A-PHP

A-PHP
Chemical Nomenclature
Common names	α-PHP, alpha-PHP, PV7
Substitutive name	alpha-Pyrrolidinohexiophenone
Systematic name	1-Phenyl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)hexan-1-one
Class Membership
Psychoactive class	Stimulant
Chemical class	Cathinone / Pyrrolidinophenone
Routes of Administration
WARNING: Always start with lower doses due to differences between individual body weight, tolerance, metabolism, and personal sensitivity. See responsible use section. ⇣ Smoked Dosage Threshold 1 mg Light 2 - 5 mg Common 5 - 10 mg Strong 10 - 20 mg Heavy 20+ mg Duration Total 2 - 5 hours Onset 2 - 8 minutes Peak 30 - 90 minutes Offset 1 - 4 hours After effects 1 - 8 hours ⇣ Oral Dosage Threshold 1 mg Light 5 - 10 mg Common 10 - 25 mg Strong 25 - 40 mg Heavy 40 mg + Duration Total 2 - 8 hours Onset 2 - 20 minutes Peak 1 - 2.5 hours Offset 1 - 5 hours After effects 1 - 48 hours ⇣ Insufflated Dosage Threshold 0.5 mg Light 1 - 5 mg Common 5 - 15 mg Strong 15 - 25 mg Heavy 25+ mg Duration Total 2 - 5 hours Onset 10 - 30 minutes Peak 20 - 45 minutes Offset 30 - 90 minutes After effects 2 - 4 hours DISCLAIMER: PW's dosage information is gathered from users and resources for educational purposes only. It is not a recommendation and should be verified with other sources for accuracy.
Interactions
MAOIs
Serotonin releasers
SSRIs
5-HTP

Summary sheet: A-PHP

α-PHP (also known as alpha-PHP, A-PHP, α-Pyrrolidinohexanophenone, or PV-7) is a synthetic stimulant drug of the cathinone and pyrovalerone classes. It is structurally similar to pyrovalerone compounds such as MDPV and the successor to the designer drug cathinone derivative A-PVP. It generally comes in the form of either a crystalline powder or crystallized shards which users can ingest to produce powerful but short-lived euphoric stimulant effects which are comparable to those of methamphetamine and cocaine when insufflated or vaporized. Like its research chemical predecessors, it is has gained notoriety for its tendency to induce compulsive redosing and addictive behaviors in a susceptible population of users as well the ability to readily induce delusional states and psychosis when abused.

α-PHP has a short history of use and is subject to much scrutiny by the media. It is being used and marketed as a replacement for α-PVP (known on the street as flakka) a few years following its ban, where it has come to substitute A-PVP in many parts of the world. While initially synthesized in Chinese labs, a ban on a-PHP within China's borders has forced production to other nations around the world.

Chemistry

α-PHP is a substituted hexanone bound to a phenyl ring and a pyrrolidine ring. It is a stimulant of the monoamine cathinone class, similar to pentedrone. α-PHP shares a similar structure to a phenethylamine core featuring a phenyl ring bound to an amino (NH₂) group through an ethyl chain. It is substituted at R_α with a butyl chain. Additionally, it features an oxygen substitution double-bonded to R_β.

α-PHP is the longer chain homolog of α-PVP, possessing an additional carbon on the alkyl side chain.

Pharmacology

The mechanism of action is unknown for α-PHP. Aside from a substantially shorter duration, it is believed to act similarly to the designer drug pentedrone and A-PVP, which both as a potent norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRI), although no substantial research on the pharmacology of this compound has been conducted.

This means it may effectively boost the levels of the norepinephrine and dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain by binding to and partially blocking the transporter proteins that normally remove those monoamines from the synaptic cleft. This allows dopamine and norepinephrine to accumulate within the brain, resulting in stimulating and euphoric effects.

Subjective effects

In comparison to its predecessor (α-PVP), this compound has been reported as inducing considerably less anxiety, uncomfortable side effects, euphoria, psychosis and having a slightly easier comedown.

The effects listed below are based upon the subjective effects index and personal experiences of PsychonautWiki contributors. These are described below and include:

Physical effects

• Stimulation - In terms of its effects on the user's physical energy levels, α-PHP can be considered to be extremely stimulating and energetic, although less so than with A-PVP. This encourages activities such as running, climbing and dancing, although it can also encourage just sitting immobile engaged in repetitive tasks. The particular style of stimulation which α-PHP presents can be described as forced. This means that at higher dosages it becomes difficult or impossible to keep still as jaw clenching, involuntarily bodily shakes and vibrations become present, resulting in an extreme unsteadiness of the hands and a general lack of motor control.
• Vibrating vision - A person's eyeballs may begin to spontaneously wiggle back and forth in a rapid motion, causing vision to become blurry and temporarily out of focus-- a condition known as nystagmus.
• Appetite suppression
• Visual acuity suppression - α-PHP can have visual and vision-impairing effects that can lend readily to peripheral hallucinations.
• Focus enhancement - α-PHP has been noted as enhancing focus, but in a way that leaves the user totally fixated on whatever task at hand, however trivial.
• Sublingual numbing - In a similar fashion to that of cocaine]] this compound numbs the areas of the body which it touches, these areas can include the nostrils, gums, mouth and urethra of the user.

Negative physical side effects

On the whole, α-PHP has been reported as having moderately less to identical side effects to α-PVP, though users are still advised to be very cautious around this drug due to cardiovascular strain and compulsivity.

• Abnormal heartbeat - Due to the potency of its rush, α-PHP can cause various uncomfortable or painful sensations in the heart, especially when abused or used for extended periods. Those with familial or personal heart issues are discouraged from using this drug in its most potent forms.
• Dehydration - Dry mouth and dehydration are a universal experience with α-PHP and are a product of an increased heart rate, adrenergic activity and the motivation to engage in strenuous physical activities. While it is important to avoid becoming dehydrated, especially when out dancing in a hot environment, there is a potential possibility of suffering from water intoxication through over-drinking. Therefore it is advised that users simply sip at water and be mindful of their water in-take.
• Increased heart rate
• Decreased heart rate - Although sympathomimetic cathinones like α-PHP typically raise one's heart rate and blood-pressure, it is possible to experience the reverse, sometimes triggering sudden fainting spells. While the cause is not yet well understood, it seems this happens less commonly in healthy individuals .
• Difficulty urinating - Higher doses of α-PHP result in an overall difficulty when it comes to urination, an effect that is temporary and typically harmless.
• Headaches - This typically can occur towards the end of the experience, but can sometimes happen during one as well.
• Increased blood pressure - α-PHP, especially when it is vaporized or injected, can lead to sudden spikes of blood pressure that may manifest in an extremely uncomfortable "exploding heart" sensation.
• Increased perspiration
• Muscle spasms
• Restless leg syndrome
• Vasoconstriction - α-PHP can be considered very vasoconstricting at higher doses, and is on par with that of amphetamine and methamphetamine.
• Teeth grinding - This component can be considered to be less intense when compared with that of MDMA, though becomes more present at high doses.
• Seizure - α-PHP may lower the seizure threshold in some individuals, especially when it is abused.

Cognitive effects

The cognitive effects of α-PHP can be broken down into several components which progressively intensify proportional to dosage. The ample head space of α-PHP is described by many as one of extreme mental stimulation and powerful euphoria. It contains a large number of typical stimulant cognitive effects, particularly those of the cathinone or pyrovalerone classes of drugs.

The most prominent of these cognitive effects generally include:

• Analysis enhancement - Users report that this effect typically only occurs at low doses, and becomes increasingly more impairing as one increases their intake.
• Euphoria - A euphoria very similar to amphetamine or cocaine is present as well as feelings of joy and happiness which are likely a direct result of serotonin and dopamine release.
• Ego inflation - Similar to the ego inflation of cocaine or methamphetamine, α-PHP can temporarily induce states of egomania at its peak.
• Compulsive redosing - While a high tendency to compulsive redose is a hallmark of this class of drug, α-PHP has been reported as being slightly less compulsive than its predecessor α-PVP. Nevertheless, users are advised to use extreme caution in not losing control when on this drug.
• Disinhibition
• Immersion enhancement
• Increased libido - α-PHP, like its predecessor α-PVP can induce states of extreme sexual arousal due to its powerful disinhibiting effects
• Increased music appreciation
• Motivation enhancement - This effect provides short-lived states of extreme motivation, but due to the cognitively narrowing aspects of its action, rarely ever translates into productive action.
• Thought acceleration
• Time distortion - Strong feelings of time compression are common within α-PHP and increase in the perception of perceived experience is greatly increased
• Wakefulness
• Feelings of impending doom - This typically is experienced when the drug is abused, but can happen at higher than needed doses, or the comedowns of binges. It can also happen spontaneously, although this tends to be rare.
• Paranoia - α-PHP can lead to states of extreme paranoia when abused or dosed too highly, which is why eyeballing this substance is strongly discouraged. The paranoia this compound produces shares many features of the paranoia that can be induced by methamphetamine or cocaine, and typically happens while coming down.
• Psychosis - This compound may induce psychosis if it is binged upon for prolonged periods of time. The likelihood of psychosis on this compound has been reported to be noticeably less than that of A-PVP.

Tactile enhancements

• Tactile enhancement - α-PHP can enhance one's sense of touch to extreme degrees, often leading to states of sexual arousal.
• Spontaneous tactile sensations - The "body high" of α-PHP can be described as a moderate to extreme euphoric tingling sensation that encompasses the entire body. It is capable of becoming overwhelming at higher dosages. This sensation maintains a consistent presence that steadily rises with the onset and hits its limit once the peak has been reached.

Visual effects

• Brightness alteration - a-PHP can make spaces seem brighter due to its ability to dilate the pupils.
• Drifting - This effect is usually very mild and increases with sleep deprivation.
• Visual acuity suppression

Hallucinatory states=

• Peripheral information misinterpretation
• Scenarios and plots

Auditory effects

• Auditory distortion
• Auditory hallucinations

After effects

The effects which occur during the offset of a stimulant experience generally feel negative and uncomfortable in comparison to the effects which occurred during its peak. This is often referred to as a "comedown" and occurs because of neurotransmitter depletion. It's worth noting that this crash is usually not considered as severe as it is on A-PVP at equivalent dosages. The effects commonly include, but are not limited to:

• Anxiety
• Cognitive fatigue
• Delusions
• Depression
• Irritability
• Motivation suppression
• Thought deceleration
• Wakefulness

Toxicity and harm potential

Main article: Research chemicals § Toxicity and harm potential

The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational α-PHP use do not seem to have been studied in any scientific context and the exact toxic dosage is unknown. This is because α-PHP has very little history of human usage. Anecdotal evidence from people who have tried α-PHP within the community suggests that there do not seem to be any negative health effects attributed to simply trying this drug at low to moderate doses by itself and using it sparingly (but nothing can be completely guaranteed).

α-PHP has been reported to be the cause, or a significant contributory cause, of death in suicides and overdoses caused by combinations of drugs.

It is strongly recommended that one use harm reduction practices when using this drug.

Tolerance and addiction potential

As with other short-lived highly dopaminergic stimulants, the chronic use of α-PHP can be considered highly addictive with a high potential for abuse and is capable of causing psychological dependence among certain users. When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal effects may occur if a person suddenly stops their usage.

Tolerance to many of the effects of α-PHP develops with prolonged and repeated use. This results in users having to administer increasingly large doses to achieve the same effects. After that, it takes about 3 - 7 days for the tolerance to be reduced to half and 1 - 2 weeks to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). α-PHP presents cross-tolerance with [[Cross-tolerance::all dopaminergic stimulants]], meaning that after the consumption of α-PHP all stimulants will have a reduced effect.

Psychosis

Main article: Stimulant psychosis

α-PHP, like other strongly dopaminergic stimulants, can result in a stimulant psychosis that may present with a variety of symptoms (e.g., paranoia, hallucinations, or delusions). A review on treatment for amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine abuse-induced psychosis states that about 5–15% of users fail to recover completely. The same review asserts that, based upon at least one trial, antipsychotic medications effectively resolve the symptoms of acute amphetamine psychosis.

Dangerous interactions

Warning: Many psychoactive substances that are reasonably safe to use on their own can suddenly become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with certain other substances. The following list provides some known dangerous interactions (although it is not guaranteed to include all of them).

Always conduct independent research (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, PubMed) to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe to consume. Some of the listed interactions have been sourced from TripSit.

• Stimulants - α-PHP can be potentially dangerous in combination with other stimulants as it can increase one's heart rate and blood pressure to dangerous levels.
• "[[DangerousInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] & "[[DangerousInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - 25x compounds are highly stimulating and physically straining. Combinations with A-PHP should be strictly avoided due to the risk of excessive stimulation and heart strain. This can result in increased blood pressure, vasoconstriction, panic attacks, thought loops, seizures, and heart failure in extreme cases.
• "[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Combining alcohol with stimulants can be dangerous due to the risk of accidental over-intoxication. Stimulants mask alcohol's depressant effects, which is what most people use to assess their degree of intoxication. Once the stimulant wears off, the depressant effects will be left unopposed, which can result in blackouts and severe respiratory depression. If mixing, the user should strictly limit themselves to only drinking a certain amount of alcohol per hour.
• "[[UnsafeInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Combinations with DXM should be avoided due to its inhibiting effects on serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake. There is an increased risk of panic attacks and hypertensive crisis, or serotonin syndrome with serotonin releasers (MDMA, methylone, mephedrone, etc.). Monitor blood pressure carefully and avoid strenuous physical activity.
• "[[UnsafeInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Any neurotoxic effects of MDMA are likely to be increased when other stimulants are present. There is also a risk of excessive blood pressure and heart strain (cardiotoxicity).
• "[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Some reports suggest combinations with MXE may dangerously increase blood pressure and increase the risk of mania and psychosis.
• "[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Both classes carry a risk of delusions, mania and psychosis, and these risk may be multiplied when combined.
• "[[UnsafeInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - A-PHP may be dangerous to combine with other stimulants like cocaine as they can increase one's heart rate and blood pressure to dangerous levels.
• "[[DangerousInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Tramadol is known to lower the seizure threshold and combinations with stimulants may further increase this risk.
• MDMA - The neurotoxic effects of MDMA may be increased when combined with other stimulants.
• Cocaine - This combination may increase strain on the heart.

Serotonin syndrome risk

Combinations with the following substances can cause dangerously high serotonin levels. Serotonin syndrome requires immediate medical attention and can be fatal if left untreated.

• MAOIs - Such as banisteriopsis caapi, syrian rue, phenelzine, selegiline, and moclobemide.
• Serotonin releasers - Such as MDMA, 4-FA, methamphetamine, methylone and αMT.
• SSRIs - Such as citalopram and sertraline
• [[Wikipedia:SNRIs|DangerousInteraction::SNRIs]] - Such as tramadol and venlafaxine
• 5-HTP

Legal issues

• United Kingdom - It is illegal to produce, supply, or import this drug under the Psychoactive Substance Act, which came into effect on May 26th, 2016.
• United States - α-PHP is unscheduled and uncontrolled in the United States. However, it may fall under the scope of the Federal Analog Act if it is intended for human consumption given its similarity to A-PVP, a scheduled substance.
• Italy - The President of the Republic of Italy classified cathinone and all structurally derived analogues (including pyrovalerone analogues) as Narcotics on January 2012.
• Sweden - Sweden's public health agency suggested to classify α-PHP as narcotic on June 1, 2015.
• China - α-PHP is a controlled substance in China as of October 2015.

See also

• Responsible use
• Stimulants
• Substituted Cathinones
• A-PVP
• Amphetamine
• Cocaine
• Prolintane

External links

• α-PHP (Wikipedia)
• α-PHP (Erowid)
• α-PHP (TripSit)
• α-PHP experiences (Erowid)