Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a hallucinogen found in a variety of plants and seeds; it can also be produced synthetically.

Street Names

DMT is also known as:

• "businessman's trip" 
• "fantasia"

How is it taken?

• Sniffed
• Smoked 
• Injected

What are the effects?

The effects of DMT are known as a "trip" and last only 45 minutes to one hour.

DMT has no effect when taken orally – unless it is combined with certain drugs.

What are the dangers?

• It causes impaired judgment that often leads to rash decisions and accidents.
• It can cause extremely frightening trips or flashbacks.

Is it addictive?

It is not considered an addictive drug like cocaine, heroin, or alcohol because it does not produce the same compulsive drug-seeking behavior.

However, like addictive drugs, it produces greater tolerance in some users who take the drug repeatedly. These users must take higher doses to achieve the same results as they have had in the past.

This could be an extremely dangerous practice because of the unpredictability of the drug effect on an individual.

Last Reviewed: October 2013