DMAA

The pre-workout stimulant of the early 2010s — an amphetamine-adjacent pressor agent that powered the era's most notorious supplements until the FDA forced it out. The name still circulates in unregulated products.

The performance evidence is thin and the harm signal is what made it famous: serious events and deaths temporally associated with DMAA-containing products (including two US Army soldiers, which triggered the military ban that preceded the civilian one) — causation in individual cases was not always established. The "geranium extract" natural-origin claim was tested and debunked — it is synthetic.

Documented blood-pressure elevation with case-level reports of stroke and cardiac arrest, sharpest when stacked with caffeine — which is exactly how pre-workouts used it. The FDA concluded it is an illegal and potentially dangerous supplement ingredient.

Documented interactions with other things people research. A compound not listed here does not mean the combination is safe — only that no specific interaction is on file.

US: not a controlled substance, but the FDA has formally declared it an illegal supplement ingredient and pursued sellers; WADA-banned.

• Minimally Invasive vs. Open Surgery for Hallux Valgus: A Meta-AnalysisFront Surg · 2022
• Have prohibition policies made the wrong decision? A critical review of studies investigating the effects of DMAAInt J Drug Policy · 2017
• 1,3-Dimethylamylamine (DMAA) in supplements and geranium products: natural or synthetic?Drug Test Anal · 2012
• DMAA as a dietary ingredient-replyJAMA Intern Med · 2013
• DART-MS for rapid, preliminary screening of urine for DMAADrug Test Anal · 2014
• The Adolescent BunionInstr Course Lect · 2020
• DMAA as a dietary supplement ingredientArch Intern Med · 2012
• Nine prohibited stimulants found in sports and weight loss supplements: deterenol, phenpromethamine (Vonedrine), oxilofrine, octodrine, beta-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA), 1,3-dimethylamylamine (1,3-DMAA), 1,4-dimethylamylamine (1,4-DMAA), 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (1,3-DMBA) and higenamineClin Toxicol (Phila) · 2021
• DMAA as a dietary ingredientJAMA Intern Med · 2013
• Analysis and Confirmation of 1,3-DMAA and 1,4-DMAA in Geranium Plants Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry at ng/g ConcentrationsAnal Chem Insights · 2012
• DMAA quality and research initiativeDis Manag · 2005
• Four experimental stimulants found in sports and weight loss supplements: 2-amino-6-methylheptane (octodrine), 1,4-dimethylamylamine (1,4-DMAA), 1,3-dimethylamylamine (1,3-DMAA) and 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (1,3-DMBA)Clin Toxicol (Phila) · 2018