Abstract
Background: Octodrine is the trade name for Dimethylhexylamine (DMHA), a central nervous stimulant that increases the uptake of dopamine and noradrenaline. Originally developed as a nasal decongestant in the 1950’s, it has recently been re-introduced on the market as a pre-workout and ‘fat-burner’ product but its use remains unregulated. Our work provides the first observational cross-sectional analytic study on Octodrine as a new drug trend and its associated harms after a gap spanning seven decades. Methods: A comprehensive multilingual assessment of literature, websites, drug fora and other online resources was carried out with no time restriction in English, German, Russian and Arabic. Keywords included Octodrine’s synonyms and chemical isomers. Results: Only five relevant publications emerged from the literature search, with most of the available data on body building websites and fora. Since 2015, Octodrine has been advertised online as “the next big thing” and “the god of stimulants,” with captivating marketing strategies directed at athletes and a wider cohort of users. Reported side-effects include hypertension, dyspnoea and hyperthermia. Conclusions: The uncontrolled use of Octodrine, its physiological and psychoactive effects raise serious health implications with possible impact on athletes and doping practices. This new phenomenon needs to be thoroughly studied and monitored.
Highlights
The evolution of trends within drug use has recently been marked by a rapid expansion in the number of commercially-available psychoactive substances [1], with an increased number of young users [2] and relevant psychiatric consequences [3]
The substance remerged on the literature in 2017, when Cohen et al published a study conducted on six different supplements: Game Day, Infrared, 2-Aminoisoheptane, Skinny Pollen, Cannibal Ferox AMPed and Triple X. All these products disclosed on their label the words Octodrine, 2-amino-6-methylheptane and 6-methyl-2-heptanamine or listed the stimulant as if it were an extract of Aconitum kusnezoffii plant
(2004) [26] and Schlessinger et al (2011) [53], documented the sympathomimetic properties of Octodrine and effects related to norepinephrine transporter (NET) and G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which was in concordance with the results from 1947 and 1951 animal studies [27,30]
Summary
The evolution of trends within drug use has recently been marked by a rapid expansion in the number of commercially-available psychoactive substances [1], with an increased number of young users [2] and relevant psychiatric consequences [3]. This includes both a proliferation of new drugs (‘research chemicals’ or ‘RC’s) with a distinct pharmacology and very little associated research evidence. The so-called “Performance and Image-Enhancing Drugs” (PIEDs) taken to enhance human abilities in a myriad of spheres, are one important emerging facet within this These include substances with a perceived ability to enhance physical performance, psychological status, appearance, cognitive abilities and social relations and as such are sometimes referred to as ‘lifestyle drugs’ [6–10].
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