for the hallucinogenic effects of psilocin and other serotonergic psychedelics. Psilocybin is usually taken orally. By this route, its onset is about 20 to 50 minutes, peak effects occur after about 1 to 2 hours, and its duration is about 4 to 6 hours.

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), also known as N,N-dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT), is a serotonergic hallucinogen and investigational drug of the tryptamine family that occurs naturally in many plants and animals. DMT is used as a psychedelic drug and prepared by various cultures for ritual purposes as an entheogen.

DMT has a rapid onset, intense effects, and a relatively short duration of action. For those reasons, DMT was known as the "businessman's trip" during the 1960s in the United States, as a user could access the full depth of a psychedelic experience in considerably less time than with other substances such as LSD or psilocybin mushrooms. DMT can be inhaled or injected and its effects depend on the dose, as well as the mode of administration. When inhaled or injected, the effects last about five to fifteen minutes. Effects can last three hours or more when orally ingested along with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), such as the ayahuasca brew of many native Amazonian tribes. DMT induces intense, often indescribable subjective experiences involving vivid visual hallucinations, altered sensory perception, ego dissolution, and encounters with seemingly autonomous entities. DMT is generally considered non-addictive with low dependence and no tolerance buildup, but it may cause acute psychological distress or cardiovascular effects, especially in predisposed individuals.

Entactogens, also known as empathogens or connectogens, are a class of psychoactive drugs that induce experiences of emotional communion, oneness, connectedness, emotional openness—that is, empathy—as particularly observed and reported for experiences with MDMA. This class of drug is distinguished from the classes of hallucinogens or psychedelics and stimulants, although entactogens, for instance MDMA, can also have these properties. Entactogens are used both as recreational drugs and are being investigated for medical use in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, for instance MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Notable members of this class include the methylenedioxyphenethylamines (MDxx) MDMA, MDA, MDEA, MDOH, MBDB, and methylone, the benzofurans 5-APB, 5-MAPB, 6-APB, and 6-MAPB, the cathinone mephedrone, the 2-aminoindane MDAI, and the α-alkyltryptamines αMT and αET, among others. Most entactogens are amphetamines, although several, such as αMT and αET, are tryptamines. When referring to MDMA and its counterparts, the term MDxx is often used (with the exception of certain non-entactogen drugs like MDPV).