Alphamethyltryptamine
α-methyltryptamine, also known as IT-290 or AMT, is a synthetic drug of the tryptamine family. First developed as an antidepressant, in the 1960s it was produced commercially for this purpose in the Soviet Union under the trade name "Indopan". Like many other tryptamines, at sufficient dosages it produces psychedelic effects, which can last for up to 18 hours. It also acts as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and a stimulant, the latter property possibly being related to similarities in chemical structure to amphetamine. On 4 April 2003, an emergency United States DEA order resulted in AMT being placed, along with 5-MeO-DIPT, on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
Chemistry
It is believed by most neurochemists that the psychotropic effects of AMT derive from the compounds
ability to interfere with the normal actions of serotonin in the brain. Refering to the molecular diagram
above, both serotonin and α-methyltryptamine share the basic two ring structure with attached ethylamine
group. This is the core tryptamine molecule, a derivative of the essential dietary amino acid tryptophan.
