Octodrine, also known as dimethylhexylamine (DMHA) and sold under the brand name Vaporpac among others, is a sympathomimetic and

stimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition, ...

medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...

that was formerly used in the treatment of

hypotension Hypotension, also known as low blood pressure, is a cardiovascular condition characterized by abnormally reduced blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood and is ...

(low blood pressure). It has been studied in a dozen

animal studies Animal studies is a recently recognised field in which animals are studied in a variety of cross-disciplinary ways. Scholars who engage in animal studies may be formally trained in a number of diverse fields, including art history, anthropology ...

from the 1940s through the 1970s. These studies found that octodrine can increase

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of Circulatory system, circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term ...

and

cardiac output In cardiac physiology, cardiac output (CO), also known as heart output and often denoted by the symbols Q, \dot Q, or \dot Q_ , edited by Catherine E. Williamson, Phillip Bennett is the volumetric flow rate of the heart's pumping output: tha ...

in animals. The drug was previously approved for use by the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) as an inhalant (i.e., ''Vaporpac'' and ''Tickle Tackle Inhaler'') and in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as an

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or ora ...

as part of a multi-component medication (i.e., ''Ambredin'' and ''Ordinal''), but is no longer available. DMHA has also been found as an

adulterant An adulterant is a substance secretly added to another that may compromise the safety or effectiveness. Typical substances that are adulterated include food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals or fuels. Definition Adulteration is the practice of secre ...

in sports supplements and is sold online as a

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. ...

. The presence of a reductive amination byproduct confirms its synthetic origin. In the United States, the FDA considers DMHA to be an unsafe ingredient in

dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...

s. In 2019, the FDA issued nine warning letters to US manufacturers of dietary supplements containing DMHA as an unsafe food additive, deeming such products to be adulterated and illegal for marketing.

Side effects

Reported

side effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect of the use of a medicinal drug or other treatment, usually adverse but sometimes beneficial, that is unintended. Herbal and traditional medicines also have side effects. A drug or procedure usually use ...

s of octodrine include

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

, dyspnea, and

hyperthermia Hyperthermia, also known as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme te ...

Pharmacology

It is described as a sympathomimetic, vasoconstrictor, and

local anesthetic A local anesthetic (LA) is a medication that causes absence of all sensation (including pain) in a specific body part without loss of consciousness, providing local anesthesia, as opposed to a general anesthetic, which eliminates all sensati ...

Pharmacokinetics

Heptaminol is an active metabolite of octodrine.

Chemistry

Related compounds

* Isometheptene *

Methylhexanamine Methylhexanamine (also known as methylhexamine, 1,3-dimethylamylamine, 1,3-DMAA, dimethylamylamine, and DMAA; trade names Forthane and Geranamine) is an indirect sympathomimetic drug invented and developed by Eli Lilly and Company and marketed ...

(1,3-DMAA) *

Tuaminoheptane Tuaminoheptane (, ; brand names Heptin, Heptadrine, Tuamine; also known as tuamine and 2-aminoheptane) is a sympathomimetic agent and vasoconstrictor which was formerly used as a nasal decongestant. It is still used in France as a nasal decong ...

* 1,3-Dimethylbutylamine (DMBA) * 1,4-Dimethylamylamine (1,4-DMAA) * Iproheptine (''N''-isopropyloctodrine) * Heptaminol (hydroxyoctodrine) * Oenethyl

Society and culture

Names

Octodrine is the generic name of the drug and its and . It is also known by its former developmental code name ''SKF-51''.

As an unsafe dietary ingredient

In the United States, DMHA is not eligible for use as a dietary ingredient, is not approved for use in manufactured foods or dietary supplements, and is not considered to be safe for human consumption (is not

GRAS Gras may refer to: People * Basile Gras (1836–1901), French firearm designer * Enrico Gras (1919–1981), Italian filmmaker * Felix Gras (1844–1901), Provençal poet and novelist * Laurent Gras (disambiguation) * N. S. B. Gras (1884–1956), ...

); in regarding DMHA as an unsafe food additive, the FDA has warned manufacturers that dietary supplements containing DMHA are adulterated and illegal for marketing.

References

{{Monoamine releasing agents Abandoned drugs Alkylamines Antihypotensive agents Drugs acting on the nervous system Drugs in sport Ergogenic aids Local anesthetics Stimulants Sympathomimetics Vasoconstrictors World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited substances