N,N-Diethyltryptamine (DET) is a synthetic psychedelic tryptamine closely related to DMT. It differs from DMT only in having two ethyl groups instead of two methyl groups on the terminal nitrogen — a seemingly minor structural change that results in significant pharmacokinetic differences. Unlike DMT, which is rapidly inactivated by monoamine oxidase enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract (rendering it orally inactive without MAOI co-administration), DET is metabolically more stable and produces psychedelic effects after oral administration without requiring an MAOI.
DET was studied clinically in the 1960s, making it one of the few novel tryptamines to receive meaningful human pharmacological investigation beyond DMT and psilocybin. It was administered to research subjects as part of early psychedelic science, with investigators documenting its psychedelic properties and comparing its effects to DMT and other compounds. DET produces effects broadly similar to those of psilocybin and DMT — visual phenomena, emotional amplification, altered time perception, and in higher doses cognitive dissolution — but with a somewhat longer duration (approximately 2–4 hours) than smoked/injected DMT.
Despite its historical research interest, DET occupies a relatively obscure position in the contemporary psychedelic community. It is less available and less documented in community experience than most other tryptamines, and essentially no modern clinical research exists. Potency is considered lower than DMT on a per-milligram basis, with active doses typically in the 50–100 mg range orally.
Safety at a Glance
High Risk- Threshold: 30–50 mg orally | Common: 50–100 mg | Strong: 100+ mg
- DET requires substantially higher doses by weight compared to DMT. Do not assume DMT-equivalent dosing.
- Toxicity: Overview No formal modern toxicological data in humans. DET was administered to research subjects in the 1960s withou...
- Overdose risk: Fatal overdose from DET alone, at doses within the typical recreational range, is extremely unlik...
If someone is in crisis, call 911 or Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
Dosage
oral
Duration
oral
Total: 4.9 hrs – 14.5 hrsHow It Feels
The onset of DET builds quietly over twenty to forty minutes, beginning as a subtle electric tingle in the limbs and a brightening of the visual field. Colors begin to intensify — not dramatically, but with a steady, confident progression. There is a mild body buzz, a pleasant warmth in the torso, and a growing sense that the ordinary rate at which the mind processes information has been gently accelerated. Nausea is uncommon, and the physical transition is generally smooth.
As the come-up progresses, the visual effects develop into DET's most distinctive feature. The geometry is sharp, detailed, and remarkably vivid — intricate lattices, spiraling fractal structures, and tessellating patterns overlay surfaces with a clarity that is impressive for a tryptamine at moderate doses. Colors shift toward the vivid and saturated, with a tendency toward bright, almost electric hues. Closed-eye visuals are particularly rich: vast, architecturally complex spaces filled with geometric detail, shifting and reconfiguring in response to thought and music. The visual character has a precision that distinguishes it from the flowing organic distortions of mushroom-like tryptamines, lending it a quality some describe as crisp or digital.
The peak arrives around sixty to ninety minutes and sustains for two to three hours. The headspace is engaged and curious — there is an intellectual stimulation that encourages analytical thinking alongside the perceptual enhancement. Thoughts come quickly and with a sense of novelty; familiar ideas are re-examined from unexpected angles. Emotional engagement is present but does not dominate the experience as heavily as with psilocin-like compounds. The body feels alert and mildly stimulated, and physical coordination remains largely intact. Music is deeply enhanced, each component of a composition becoming individually appreciable while the whole retains its emotional coherence.
The comedown is gradual and easy, spanning two to three hours. The sharp geometry softens, the colors return toward their natural values, and the accelerated mental rhythm slows to a comfortable baseline. Tiredness is mild. The afterglow is characterized by a calm mental clarity and a subtle visual brightness that may persist into the following day. The total duration is five to seven hours, and the overall experience has a clean, focused quality that distinguishes DET as a tryptamine of unusual clarity and precision.
Subjective Effects
The effects listed below are based on the Subjective Effect Index (SEI), an open research literature based on anecdotal reports and personal analyses. They should be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism. These effects will not necessarily occur in a predictable or reliable manner, although higher doses are more liable to induce the full spectrum of effects.
Physical Effects
Physical(6)
- Increased heart rate— A noticeable acceleration of heartbeat that can range from a subtle awareness of one's pulse to a fo...
- Nausea— An uncomfortable sensation of queasiness and stomach discomfort that may or may not lead to vomiting...
- Pupil dilation— A visible enlargement of the pupil diameter (mydriasis) that can range from subtle widening to drama...
- Seizure— Uncontrolled brain electrical activity causing convulsions and loss of consciousness -- a life-threa...
- Serotonin syndrome— Serotonin syndrome is a potentially fatal medical emergency caused by excessive serotonergic activit...
- Stimulation— A state of heightened physical and mental energy characterized by increased wakefulness, elevated mo...
Cognitive & Perceptual Effects
Visual(1)
- Geometry— The experience of perceiving complex, ever-shifting geometric patterns superimposed over the visual ...
Cognitive(4)
- Anxiety— Intense feelings of apprehension, worry, and dread that can range from a subtle background unease to...
- Paranoia— Irrational suspicion and belief that others are watching, plotting against, or intending harm toward...
- Psychosis— Psychosis is a serious psychiatric state involving a fundamental break from consensus reality — char...
- Thought loops— Becoming trapped in a repeating cycle of thoughts, actions, and emotions that loops every few second...
Pharmacology
Mechanism of Action
DET acts as a partial agonist at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors — the primary mechanism underlying classical psychedelic effects. Like DMT, psilocin, and other tryptamine psychedelics, DET activates 5-HT2A receptors in the prefrontal cortex, triggering a cascade of increased glutamatergic signaling that disrupts the brain's normal hierarchical sensory filtering.
Additional interactions with 5-HT1A, 5-HT2C, and possibly sigma receptors contribute to the full pharmacological profile. The serotonin receptor binding data for DET is limited; available studies suggest lower potency at 5-HT2A compared to DMT on a molar basis.
Oral Bioavailability: The Key Difference from DMT
The critical pharmacokinetic distinction between DET and DMT is oral bioavailability. DMT is efficiently degraded by peripheral monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) enzymes in the gut wall and liver during first-pass metabolism, rendering oral DMT essentially inactive without concurrent MAO inhibition. The N-ethyl substitution of DET reduces its affinity for MAO-A sufficiently that a portion survives first-pass metabolism and reaches the central nervous system intact. This renders DET orally active, which has significant practical implications for duration, onset, and dosing.
Pharmacokinetics
Onset after oral administration: 45–90 minutes. Peak: 2–3 hours. Total duration: approximately 3–5 hours. DET is metabolized primarily by N-deethylation and MAO oxidation. The ethyl groups are progressively removed by CYP450 enzymes, eventually yielding tryptamine (inactive). No comprehensive human pharmacokinetic study has been published.
Tolerance
Rapid functional tolerance within 24–48 hours. Cross-tolerance with DMT, psilocybin, and other 5-HT2A agonists. Recovery over 5–7 days.
Detection Methods
Urine Detection
DET is not targeted by standard immunoassay-based urine drug screens. As a tryptamine, it is metabolized through monoamine oxidase pathways and produces hydroxylated and deaminated metabolites that are excreted renally. Specialized LC-MS/MS methods can detect tryptamine metabolites in urine for approximately 24 to 48 hours after ingestion. The short duration of action of most base tryptamines results in a relatively brief detection window compared to longer-acting psychoactive substances.
Blood and Serum Detection
Blood detection windows for DET are short, typically 4 to 12 hours after oral administration. If smoked or insufflated, peak concentrations occur within minutes and clearance is more rapid. LC-MS/MS is required for reliable blood detection at the low concentrations characteristic of tryptamine compounds. The rapid metabolism by MAO-A significantly limits the time window in which blood sampling can capture meaningful concentrations.
Standard Drug Panel Inclusion
DET is NOT included on standard 5-panel, 10-panel, or 12-panel drug screens. Tryptamines do not cross-react with immunoassay targets for amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine metabolites, opiates, PCP, or any other standard panel analyte. Detection requires specific testing at a reference laboratory capable of novel psychoactive substance analysis. Even extended clinical panels rarely include base tryptamines.
Confirmatory Methods
Confirmatory identification of DET relies on LC-MS/MS or GC-MS with appropriate reference standards. GC-MS analysis of tryptamines may require derivatization for optimal sensitivity and chromatographic performance. Reference laboratories specializing in novel psychoactive substances provide the most comprehensive detection capabilities. Standard clinical toxicology laboratories generally do not maintain validated methods for base tryptamines.
Reagent Testing (Harm Reduction)
The Ehrlich reagent produces a purple to violet reaction with DET, confirming the presence of an indole ring system. This is the primary field identification tool and should be used as the first screening test. The Hofmann reagent provides a confirmatory blue to purple reaction. The Marquis reagent typically shows no reaction or a slight brown-yellow discoloration with base tryptamines. A positive Ehrlich result confirms the tryptamine class but does not identify the specific compound. Multiple reagents should be used together for greater confidence in identification.
Interactions
| Substance | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2-Aminoindane | Caution | Increases anxiety, cardiovascular stress, and psychological intensity |
| 2-FA | Caution | Increases anxiety, cardiovascular stress, and psychological intensity |
| 2-FEA | Caution | Increases anxiety, cardiovascular stress, and psychological intensity |
| 2-FMA | Caution | Increases anxiety, cardiovascular stress, and psychological intensity |
| 2,5-DMA | Caution | Increases anxiety, cardiovascular stress, and psychological intensity |
| 1,3-Butanediol | Low Risk & Synergy | Cross-tolerance exists; effects compound |
| 1B-LSD | Low Risk & Synergy | Cross-tolerance exists; effects compound |
| 1cP-AL-LAD | Low Risk & Synergy | Cross-tolerance exists; effects compound |
| 1cP-LSD | Low Risk & Synergy | Cross-tolerance exists; effects compound |
| 1cP-MiPLA | Low Risk & Synergy | Cross-tolerance exists; effects compound |
History
Synthesis and Early Research
DET was synthesized and studied in the context of the 1950s–1960s psychedelic research era. It received more systematic investigation than many other tryptamines of the period, with researchers including Stephen Szára (who also pioneered DMT research in humans) documenting its effects. Clinical studies administered DET to psychiatric patients and healthy volunteers, establishing its psychedelic character and comparing it to the better-known tryptamines.
The Shulgin Documentation
Alexander Shulgin included DET in his comprehensive TiHKAL documentation of tryptamine pharmacology, providing synthesis routes and subjective effect descriptions that contributed to its later emergence in the research chemical space.
Contemporary Status
DET remains one of the more historically significant but less commonly encountered tryptamines in the contemporary psychedelic community. It has no modern clinical research program and exists at the margins of the research chemical market. Its oral bioavailability — a noteworthy pharmacological distinction from DMT — makes it an object of interest for pharmacological comparison, but it has not achieved the popularity of more widely available tryptamines.
Harm Reduction
Dosing
- Threshold: 30–50 mg orally |Common: 50–100 mg |Strong: 100+ mg
- DET requires substantially higher doses by weight compared to DMT. Do not assume DMT-equivalent dosing.
- Weigh doses accurately. Use a milligram-accurate scale.
Onset Considerations
The oral onset (45–90 minutes) is substantially delayed compared to smoked DMT. Do not redose prematurely. Allow 2 hours before concluding a dose was insufficient.
Standard Psychedelic Harm Reduction
Test with Ehrlich reagent. Prepare carefully. Have a sober companion present. Avoid dangerous combinations. Reserve benzodiazepines as rescue medication.
Historical Caution
DET has less contemporary community documentation than most other tryptamines. Approach with appropriate caution given the limited available data on current research chemical market samples.
Toxicity & Safety
Overview
No formal modern toxicological data in humans. DET was administered to research subjects in the 1960s without reported serious adverse physiological effects, providing some limited safety data. Based on class membership and available historical data, acute physiological toxicity is presumed low at psychedelic doses.
Physiological Effects
Mild to moderate sympathomimetic effects: mydriasis, tachycardia, mild blood pressure elevation, possible nausea. DET may produce somewhat more prominent nausea during the onset phase than some other tryptamines, though this is individual.
Psychological Risks
Standard serotonergic psychedelic psychological risks apply: acute anxiety, difficult experiences, possible triggering of latent psychiatric conditions in vulnerable individuals. The 1960s research context identified DET as broadly safe in screened, prepared subjects, but this does not generalize to unscreened recreational use.
Drug Interactions
- MAOIs — Potentiation (significant, given DET's partial resistance to MAO but not MAOI blocking); serotonin syndrome risk; caution required.
- Lithium — Contraindicated; seizure risk.
- Cannabis — Intensity amplification.
Addiction Potential
not habit-forming
Overdose Information
Fatal overdose from DET alone, at doses within the typical recreational range, is extremely unlikely based on the available evidence for classical psychedelics. The therapeutic index for most psychedelics is very wide.
However, psychological emergencies can occur and require appropriate response:
- Severe anxiety, panic, or psychotic episodes
- Dangerous behavior due to impaired reality testing
- Self-harm in the context of a distressing experience
Emergency management: If someone is experiencing a severe adverse reaction, move them to a calm, quiet environment. Speak reassuringly. Do not restrain unless there is immediate danger. Benzodiazepines (if available and the person is conscious and able to swallow) can reduce acute anxiety. If psychotic symptoms, self-harm risk, or medical distress is present, seek emergency medical attention.
Medical attention: Seek help immediately for seizures, extremely elevated body temperature, signs of serotonin syndrome (agitation, tremor, diarrhea, rapid heart rate), or if the substance consumed is uncertain.
Tolerance
| Full | almost immediately after ingestion |
| Half | 3 days |
| Zero | 7 days |
Cross-tolerances
Legal Status
Internationally, DET is a Schedule I substance under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
Australia: DET is a Schedule 9 controlled substance in Australia under the Poisons Standard. A Schedule 9 substance is a substance which may be abused or misused, the manufacture, possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except when required for medical or scientific research, or for analytical, teaching or training purposes with approval of Commonwealth and/or State or Territory Health Authorities.
Germany: DET is controlled under Anlage I BtMG (Narcotics Act, Schedule I) as of January 24, 1974. It is illegal to manufacture, possess, import, export, buy, sell, procure or dispense it without a license.
Italy: DET is a Schedule I controlled substance.
New Zealand: DET is a Class A controlled substance in New Zealand.
Switzerland: DET is a controlled substance specifically named under Verzeichnis D.
United Kingdom: DET is a Class A controlled substance.
United States: DET is a Schedule I controlled substance.
Responsible use
Psychedelics
Tryptamines
DET (Wikipedia)
DET (Erowid Vault)
DET (TiHKAL / Isomer Design)
Discussion
The Modest & Dandy DET thread (Bluelight)
Experience Reports (1)
Tips (3)
Start with a low dose of DET if it is your first time. You can always take more next time but you cannot take less once ingested. The difference between a comfortable and an overwhelming experience can be surprisingly small.
Keep a benzodiazepine like alprazolam on hand as an emergency trip abort tool when using DET. Even just knowing you have one available provides psychological reassurance. It will not fully end the trip but significantly reduces intensity.
Clear your schedule for the full duration of DET plus afterglow. Do not plan any obligations, driving, or important decisions for the day. Having a time pressure or commitment hanging over you adds unnecessary anxiety.
See Also
References (4)
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety — Griffiths et al. Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)paper
- Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging — Carhart-Harris et al. PNAS (2016)paper
- DET - TripSit Factsheet
TripSit factsheet for DET
tripsit - DET - Wikipedia
Wikipedia article on DET
wikipedia