Clinical pharmacokinetics of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT): a systematic review and post-hoc analysis
Leiden Repository (Leiden University) January 1, 2025 Heijden, K.V. van Der, M.E. Otto,, J.W. Schoones, et al.
DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) is being studied for psychiatric disorders, but its pharmacokinetics (PK) are not fully characterized. This systematic review of 13 publications (eight datasets) found that most studies gave DMT intravenously, with one intramuscular dose. DMT shows high variability in dose-normalized exposure and differences between bolus and infusion administration. It is rapidly redistributed to tissues (volume of distribution 123-1084 L) and quickly eliminated (half-life 4.8-19.0 min, clearance 8.1-46.8 L/min), mainly by metabolization to indole-3-acetic acid. The review concludes that more studies are needed to understand intersubject variability and exposure differences, which are crucial for developing DMT as a therapy.