MDPV

1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pentan-1-one

Overview

MDPV belongs to Stimulants / Cathinones.

Key safety note: MDPV is one of the more dangerous stimulants sold on the street.[3][5]
Effects
Subjective effects vary. What a substance feels like depends on dose, individual physiology, mindset, and setting. The points below describe commonly reported effects, not guaranteed, uniform, or desirable outcomes.
  • Intense stimulation, euphoria, alertness, increased energy, sociability and drive: broadly cocaine- or amphetamine-like but longer-lasting.
  • Strong sympathetic effects: raised heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils, reduced appetite, jaw clenching, and often anxiety, restlessness and insomnia.
  • At higher doses or when bingeing: compulsive redosing, paranoia, panic, agitation, hallucinations and stimulant psychosis, followed by a heavy 'comedown' of exhaustion, low mood and craving.
Dosing & duration
Harm-reduction note: These are commonly cited reference ranges, not a recommendation or a “safe” dose. Potency, purity, body chemistry, tolerance, and drug combinations vary widely. Start low, go slow, wait for full effects before redosing, and never assume an unknown product matches these figures. Missing data is not evidence of safety.

Oral or insufflated (also used intravenously and rectally). The values below are approximate oral figures. MDPV is extremely potent, active from just a few milligrams, so the ranges are narrow and small errors matter. An accurate milligram scale is essential and eyeballing is dangerous. The effects and cravings drive compulsive redosing that easily leads to multi-day binges with sleeplessness, hyperthermia and psychosis, so redosing should be avoided. Never combine with other stimulants or MAOIs. 'Bath salts'/'monkey dust' products are of unknown identity and strength, so test the substance.

Dose ranges

Threshold

2 mg

Light

4–8 mg

Common

8–14 mg

Strong

14–25 mg

Heavy

25 mg +

Duration

onset

15–30 min

total

2–7 h (craving and stimulation persist longer)

after effects

2–48 h (insomnia, anxiety, craving, low mood)

Chemical & Physical Properties
FormulaC16H21NO3
Molar mass275.34 g/mol
StateSolid (usually the hydrochloride salt, crystalline, free base is an oil)
Melting point238–239 °C (with decomposition, hydrochloride salt)
Boiling pointNot reported
DensityNot reported
Vapor pressureNot reported
pKaNot reported
LogP3.3 (predicted, XLogP3, free base)
SolubilityHydrochloride salt: soluble in water, methanol and chloroform (the white-powder form the drug is normally encountered as)
Refractive indexNot reported
Identifiers & Synonyms
CAS687603-66-3
CAS (enantiomer)
PubChem CID20111961
InChIKeySYHGEUNFJIGTRX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
InChIInChI=1S/C16H21NO3/c1-2-5-13(17-8-3-4-9-17)16(18)12-6-7-14-15(10-12)20-11-19-14/h6-7,10,13H,2-5,8-9,11H2,1H3
SMILESCCCC(C(=O)C1=CC2=C(C=C1)OCO2)N1CCCC1

Synonyms

  • Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
  • MDPV
  • Bath salts (component)
  • Monkey dust
Pharmacodynamics & Biochemistry

MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) is a synthetic cathinone of the pyrrolidinophenone ('pyrovalerone') family. Unlike most cathinones and unlike the amphetamines, it does not release monoamines. It is a potent, selective noradrenaline–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI): it blocks the dopamine (DAT) and noradrenaline (NET) transporters so that released dopamine and noradrenaline accumulate in the synapse. It is exceptionally potent at DAT, on the order of ten times more potent than cocaine, with almost no serotonergic activity, a profile that gives it strong cocaine/amphetamine-like reinforcing and psychostimulant effects and a high addiction and psychosis potential. In transfected human cells its uptake-inhibition potency is about IC50 31 nM at DAT and 44 nM at NET, versus roughly 9,300 nM at the serotonin transporter (a DAT/SERT selectivity ratio over 100). S-(+)-MDPV is the active enantiomer. R-(−)-MDPV is far less potent, and the drug is used as the racemate.

Biological targets

  • DAT
  • NET

Binding & functional measurements

TargetMeasurementSpecies
Dopamine transporterKi 10 ± 2.0 nMHuman
Noradrenaline transporterKi 80 ± 20 nMHuman
Serotonin transporterKi 2,860 ± 100 nMHuman
TAAR1Ki 7,200 ± 1,100 nMRat
Pharmacokinetics
BioavailabilityInsufflated/oral, rapid
TmaxNot reported
Half-lifeShort, effects prolonged by redosing
VdNot reported
Protein bindingNot reported
MetabolismHepatic CYP2D6 demethylenation
ExcretionRenal
Toxicology & Safety
Harm-reduction note: Toxicity and risk depend on dose, route, purity, combinations, setting, and individual health factors. Missing harms should never be interpreted as evidence of safety.

Not reported

MDPV is one of the more dangerous stimulants sold on the street. Its potent, purely catecholaminergic (dopamine/noradrenaline) action, long duration and tendency to cause compulsive redosing make it strongly addictive and prone to multi-day binges with severe sleep deprivation. It is notorious for acute psychiatric and physical crises: intense agitation, paranoia, panic and stimulant psychosis with hallucinations, and an 'excited/agitated delirium' picture with dangerous hyperthermia, tachycardia, hypertension, muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) and kidney failure that has caused deaths. Because it is so potent, only a few milligrams separate an active from a heavy dose, so eyeballing is very risky. It should never be combined with other stimulants (additive cardiovascular and hyperthermic toxicity) or with MAOIs, and products sold as 'bath salts' or 'monkey dust' are of unknown content and strength.[3][5]

Legal Status
Legal note: Legal status can change over time and may vary by country, region, formulation, analogue status, prescription context, and enforcement practice. Always confirm with current official sources before relying on this section.
Interactions & Contraindications

Drug interactions

Stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine) Additive, potentially fatal cardiovascular strain and hyperthermia (cocaine, amphetamines, other cathinones).[3]
MAOIs Risk of hypertensive crisis and severe sympathomimetic toxicity.[3]
Strong CYP2D6 inhibitors (e.g. paroxetine, fluoxetine) Metabolised by CYP2D6 (and CYP2C19, CYP1A2, COMT), CYP2D6 inhibitors or genetic deficiency may raise exposure.[3]

Contraindications

Cardiovascular disease, hypertension or arrhythmia hypertension or arrhythmia.[3]
Personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or severe anxiety.[3]
History of stimulant or substance use disorder[3]
Concurrent MAOI, SSRI/SNRI or other serotonergic medication concurrent stimulant or MAOI use.[3]
Hot, dehydrating environments (overheating risk) hot, dehydrating settings.[3]
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Usage & Context
  • A recreational stimulant, widely sold from around 2010 as a component of 'bath salts' (and later 'monkey dust'), used for cocaine/amphetamine-like euphoria, stimulation and disinhibition: often insufflated, swallowed or, more dangerously, injected.
  • Originally synthesised in the 1960s (Boehringer Ingelheim) but never developed as a medicine. It re-emerged as a 'legal high'/research-chemical stimulant before being banned in most countries.
  • It has no medical use and is now a controlled substance (US Schedule I, UK Class B, DE Anlage II BtMG).
Sources & Evidence

Further Information