Mephedrone

2-(methylamino)-1-(p-tolyl)propan-1-one

Overview

Mephedrone belongs to Stimulants / Cathinones.

Key safety note: Mephedrone is a short-acting cathinone whose brief, intense effects drive strong compulsive redosing, so binges with escalating doses are common and are the single biggest source of harm.[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.
  • Euphoria, emotional warmth, empathy, sociability, talkativeness and disinhibition, with stimulation, increased energy, thought acceleration and heightened appreciation of music: a blend of MDMA-like and amphetamine-like effects.
  • Sympathetic effects: raised heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils, jaw clenching/teeth grinding, sweating, reduced appetite and peripheral vasoconstriction (cold, blue fingers).
  • Strong, short-lived reward drives compulsive redosing. Comedowns bring anxiety, low mood, irritability, insomnia, cognitive fatigue 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 ('bombed' or swallowed) or insufflated. Also used rectally or intravenously. The values below are approximate ORAL figures.. Mephedrone is short-acting and strongly reinforcing, which drives compulsive redosing and multi-day binges: the biggest source of harm. Insufflated doses are roughly a third of oral ones (common ≈ 45–80 mg) with a faster, shorter, more 'moreish' effect, and nasal use is corrosive. Use a milligram scale, keep doses low, space out or avoid redosing, stay hydrated but not excessively, and never combine with other stimulants or serotonergic drugs. Powders sold as 'plant food'/'bath salts' vary in identity and strength: test the substance.

Dose ranges

Threshold

15 mg

Light

50–100 mg

Common

100–200 mg

Strong

200–300 mg

Heavy

300 mg +

Duration

onset

15–45 min (oral)

total

3–6 h (oral)

after effects

2–4 h+ (anxiety, low mood, fatigue, craving)

Chemical & Physical Properties
FormulaC11H15NO
Molar mass177.24 g/mol
StateSolid (usually the hydrochloride salt, white crystalline powder or crystals)
Melting pointNot reported
Boiling pointNot reported
DensityNot reported
Vapor pressureNot reported
pKaNot reported
LogP2.0 (predicted, XLogP3, free base)
SolubilityNot reported
Refractive indexNot reported
Identifiers & Synonyms
CAS1189805-46-6
CAS (enantiomer)
PubChem CID45266826
InChIKeyYELGFTGWJGBAQU-UHFFFAOYSA-N
InChIInChI=1S/C11H15NO/c1-8-4-6-10(7-5-8)11(13)9(2)12-3/h4-7,9,12H,1-3H3
SMILESCC(NC)C(=O)C1=CC=C(C)C=C1

Synonyms

  • 4-Methylmethcathinone
  • 4-MMC
  • Meow meow
  • Drone
  • M-CAT
Pharmacodynamics & Biochemistry

Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone, 4-MMC) is a ring-substituted synthetic cathinone: the β-keto ('cathinone') analogue of 4-methylmethamphetamine. It acts as a non-selective, substrate-type releaser at the dopamine (DAT), noradrenaline (NET) and serotonin (SERT) transporters, and more weakly as a reuptake inhibitor: like other transporter substrates it is carried into the nerve terminal and triggers efflux of the neurotransmitter. Unusually for a stimulant it releases serotonin nearly as readily as dopamine: an MDMA-like serotonergic balance superimposed on methamphetamine-like rapid dopamine release, which underlies its mixed stimulant/entactogen ('bath salts') character. In vitro, mephedrone evokes monoamine release with EC50 ≈ 52 nM (DAT), 90 nM (NET) and 210 nM (SERT) in rat brain synaptosomes, while inhibiting uptake far less potently (IC50 ≈ 0.77 µM DAT, 2.77 µM NET, 7.83 µM SERT at human transporter-transfected cells): i.e. it is primarily a releaser rather than a pure reuptake blocker. It also shows low-micromolar affinity at the 5-HT2A receptor but little activity at dopamine or other monoamine receptors. It is short-acting (plasma half-life ≈ 1–2 h), and this brief, intense action is what drives the compulsive redosing that characterises its use.

Biological targets

  • DAT
  • NET
  • SERT

Binding & functional measurements

TargetMeasurementSpecies
5-HT2A receptorKi 2,100 ± 700 nMHuman
Dopamine transporterEC50 3,750 nMHuman
Dopamine transporterKi 3,400 ± 800 nMHuman
Dopamine transporterEC50 49 nMRat
Noradrenaline transporterEC50 63 ± 16 nMRat
Serotonin transporterEC50 5,980 nMHuman
Serotonin transporterEC50 118 nMRat
TAAR1Ki 4,300 ± 2,000 nMRat
α1A-adrenoceptorKi 3,480 ± 2,200 nMHuman
Pharmacokinetics
BioavailabilityOral/insufflated, rapid onset
TmaxNot reported
Half-life≈1–2 h (short)
VdNot reported
Protein bindingNot reported
MetabolismExtensive hepatic metabolism, primarily CYP2D6: N-demethylation (to nor-mephedrone), ketone reduction and tolyl-group oxidation
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

Mephedrone is a short-acting cathinone whose brief, intense effects drive strong compulsive redosing, so binges with escalating doses are common and are the single biggest source of harm. Acute risks include marked cardiovascular strain (tachycardia, hypertension, palpitations, chest pain and peripheral vasoconstriction: the characteristic cold, blue fingers), hyperthermia, teeth-grinding, agitation, anxiety, paranoia and, at high doses or in binges, stimulant psychosis and seizures. It carries a serotonin-toxicity risk when combined with MAOIs, SSRIs or other serotonergic drugs, and deaths have occurred: often with co-used alcohol or other stimulants. Nasal use is corrosive and painful, and injecting adds infection and overdose risk. Because powders sold as 'plant food'/'bath salts' vary in identity and strength, test the substance, keep doses low, avoid or space out redosing, stay hydrated (but not excessively), and never mix with other stimulants or serotonergic medication.[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

MAOIs Risk of serotonin syndrome.[3]
SSRIs, SNRIs, Other serotonergic drugs Serotonin-syndrome risk, including with other releasers such as MDMA.[3]
Stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine) Additive cardiovascular strain and hyperthermia (cocaine, amphetamines, other cathinones).[3]
Alcohol Depressants mask the stimulation and encourage overuse, alcohol co-use features in many mephedrone-related deaths.[5][3]
Strong CYP2D6 inhibitors (e.g. paroxetine, fluoxetine) Metabolised largely by CYP2D6, inhibitors or poor-metaboliser status 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]
Concurrent MAOI, SSRI/SNRI or other serotonergic medication concurrent MAOIs or SSRIs, or other stimulants.[3]
Hot, dehydrating environments (overheating risk) hot, dehydrating settings.[3]
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Usage & Context
  • A recreational stimulant–entactogen that became hugely popular from around 2009–2010 as a cheap, then-legal 'plant food'/'bath salts' powder, used for MDMA- and cocaine-like euphoria, stimulation, empathy and sociability: usually swallowed ('bombed') or insufflated.
  • First synthesised in 1929 but obscure until it re-emerged as a research chemical / 'legal high' in the late 2000s, where its rapid spread helped drive the wave of new-psychoactive-substance legislation across Europe.
  • It has no accepted medical use and is now controlled in most countries (US Schedule I, UK Class B, DE Anlage I BtMG).
Sources & Evidence

Further Information