PMA - more info?

I read this morning that the guy who OD'd at Happy Valley did so on PMA, not e.
I've done a search and haven't had much luck finding more info on it. Anyone know much, what pills have been suspected of having it, etc?
Cheers
[Keywords: PMA INFO FAQ PARAMETHOXYAMPHETAMINE FLATLINER]
[ 01 November 2002: Message edited by: BigTrancer ]

it is so hard to find info on PMA. there is a little here but its mainly just news reports of death.
where did you read this and is it online? please tell me and i'll chase it up.

I read it in the Sun Herald in Sydney on Sunday.......aliteration...lol...

have you seen these threads?
http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000952.html http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum14/HTML/000025.html
its not much i know
in one DoC mentions his suspicions that the olympic series of pill had PMA in them, i'd have to agree, they were some god awful pills. but who knows...
i've just posted a question on this to the hive, if anyone will know those bees will...
does the Sun Herald have an online site? is it a fairfax paper? i can never remember...
------------------
i think i'll stick to drugs to get me thru the long, dark night of late-capitalism... Irvine Welsh

I read it online at theage.com.au and also in the Herald-Sun PM edition - both today (Monday)

ok here's the article:
http://theage.com.au/news/20000515/A61543-2000May14.html
interesting how the cops give the street name of this drug as "Death" who the hell would call a drug "Death" sure it is some very nasty shit but really... ok off to find more out...
------------------
"i think i'll stick to drugs to get me thru the long, dark night of late-capitalism..."
Irvine Welsh

Given what I've just read from the above posts, any chance that yellow 69s could contain PMA - they were very heavy headed, couldn't move, felt like your head was going to burst - not euphoric at all (which is similar to one of the descriptions I read in one of the links.)
Any thoughts?

hmm sounds possible, i wouldn't like to say for sure...
have a read of this:
http://Rhodium.lycaeum.org/pharmacology/pmma.txt
it starts off with hardcore chemistry stuuf but tscroll down and there are some good anecdotal reports. there are a few description if the the very heavy "body load" associated with this drug, which matches your description of the "69"s.

when they refered to the drug as death
would this be anything to do with some pills going around a few months ago known as flatliners?
they gave u the heavy body load and made you feel really bad then you came right after a few hours , these were not e,s these were pills called flatliners,.
If there not related anyone know much about these.

hmmmm maybe, there seems to be some confusion over these two drugs.
"flatliners" in europe were supposed to be 4-(methylthio)amphetamine or 4-MTA.
read this thread for a western australian news article that seems to confuse the two.
http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/001166.html
and this thread has some good links on 4-MTA posted by big trancer
http://www.bluelight.ru/ubb/Forum10/HTML/001043.html
so its hard to tell if people are calling PMA flatliner, or there are two drugs out there, or what...
also another confusing point is that there are three pills at eve and rave that are called "flatliners" but none of them have 4-MTA in them, only MDMA, oh except one has MDMA and amphetamine.
[This message has been edited by johnboy (edited 15 May 2000).]

Isn't it funny how when the whole Happy Valley event occoured it made the front page + following pages of the papers (in Sydney) + they talked about how ecstacy was killing our kids blah blah blah, put pictures of a Anna Wood with the story, called in drug experts to talk about the dangers of E + called the party 'Death Valley'. Now they know it wasn't E they throw a small story about the autopsy in the depths of the Herald.
Kind of strange isn't it!!!!!

i doubt the 69s were PMA, there were SOO many of those pills and i knew people that took LOTS; if they were i think there would have been many problems.
it is apparently very easy to overdose on PMA, far more potent than speed, and nothing like MDMA.
i have heard the latest 69s are prob DXM and speed.
hmm funny, i knowingly had a DXM/ephedrine/dexie combo on the weekend; off my friggin nut, (DXM really has potential as a fun, cheap alternative) loved it, esp when i knew it cost me all of 5 bucks.
(although i am here promoting DXM, please, please DO NOT take this with MDMA, its kinda like GHB and alcohol = death; i don't want our beloved drug tarnished any further by cough syrup!!)

I complied some data about PMA:
PMA, paramethoxyamphetamine, 4-methoxyamphetamine.
Paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) is methoxylated phenethylamine derivate
that is usually made from anisaldehyde or anethole (both obviously quite
easily available). PMA has been used illicitly in Australia since late 1994
and has been associated at least with 10 deaths. During the period September
1995 to January 1997, six PMA-related deaths have occured in South Australia.
All these PMA deaths involved oral administration. Toxic doses seems
to vary between 180-450 mgs (normal dose 50-80 mg). In these cases usually
several tablets or capsules were ingested. Tablets or capsules ingested
contained 50-90 mg of PMA. Altough MDMA was of significance in two of the
cases and amphetamine and methamphetamine in one each, the significant factor
in each case is the toxic effects of PMA. PMA would appear to be more toxic
than other common amphetamine derivates, especially in combination with
other amphetamines. Death is usually assciated with severe hyperthermia
(usual body temperature over 41 C) associated with rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of
skeletal muscle) and cardiovascular problems, like cardiac arrest or
intracerebral hemorrhage.
References:
Felgate HE, Felgate PD, James RA, Sims DN, Vozzo DC.
Recent Paramethoxyamphetamine Deaths.
J Anal Toxicol 1998;22:169-172
James RA, Dinan A.
Hyperpyrexia Associated with Fatal Paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) abuse.
Med. Sci. Law 1998;38(1):83-85
Shulgin A, Shulgin A.
Phenylethylamines I Have Known and Loved (PIHKAL): A Chemical Loves Story.
Transform Press, Berkeley, CA, 1991. pp:707-709

eternal thanks, mr bin
any ideas at to a reagent that might detect PMA?

PMA is an amphetamine so i would have thought it would make the EZ go orange.
i am not totally sure of the chemistry behind the orange/green reactions of the tester..but, 2-CB has methoxy groups and a bromine atom in it.
One of these makes the tester go green. i would imagine its the bromine, but if its the methoxy then PMA should go green.
It refuels the arguement that an orange reaction could be a whole host of chemicals, any amphetamine, inc most likely PMA, plus other added bonuses such as K etc.
At least with the purple reaction, its one of 3 and the chances of other adulterants is less.

Well as JB mentioned previously I suspected the Olympic series to contain PMA. I had yellow and blue olympics and both felt the same, heavy feeling tightness in the head shortness of breath etc and on comedown pins and needles in hands and arms and just an overall bad feeling. This was only on 1 pill.
We tested the blue olympic using an ez-test and it turned orange which for me only highlights the importance of only dropping black.
"Always bet on black"

here's the discussion i've been having at hive. read it for lots of juicy info, also see me display my total lack of chemistry knowledge
the hive
this is interesting tho:

xochi
(Stranger )
5/15/00 01:56 PM
Re: PMA - paramethoxyamphetamine - Need Info
I think the "three times as strong as MDMA" refers to how the activity expressed in
mescaline units (MUs)
Shulgin, A. T., Sargent, T., and Naranjo, C (1969): Structure-activity relationships of
one-ring psychotomimetics. Nature, 221:537-541.
PMA has a potency of 6 MU and MDA is 2. (MDMA?)

Click to expand...

oh 4-MTA is not the same thing as PMA. read the thread for the full skinny...
[This message has been edited by johnboy (edited 16 May 2000).]

In relation to precursors, and the ease of PMA v MDMA manufacture, it really shows the impact of governments placing so much emphasis on MDMA; the result is far more dangerous substances are produced.
Sassafras oil, containing ~80% safrole, the precursor to MDMA, is almost impossible to find in Aust. If u did, buying 50ml might raise a few eyebrows.
Sweet basil oil, ~80% antheole, the precursor to PMA could be bought by the 44 gallon drum without the slightest of suspicions.
The chemist then takes these precursors, and the EXACT SAME reactions are done; on safrole we get lovely MDA/MDMA; on antheole the deadly PMA/PMMA.
I am sure if these unscrupulous chemists could acquire safrole they may well have produced our favourite drug; but due to the government making it virtually impossible, and the disgusting greed of these labrats, they switch to something more easily obtainable...
with tragic consequences.

It's interesting to notice that according to Coumbaros et al.
at least some Australian PMA is/was prepared from
p-anisaldehyde instead of anethole.
Coumbaros JC, Kirkbride KP, Klass G
Application of solid-phase microextraction to the profiling of
an illicit drug: manufacturing impurities in illicit 4-methoxyamphetamine.
J Forensic Sci 1999;44(6):1237-42

More PMA information:
PMA is a substrate for CYP2D6 enzyme, like ie. MDMA.
A CYP2D6-deficient test subject was observed to excrete 4.4%
of a 5 mg oral dose of PMA as 4-hydroxyamphetamine, compared
to 49 and 64% excreted as this metabolite in two normal subjects.
In addition to this metabolite, both normal subjects small
amounts of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-one and 4-hydroxynorephedrine.
By contrast, CYP2D6 deficient subject excreted, in addition to
small amounts of 4-hydroxyamphetamine, a relatively large
amount of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-one oxime as well as the
ketone itself. 4-hydroxy- and 4-methoxybenzoic acid were also
detectable, unlike in two other subjects. All three subjects
excreted a small amount of an unidentified metabolite.
This shows that PMA metabolism can vary from individual to
individual, which can have important implications, particulary
in relation to variations in response to the drug.
References:
Kitchen I, Tremblay J, Andre J, Dring LG, Idle JR, Smith RL, Williams RT.
Interindividual and interspecies variation in the metabolism of the hallucinogen
4-methoxyamphetamine. Xenobiotica. 1979;9(7):397-404.
Wu D, Otton SV, Inaba T, Kalow W, Sellers EM.
Interactions of amphetamine analogs with human liver CYP2D6.
Biochem Pharmacol. 1997;53(11):1605-12.