spec sheet10 rows
N,N-Diethyltryptamine (DET) is a synthetic homolog of DMT in which the two N-methyl groups are replaced by ethyl groups. Like other classical tryptamine hallucinogens it is an agonist at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, where it stimulates phosphoinositide hydrolysis, and it substitutes for LSD and DMT in drug-discrimination studies; early electrophysiological work in rabbits found it alters photic evoked responses much as DMT and LSD do. Structure-activity investigations of ring-fluorinated analogs have used DET to probe why certain substitutions abolish hallucinogenic activity while preserving 5-HT2A affinity. DET is generally inactive orally on its own and is instead smoked or injected, producing a shorter, DMT-like psychedelic state; the published literature on it is comparatively sparse.
- DMT-like psychedelic effects
- Relatively short duration
- Rapid onset by smoked route
- 5-HT2A agonist tryptamine closely resembling DMT
- Raised heart rate and blood pressure
- Nausea
- Intense or frightening perceptual changes
- Weak or unreliable orally
Mechanism
DET is presumed to act primarily as an at the receptor, the core psychedelic target, much like its parent DMT, with likely activity at other serotonin receptors. Like DMT it is broken down quickly by monoamine oxidase, which is why oral doses tend to be weak unless an is present and why smoked or injected routes act fast and end relatively soon. Its precise human affinities are not firmly established.
receptor fingerprint
receptoragonist
receptoragonist
Safetyrisks and cautions, not medical advice
Effects can include raised heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, and intense, sometimes frightening, alterations of perception. It should be avoided by anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, and combining it with MAOIs or other strongly serotonergic drugs risks serotonin toxicity. It is an obscure research chemical of uncertain purity. Not medical advice.
Subjective profileweighing the evidence above
Little reason to choose it. It is essentially DMT with ethyl groups, weak and unreliable orally without an MAOI, and obscure enough that purity is a live question; the classic tryptamines cover the same ground with far more known about them.
Resources
No suppliers are provided for compounds like this. This entry is here for reference.
Research
- 1965first citedEffects of LSD-25, n,n-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and N,N-diethyltryptamine (DET) on the photic…
- 2020most recentDiscriminative Stimulus Effects of Substituted Tryptamines in Rats
- 1.Discriminative Stimulus Effects of Substituted Tryptamines in Rats
- 2.Effect of ring fluorination on the pharmacology of hallucinogenic tryptamines
- 3.5-HT2A receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the stimulus effects of hallucinogens.
- 4.Effects of LSD-25, n,n-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and N,N-diethyltryptamine (DET) on the photic evoked responses in the unanesthetized rabbit.
4 listed here; entry last updated August 2026
Reviews
My notesprivate to this device
FAQ
How is DET related to DMT?
It is the diethyl homolog of DMT; two ethyl groups replace the two methyls, and it is thought to work through the same 5-HT2A mechanism.
Does it work if swallowed?
Not reliably on its own, because monoamine oxidase breaks it down quickly; it is usually smoked or injected.
Is it safe with an MAOI?
Combining it with MAOIs or strongly serotonergic drugs is dangerous because of serotonin toxicity risk.
Adverse effects
- Raised heart rate and blood pressure
- Nausea
- Intense or frightening perceptual changes
- Weak or unreliable orally