• Find All Reports by Search Term
    Find Reports
    Find Tagged Reports by Substance
    Substance Category
    Specific Substance
    Find Reports
  • Trip Reports Moderator: Xorkoth

2-methyl-2-butanol - First Time - Nice, Euphoric Sedative, Few Negatives

Tryptamine*Dreamer

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Messages
5,262
Below is my experience with 2-methyl-2-butanol. I wrote the report as it was happening, so it reflects what I felt at the time and should be more accurate than a report written from memory.

I found out about this chemical and its possible uses because the name made me think it could be something like GHB, which I haven't tried. A quick search led me to the Wikipedia article. From there, I searched and found mentions of its use in old medical books on Google Books. Many of those use alternative names for the chemical. I saw it compared in those books to several sedatives that interested me, none of which I have tried. I was now more curious about this than ever, wondering whether it would be something nice or something awful. Thus, I decided to try out 2-methyl-2-butanol.

I tried this at a lower dose several days ago, with no negative effects other than tasting the chemical when I burped for the next 10-12 hours. It worked well as a sedative and I slept well through the night. I did seem to still be feeling it a bit the next morning for an hour or two after waking and could taste it when I burped. I took it on a full stomach this time, possibly increasing the absorption time and duration of effects.

Now I am trying it at a higher dose. I have a mild headache at the time of dosing, which seems to be getting worse. I don't know if this will help, make it worse, or have no effect.

12:10PM - I dosed 3.36g of 2-methyl-2-butanol. The taste is a bit unpleasant, but not too bad. Kind of like peppermint with a "chemical" taste. Has a similar smell. I haven't eaten much yet.

12:15 - Starting to feel it for sure. The effects set in quickly.

12:20 - Now it is getting strong. The euphoria is more intense than with ethanol. There are similarities to the feeling, but also some big feelings. There is a nice body warmth. I would have to be a lot more intoxicated on ethanol to feel the same level of euphoria. I also feel more sedated than I would with an equivalent dose of alcohol, though my mind is also clearer. I am quite relaxed.

12:30 - Pretty much the same as 10 minutes ago, maybe a little stronger. It is nice at this level, but I want it a little stronger. I'm dosing another 2.52g. That is 3ml. I found 1ml=820mg.

12:40 - That second dose is hitting me now. The intoxication is fairly strong, but it is not like I am drunk. The euphoria and body feeling are also better now. I could probably sleep easily if I wanted to. I wish I had some experience with chloral hydrate, paraldehyde, and/or ethchlorvinyl. These are the chemicals this one has been compared to in effects in old medical text books from back when this drug was used medicinally, along with ethanol. Maybe it shares effects of some or all of these drugs. I don't know.

12:50 - Once again I have peaked. The headache is no worse. Everything is pretty much the same as it was 10 minutes ago. I can walk just fine, no motor disturbance is evident yet. My skin feels good. Touching the sheet and feeling the air on my skin is quite pleasant. I may dose a bit more in a little while. The effects last quite a while judging from last time.

1:30 - Dosed another 4ml. I was already very relaxed and serene. Lets see what this does. I don't think I will use any more this time. The feeling has things in common with ethanol and benzos. Not feeling any negative effects yet. Lets see how it is once this final dose kicks in. Either it will be a very relaxed state, or perhaps I'll end up asleep. My headache is nearly gone.

1:50 - ADDED another 1.5ml a little while ago. The level of intoxication is similar to 7 or 8 beers, which would definitely cause a hangover. If I get no hangover from this, I can definitely say the side effects are less severe than those of ethanol. The effects are still quite distinct from those of ethanol, though they seem a little closer as the dose has been increased. I'd still say it is best described as somewhere between benzos and ethanol to the best of my experience. I may end up asleep as the sedation is quite strong, Motor incoordination is less than with ethanol. Headache pretty much gone.

5:40 - I spent most of the time since the previous entry sleeping. Just got up maybe 10 minutes ago. Still feeling a nice intoxication, though not as much euphoria. I intended to be up sooner if I went to sleep. That's ok though, I had nothing else to do and didn't sleep much last night(less than an hour). I'm feeling a bit icky, and it feels pretty much exactly like the beginning of poppy withdrawal. That is probably what it is since I have waited this long for my dose. I would usually be feeling bad by now without taking my dose. That is about to be remedied. Then I'll know if it is poppy withdrawal or a side effect of this drug that is starting to make me feel bad. No headache.

8:30 - It has been slowly but steadily dropping off. I had my poppies about 45 minutes ago with 75mg diphenhydramine and 1.2g gabapentin, my usual potentiators, and everything is fine now. I am still also feeling the 2-methyl-2-butanol, but at a much lower level than before. I doubt it is effecting me any more than a beer or two, though as I have said, it is quite distinct from ethanol. It certainly mixes better with poppies. I don't like mixing opiates with ethanol as it seems to decrease the duration and the level of pleasure for me. I am sure I would be below the legal limit if it were ethanol and I didn't have opiates in my system.

9:00 - The poppies have fully kicked in by now. I feel more mellow and relaxed than I normally would from this dose, so I guess the 2-methyl-2-butanol is still affecting me. I do feel quite clear headed though. Just very relaxed and mellow. The euphoria is definitely stronger than I'd feel from the poppies and potentiators alone.

10:00 - It feels like it has pretty much worn off. At most there are some residual effects. It is feeling more like a plain poppy high right now.

11:30 - The body feeling tells me there may be a bit left in my system, but mentally it seems to have worn off. I don't seem to be getting the taste in my mouth any more. I'll say it has worn off for all practical purposes.

12:15 AM - If there are any effects left, they are impossible to pick out from those of the poppies and potentiators, Feeling a bit tired. It is late, I'll soon go to sleep.

2:00 AM - I fall asleep around this time.


Next day:
10:15 AM - Everything feels normal to me upon waking. No impact felt from yesterday's activity.

3:30 PM - I am starting to feel quite bad. It is probably because I haven't had my dose of poppies. I'll soon see if that clears things up. I'd be surprised for a hangover to occur with hours of feeling fine in between the drug wearing off and the hangover starting. This does feel like poppy withdrawal anyway. I'll soon find out since I am about to take my next dose of poppies.

4:50 PM - Drank poppy tea made from the hard pieces at the tops and bottoms of the pods. That and stems is all I have left, the pods were all eaten. That cured my symptoms. I better get some more pods soon, because my supply is dangerously low. Poppies are not the topic of this report though, so I won't go into that too much. I am feeling mighty fine with the dose of poppies and the usual potentiators. Poppies just make you feel so good and comfortable. I think they are underrated as a drug. Now I'll feel the pleasure the poppies provide. My dose was higher than before, so I'll be drifting away in opiated bliss. This concludes the trip report. Below are my feelings about 2m2b and a summary of effects.



It has been my experience that opiates will not cure an ethanol hangover, though they do make the symptoms less severe. Poppies completely got rid of the physical and mental discomfort I was feeling both times so that and the timing of symptoms tells me that those symptoms were from poppy withdrawal and not the 2-methyl-2-butanol.

Just a warning: The total dose was taken over several hours. That much at once could be too much, especially if you are a lot smaller than me.

Summary of effects:
Dosage: 2-10ml (more than 6-8ml will probably put you to sleep)
Amounts of 2-6ml or so for recreational use. More will probably be sedating enough that you'll want to sleep.
Duration: 8-10 hours, maybe less at lower end of dose range or more above listed dose range.
Necessary dose may be less for smaller people. I am quite overweight.

Positive effects:
Moderate euphoria - more than benzos or ethanol
Pleasant body high
Relaxation
Reduction or elimination of anxiety
Sedation
Sleep induction - Positive if this is what you are seeking, occurs at higher end of dose range
Increased sociability
Lack of negative short term side effects/hangover

Negative effects:
Somewhat bad taste, comes up when burping.
Possible lingering effects up to 12 hours after dosing, may be negative in some circumstances.
Motor incoordination at higher doses, not as bad as ethanol
Could probably be addictive
Possibility of long term negative effects that haven't been discovered


If you choose to try this chemical, start low. Many drugs are highly dependent on body weight and necessary dose can vary even among people of same weight. You may not need as much as I to achieve same effects.

I find this chemical to be better feeling than either benzos or ethanol, and the side effects less severe than those of ethanol. Side effects actually seem pretty much non existent. I use benzos mostly in combo with opiates or 1-3 servings of alcohol, which makes them more enjoyable. Ethanol is pretty much only useful to me as something to combine with sedatives such as benzos or barbiturates. The amount of ethanol needed to provide a nice euphoria is too high and leaves me feeling sick within hours. That makes it pretty useless as a recreational drug on its own.

I said the effects were something between those of ethaol and benzos. I don't mean to imply that it feels like mixing the two. That is something I've tried, and it is not the same as this. I wish there was a drug I have tried that is more similar to this one so that I might provide a better comparison. I mentioned some drugs that this one was compared to in medical books from the time when this chemical was used medicinally. One person said the description I gave sounded something like chloral hydrate. I just don't know. I haven't tried any of the chemicals that I have seen this one compared to.

I have no idea whether or not this chemical is safer or less harmful to the body than ethanol, but it sure feels like it is. There could be unknown dangers associated with it, so please be careful if you decide to try it. I can also not promise that you will find it to be as nice a substance as I have. Maybe we'll get some more people with experience with this substance so that effects and side effects can better be determined.


I'll be posting another trip report from the powerful +4 level ketamine experience I had just over a week ago. It just needs to be edited a bit first.

Tagged by Xorkoth
substancecode_2methyl2butanol
substancecode_3m3p
substancecode_alcohols
substancecode_gabaergics
explevel_firsttime
exptype_positive
roacode_oral
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If anyone has tried unsuccessfully to find information about this chemical in old medical books, that is because most of them use alternate names for this chemical.

If I remember correctly, the two names used most often were: Methocarbamol Correction: dimethylethylcarbinol, not methocarbamol. Thanks to the person who pointed out my mistake and amylene hydrate. It is possible that I misspelled one of those.

I am pretty sure amylene hydrate is not a proper chemical name but instead just what a drug manufacturer or marketer decided to call the stuff. I could be wrong. I say this because one or more of the medical books mentioned a product being sold as amylene hydrate and then mentioned that it was actually the chemical being discussed here(I don't remember which of the other names for 2-methyl-2-butanol was used there). I am also pretty sure that a hydrate is a chemical that has at least one water molecule attached to it. If I remember correctly, the water molecule(s) of a hydrate can be removed through heating. I may be wrong, it has been a while since I've had a chemistry class. The only reason I pointed out that bit of info is so that individuals with more knowledge of chemistry would not be wondering why the hell amylene hydrate was being used as a name for this substance or think they were two different substances.

Just search google books for one of those names. Including drug, sedative, medicine, or medical would help to week out less useful items. I'm sure you don't need to be told that though.

If you have only tried searching for 2-methyl-2-butanol, you probably didn't find much if anything on its medical use.


I am sure this is carcinogenic

If you have a good reason to believe this, could you please tell me why? It would definitely put a stop to my use(which is going to be self-limited anyway).

I just need to know why you think that.

The MSDS for this chemical states that it is not suspected of being a carcinogen, though I doubt they intend to imply that this holds true when the chemical is ingested.

If you have some knowledge of chemistry that helps you to spot a potentially carcinogenic chemical by its structure or chemical makeup, that would certainly be helpful.

If you are just making that statement without relying on science or a knowledge of this or a similar chemical, then it really isn't helpful.

If you have real reason to believe this chemical to be carcinogenic, please speak up ASAP. I know several people who plan to try this. They may rethink their decisions if such info is provided.
 
Last edited:
More than a bit of an understatement, no?

I'd say you are definitely right.
I used it yesterday and the two days prior. I hadn't felt any sort of urge to use it for fun until today, all previous uses were first just to try it out, and the last 3 days because I couldn't sleep.

I find myself really wanting to do more now though. I won't be giving in to that desire, but I'm definitely wanting it right now.

This is the first day/evening that I have felt such an urge to get high on this stuff. I plan on waiting at least another few days before using it again, and still plan on limiting my total exposure to 1/4 of the bottle(250ml).

If anyone provides information to suggest that this chemical is carcinogenic or neurotoxic, it will be immediately disposed of.
 
If I remember correctly, the two names used most often were: Methocarbamol and amylene hydrate

Methocarbamol is NOT 2-methylbutan-2-ol! It's another different chemical which is a muscle relaxant!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methocarbamol

Amylene hydrate is from its common name Amyl + "ene' , which indicates the double bond. But then hydration is like putting H2O (-H on one side and -OH on another side) of the "Amylene" thus changing it to a saturated alcohol type, so you cannot "dry" it or it will decompose to other molecule (Alkene!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyl_alcohol
 
Methocarbamol is NOT 2-methylbutan-2-ol! It's another different chemical which is a muscle relaxant!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methocarbamol

I was wrong when I said methocarbamol was one of the names used. Dimethylethylcarbinol is one of the names. I was working from memory and made a mistake there. The two have a somewhat similar name.

What I said about amylene hydrate being a name for it still seems to be correct. I don't think you or anyone else is disputing that.

When looking in these old medical books, keep in mind the alternate names for this chemical:
• tert-Amyl alcohol
• Dimethylethylcarbinol
• t-Amyl alcohol
• tert-Pentyl alcoho

Here is an example of amylene hydrate being used as a name for 2-methyl-2-butanol(also known as tertiary amyl alcohol and dimethylethylcarbinol):
http://books.google.com/books?id=sGgSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA776&dq=amylene+hydrate

I don't know if amylene hydrate is a proper name for this chemical or not. I got the idea that it was not from one of the old medical books which stated that a medicine being sold under the name amylene hydrate contained as its active ingredient the chemical being discussed in this thread. It used one of the alternate names, a list of which can be found on Wikipedia and several other places.

Here is where I got the idea that amylene hydrate is not a correct name:
http://books.google.com/books?id=y9krAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA88&dq=amylene+hydrate&lr=

It was the line saying it was "sold under the name amylene hydrate, but chemically appears to be tertiary amyl alcohol". That just sounded like they were saying that amylene hydrate was not a proper name for the chemical.

It's not really that important anyway. I'll take your word for it that it is right, as you seem to be more knowledgeable about chemistry than I am.

It seems the names that you should be searching for if you want to find the best results are: dimethylethylcarbinol and amylene hydrate.
 
Last edited:
What i have said is amylene hydrate is proper but obscure way for naming chemical.
If you live in those time, it will be one of the proper nomenclature. But following the currect scheme of IUPAC naming it is "not quite" correct anymore.

-Firecat
 
Damn! I made a shit load of this in organic this year. And I know it was pure. The GC put it @ 99%.
 
I've used it more since writing the trip report, and it has felt like a nice substance. I'd say it is like a more pleasant and more sedating version of ethanol without the short term side effects/hangover.

That does not mean it is safe for consumption and I don't want anyone to get the idea that this is safe or safer than ethanol just because it lacks short term side effects.

Beenhead has sent me a number of messages elaborating on the comment about the carcinogenic potential of this chemical. There are substantive reasons for that opinion. Chemicals with similar structure are known to be carcinogenic, including ethanol. That is what prompted his comment about this probably being a carcinogen.

I have no idea how the cancer causing potential of this chemical compares with that of ethanol, whether it is more, less, or none. I'm just putting this info out there, that someone with a much greater knowledge of chemistry than I has some concern about carcinogenic potential of this substance.

There was also something about it containing strain alkyl chains and those generally not being good for human consumption. I'm not sure exactly what a strain alkyl chain is or what kind of negative impacts it could have on health. My knowledge of chemistry is limited. Perhaps Beenhead or someone else with the necessary knowledge could elaborate on why the alkyl chains are bad.

In any case, it seems that Beenhead is saying that this substance would at the least have similar dangers to those of ethanol, and possibly worse. It could be much worse, though I don't think anyone really knows.

Maybe I'll post the full messages to the main thread I made on 2-methyl-2-butanol. I know there are a few people interested in trying it so they will probably want that kind of information.

As for me, I won't be using too much more of it. I just don't want to risk my health with this stuff. It is very pleasant, but I want to limit my exposure, as I have said.

I am glad I tried it though. I'm most interested in psychedelics, but I also like trying obscure drugs like this one. I guess I just have to satisfy my curiosity about these things.

If I knew this drug to be fairly safe, I would consider it a nice recreational drug and a very effective sedative. It seems to work better than ambien or benzos for sleep induction. I unfortunately have no idea what kind of long term effects the use of this chemical could have. I would therefore recommend that anyone interested in trying it limit their use to 20 times or less, and not to do it too often. That latter part may not be so easy, if you like the feeling as much as I do.

What i have said is amylene hydrate is proper but obscure way for naming chemical.
If you live in those time, it will be one of the proper nomenclature. But following the currect scheme of IUPAC naming it is "not quite" correct anymore.

-Firecat

I understand.
It just seemed like that old medical book was suggesting it to be an incorrect name. Maybe that naming scheme was already falling out of favor at that time. That's not really the important point. I just wanted the names used in the medical books to be available to anyone who was interested in finding more info on this chemical.
 
2-Methyl-2-butanol is a by product of brewing beer, can anyone tell me if it is found in the final product? does beer contin even trace elements of 2-Methyl-2-butanol? Have been googling it but to no success.
 
The only reason I pointed out that bit of info is so that individuals with more knowledge of chemistry would not be wondering why the hell amylene hydrate was being used as a name for this substance or think they were two different substances.


It's called that because theroretically it could be made by getting water to add across the double bond of amylene (2-methyl-1-butene)



with no negative effects other than tasting the chemical when I burped for the next 10-12 hours. It worked well as a sedative and I slept well through the night. I did seem to still be feeling it a bit the next morning for an hour or two after waking and could taste it when I burped.


Got the same thing happening with 1-ethynylcyclohexanol (also an excellent CNS depressant)
 
According to what I've read, 2-methyl-2-butanol is a tertiary alcohol. Tertiary alcohols aren't able to be metabolised into toxic aldehydes. Furthermore, it's not metabolised by alcohol dehydrogenase, but rather by gluconoridation and p-450 oxidation to 2-methyl-2-butyl gluconoride and 2,3-dihydroxy-2-methylbutane. However, it's only know that 2m2bOH(2-methyl-2-butanol) is less damaging than equipotent doses of ethanol in the short term.
 
Would you care to comment on tert-butyl alcohol's dose/response curve? Is a single gram too little to feel anything? Or might that be an idea low dose to get a feeling for the stuff? Either way, how does the D/R curve look?

Also I notice that as with ethanol, redosing during a single session seems to be mandatory for a high that is of any useful length. With that in mind, how long would a single dose (however much you'd need to get down right away without redosing being necessary) of this stuff last? Is it of similar duration as ethanol?

Before anybody gets excited, yeah, I read the whole thread, OP included. I'm trying to learn what a single high dose of this would be like and how it would last and because of the redosing in be report that info isn't immediately apparent.

Great report man, thanks a bunch! We always need reports and other associated info about uncommon compounds and this one in particular has been catching my curious eye for a while!
 
Would you care to comment on tert-butyl alcohol's dose/response curve? Is a single gram too little to feel anything? Or might that be an idea low dose to get a feeling for the stuff? Either way, how does the D/R curve look?

Also I notice that as with ethanol, redosing during a single session seems to be mandatory for a high that is of any useful length. With that in mind, how long would a single dose (however much you'd need to get down right away without redosing being necessary) of this stuff last? Is it of similar duration as ethanol?

Before anybody gets excited, yeah, I read the whole thread, OP included. I'm trying to learn what a single high dose of this would be like and how it would last and because of the redosing in be report that info isn't immediately apparent.

Great report man, thanks a bunch! We always need reports and other associated info about uncommon compounds and this one in particular has been catching my curious eye for a while!

2ml to 6ml is a good dose range for a buzz. The effects are somewhere between booze(ethanol) and benzos(benzodiazepines), but somewhat more clear headed. This 2-methyl-2-butanol stuff taste awful. The effects last longer than regular alcohol. It's useful to mix it with juice and a small amount of vodka, but the taste is still strongly chemical(though it also has a mild mint taste to it). Best to chug it quickly. Don't use it more than a couple times a week. Since 2-methyl-2-butanol has a wide range of industrial and chemical uses, it's widely available. 2-methyl-2-butanol is a lab solvent and research chemical. Chemists and biologists often have some 2-methyl-2-butanol lying around for their science purposes like nucleus extraction or solvent applications. The good news is that 2-methyl-2-butanol doesn't have any toxic metabolites, so it's less toxic than ethanol. 2-methyl-2-butanol is new though, so tread wisely.
 
Top