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 A-PHP, alpha-PHP, α-Pyrrolidinohexanophenone, PV-7)) is a synthetic stimulant drug of the cathinone and pyrovalerone classes. It is chemically similar to other pyrovalerone compounds such as MDPV and cathinone derivatives like A-PVP. It generally comes in the form of either a crystalline powder or crystallized shards which users can ingest to produce short-lived euphoric stimulant effects which are somewhat similar to those of methamphetamine and cocaine when insufflated or vaporized.

α-PHP has a short history of use and is subject to much scrutiny by the media, similar to how MDPV and "bath salts" were portrayed in early 2011 and α-PVP (or flakka) a few years later, where it has replaced it in many parts of the world. It is typically mass produced in Chinese laboratories and sold as a research chemical through online vendors.

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.

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 MDPV, which acts as a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), although no substantial research on the pharmacology of this compound has been conducted.

Subjective effects

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

Physical effects

• 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.
• Stimulation - In terms of its effects on the user's physical energy levels, α-PHP can be considered to be extremely stimulating and energetic. This encourages activities such as running, climbing and dancing. 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.
• Dehydration - Dry mouth and dehydration are a universal experience with α-PHP and are a product of an increased heart rate and extreme 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 so it is advised that users simply sip at water and never over drink.
• Difficulty urinating - Higher doses of α-PHP result in an overall difficulty when it comes to urination, an effect that is completely temporary and harmless.
• Vasoconstriction - α-PHP can be considered very vasoconstricting at higher doses, and is on par with that of amphetamine and methamphetamine.
• Tactile enhancement
• Increased heart rate
• Increased perspiration
• Appetite suppression
• Visual acuity suppression
• Focus enhancement
• Teeth grinding - This component can be considered to be less intense when compared with that of MDMA.

Cognitive effects

The cognitive effects of α-PHP can be broken down into several components which progressively intensify proportional to dosage. The general 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.

The most prominent of these cognitive effects generally include:

• Euphoria - A euphoria very similar to amphetamine is present as well as feelings of joy and happiness and are likely a direct result of serotonin and dopamine release.
• Thought acceleration
• Analysis enhancement
• Immersion enhancement
• Time distortion - Strong feelings of time compression are common within α-PHP and increase in the perception of percieved experience is greatly increased.
• Ego inflation
• Disinhibition
• Motivation enhancement
• Compulsive redosing
• Increased libido
• Increased music appreciation
• Psychosis

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. Its effects commonly include:

• Anxiety
• Cognitive fatigue
• 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 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).

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 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 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.
• 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 - As of October 2015 α-PHP is a controlled substance in China.

See also

• Responsible use
• Stimulants
• Substituted Cathinones
• Amphetamine
• Cocaine

External links

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