This is an unofficial archive of PsychonautWiki as of 2025-08-08T03:33:20Z. Content on this page may be outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate. Please refer to the original page for the most up-to-date information.
WARNING: Always start with lower doses due to differences between individual body weight, tolerance, metabolism, and personal sensitivity. See responsible use section.
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.
5F-AKB48 has been investigated in the scientific literature.[2][3][4][5] It was first identified in South Korea[6] and is available for sale as a grey area research chemical through online vendors.
Subjective effects are reported to be somewhat similar to that of cannabis with a short duration and an emphasis on intense physical sensations.
Cannabinoids are commonly smoked or vaporized to achieve a quick onset of effects and rapid offset. 5F-AKB48 is orally active when dissolved in a lipid, which can increase the duration significantly. Like other cannabinoids, it is insoluble in water but dissolves in ethanol and lipids.
5F-AKB48, or N-(adamantan-1-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide, is a synthetic indazolecarboxamide as it contains a substituted indazole group. This indazole moeity is substituted at R1 with a fluoropentyl chain, a substitution shared with 5F-PB-22. Additionally, the indazole is substituted at R3 with a carboxamide group. This carboxamide group is N-substituted at its terminal amine group with an adamantane group. This group consists of four fused cyclohexane rings in a unique structure called a diamondoid. 5F-AKB48 is an analog of STS-135 in which the core indole structure is substituted with an indazole base.
Pharmacology
Although this substance has not been formally studied, from analysis of the structure, it is presumed that 5F-AKB48 has a similar binding profile to that of other cannabinoids and matches many of the in vivo properties of Δ9-THC. However, the role of these interactions and how they result in the cannabinoid high continues to remain elusive.
Subjective effects
Disclaimer: The effects listed below cite the Subjective Effect Index (SEI), an open research literature based on anecdotal user reports and the personal analyses of PsychonautWikicontributors. As a result, they should be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism.
It is also worth noting that these effects will not necessarily occur in a predictable or reliable manner, although higher doses are more liable to induce the full spectrum of effects. Likewise, adverse effects become increasingly likely with higher doses and may include addiction, severe injury, or death ☠.
Physical effects
Spontaneous physical sensations - The "body high" of 5F-AKB48 can be described as a sharp, uncomfortable, all-encompassing, and electric tingling sensation that spreads over the body after initial ingestion. It maintains a consistent presence that quickly rises with the onset and hits its limit once the peak has been reached before immediately dissipating.
Motor control loss - This substance causes a partial to moderate suppression of motor control which intensifies proportional to dose, but rarely results in a complete inability to walk and perform basic movements.
Appetite enhancement - As with many other cannabinoids, 5F-AKB48 causes an increase in appetite[7], known colloquially as "the munchies" in popular American and United Kingdom culture. Clinical studies and survey data have found that cannabis increases food enjoyment and interest in food.[8] This is thought to be due to the way in which endocannabinoids in the hypothalamus activate cannabinoid receptors that are responsible for maintaining food intake.[8]
Pain relief - Cannabinoids have been clinically demonstrated to provide pain relief via agonism of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, which extends to synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists.[9][10]
Anxiety - In comparison to other cannabinoids, this compound is particularly prone to inducing feelings of anxiety and it should therefore be avoided by people who are particularly prone to this state of mind.
Psychosis - The prolonged usage of synthetic cannabinoids may increase one's disposition to psychosis[11], particularly in vulnerable individuals with risk factors for psychotic illnesses (like a past or family history of schizophrenia).[12][13][14]
There are currently no anecdotal reports which describe the effects of this compound within our experience index. Additional experience reports can be found here:
The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational 5F-AKB48 use do not seem to have been studied in any scientific context and the exact toxic dosage is unknown. This is because 5F-AKB48 has very little history of human usage. Anecdotal evidence from people who have tried 5F-AKB48 within the community suggest 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). Informal experiments have shown that overdose will cause physical discomfort including heart palpitations, vertigo and sedation at much lower than dangerous doses, usually causing the user to suffer large amounts of anxiety or to fall asleep.
It has often been recommended that those with severe pre-existing mental conditions should not ingest these substances due to the way they strongly increase one's current state of mind and emotions. Also, like THC, prolonged usage of synthetic cannabinoids including 5F-AKB48 may increase one's disposition to mental illness and psychosis[11], particularly in vulnerable individuals with risk factors for psychotic illnesses (like a past or family history of schizophrenia).[12]</ref>[13][14]
As synthetic cannabinoids are active in the milligram range (with below 5mg being a common dose), it is important to use proper precautions when dosing to avoid a negative experience.
As with other synthetic cannabinoids, the chronic use of 5F-AKB48 can be considered moderately 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 5F-AKB48 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). 5F-AKB48 presents cross-tolerance with [[Cross-tolerance::all cannabinoids]], meaning that after the consumption of 5F-AKB48 all cannabinoids will have a reduced effect.
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.
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Stimulants increase anxiety levels and the risk of thought loops which can increase Effect:Paranoia leading to negative experiences
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Stimulants increase anxiety levels and the risk of thought loops which can increase Effect:Paranoia leading to negative experiences
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" 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.]] - Lithium is commonly prescribed in the treatment of bipolar disorder; however, there is a large body of anecdotal evidence that suggests taking it with cannabinoids can significantly increase the risk of psychosis and seizures. As a result, this combination should be strictly avoided.
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]] - Cannabis can intensify the overall effects of psilocybin mushrooms, possibly leading to a bad trip.
"[[UncertainInteraction" contains a listed "[" character as part of the property label and has therefore been classified as invalid.]]
Legal status
Brazil: Possession, production and sale is illegal as it is listed on Portaria SVS/MS nº 344.[15]
China: As of October 2015 5F-APINACA is a controlled substance in China.[16]
Czech Republic: 5F-APINACA is banned in the Czech Republic.[17]
Germany: 5F-APINACA is controlled under Anlage II BtMG (Narcotics Act, Schedule II)[18] as of July 17, 2013.[19] It is illegal to manufacture, possess, import, export, buy, sell, procure or dispense it without a license.[20]
Switzerland: 5F-AKB48 is a controlled substance specifically named under Verzeichnis D.[22]
United Kingdom: 5F-AKB48 is a Class B controlled substance under the third-generation synthetic cannabinoids generic definition, which came into effect on December 14, 2016 and is illegal to possess, produce, supply, or import. [23]
United States: 5F-AKB48 is a Schedule I substance.[24]
Italy: 5F-AKB48 is a Schedule I controlled substance.[25]
↑Karinen, R., Tuv, S. S., Øiestad, E. L., Vindenes, V. (January 2015). "Concentrations of APINACA, 5F-APINACA, UR-144 and its degradant product in blood samples from six impaired drivers compared to previous reported concentrations of other synthetic cannabinoids". Forensic Science International. 246: 98–103. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.11.012. ISSN1872-6283.
↑Holm, N. B., Pedersen, A. J., Dalsgaard, P. W., Linnet, K. (March 2015). "Metabolites of 5F-AKB-48, a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist, identified in human urine and liver microsomal preparations using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry". Drug Testing and Analysis. 7 (3): 199–206. doi:10.1002/dta.1663. ISSN1942-7611.
↑Wohlfarth, A., Castaneto, M. S., Zhu, M., Pang, S., Scheidweiler, K. B., Kronstrand, R., Huestis, M. A. (May 2015). "Pentylindole/Pentylindazole Synthetic Cannabinoids and Their 5-Fluoro Analogs Produce Different Primary Metabolites: Metabolite Profiling for AB-PINACA and 5F-AB-PINACA". The AAPS journal. 17 (3): 660–677. doi:10.1208/s12248-015-9721-0. ISSN1550-7416.
