data + articles · 1 listed
newest 1972spec sheet8 rows
Alfetamine An investigational phenethylamine studied briefly in the early 1970s as a possible antidepressant. Despite belonging to the broader amphetamine-related phenethylamine family, its pharmacology resembled tricyclic antidepressants rather than classic stimulant amphetamines.
- Showed antidepressant-like behavioral effects in 1970s animal studies, comparable to imipramine and amitriptyline
- Lacked the anticholinergic side effects (dry mouth, blurred vision) common to older tricyclic antidepressants
Overview
Looks amphetamine-adjacent on paper but tested more like an old-school tricyclic antidepressant in the one study that exists; it never went anywhere after that.
Mechanism
Alfetamine acts as a weak receptor and a high-affinity kappa-opioid receptor . In animal studies its behavioral profile (antagonism of depressed exploratory behavior, reduced spontaneous motor activity, prolonged barbiturate hypnosis, anticonvulsant action) resembled imipramine and amitriptyline, but without the anticholinergic effects typical of those tricyclic antidepressants.
receptor fingerprint
Kappa-opioid receptorAgonist
receptorAntagonist
Safetyrisks and cautions, not medical advice
Only one pharmacologic evaluation from 1972 exists, conducted in animals; no modern human safety or tolerability data exists. It was abandoned in favor of newer antidepressant classes.
Subjective profileweighing the evidence above
One animal paper from 1972 and nothing since. No human data, no dose, no modern safety information, and it was abandoned once better antidepressants arrived. A footnote in pharmacology history rather than a compound anyone should be sourcing.
Resources
This entry is here for reference.
Research
- 1.Pharmacologic evaluation of aletamine (alpha-allylphenethylamine hydrochloride) as an antidepressant
1 listed here; entry last updated July 2026
Reviews
My notesprivate to this device
FAQ
What is Alfetamine used for?
It was briefly explored as a potential antidepressant in the early 1970s but was never developed into a marketed medicine.
How does Alfetamine work?
It acts as a weak dopamine receptor antagonist and a high-affinity kappa-opioid receptor agonist, producing antidepressant-like effects in animal studies without anticholinergic side effects.
Is Alfetamine well-researched?
No. Only a single pharmacologic study from 1972 is documented, and it has rarely appeared in the scientific literature since.
Limitations of the evidence
- Never advanced past early animal pharmacology; no human trial data exists
Notes and cautions
- Essentially disappeared from the literature after the early 1970s