Methylhexanamine Dangers

Methylhexanamine (or Dimethylamylamine, DMAA) was added to the 2010 WADA prohibited list as a stimulant.
Methylhexaneamine, a component of geranium oil, is now the ingredient of a variety of supplements. It is chemically related to ephedrine and amphetamine.  In New Zealand it is an active ingredient in “party pills” and has additionally been found in weight loss products and thus attractive to athletes.

Side effects of the drug are described as ‘ten minutes of fantastic pleasure’ followed by 48 hours of vomiting. Two cases of stroke have been reported in users of methylhexanamine. Hemorrhagic stroke: rupture of a cerebral blood vessel, causing bleeding into, or around, the brain. Sympathomimetic stimulants such as methylhexanamine often cause hypertension during their duration of activity. Both hemorrahagic and ischemic (caused by the cut-off of blood flow) stroke are known complications of amphetamine use.

In the 1970 this stimulant was used as a nasal decongestant, but has not been medically used since. According to WADA the substance has now reappeared in a number of nutritional supplements and was therefore subject to potential inadvertent use by athletes. Because of this the drug was re-classified for 2011 from the “non-specified” to “specified” stimulant class, meaning that if the athlete can prove that they did not take the drug intentionally he or she may get a reduced sanction.

Several positive cases of methylhexanamine were discovered during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In addition, in October 2010, nine Australian Athletes were found by the Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority to have tested positive for the substance. Later that year athletes from Nigeria and Portugal were also sanctioned after using the drug to aid athletic workout. Due to the extensive list of banned substances, it is always encouraged that athletes ensure the integrity of any supplements they ingest.