4-HO-MET Stats - Substance Search

Receptor Profile

Receptor Actions

Agonists

5-HT2A receptor agonist (partial)

5-HT2B receptor agonist

5-HT2C receptor agonist

5-HT1A receptor agonist

Other

Serotonin transporter interaction

Norepinephrine transporter interaction (partial)

Subjective Effects

Physical

Spontaneous tactile sensations: The "body high" of 4-HO-MET can be described as a pleasurable, warm, soft and all-encompassing tingling sensation. This maintains a consistent presence that steadily rises with the onset and hits its limit once the peak has been reached.
Sedation: In terms of its effects on the physical energy levels of the tripper, 4-HO-MET is considered by most to be relaxing, stoning and mildly sedating. This sense of sedation is often accompanied by compulsive yawning.
Nausea
Pupil dilation

Cognitive

Current mind state enhancement
Thought connectivity
Thought acceleration
Novelty enhancement
Immersion enhancement
Time distortion
Analysis enhancement
Thought loops
Personal bias suppression
Conceptual thinking
Direct communication with the subconscious
Memory suppression
Ego death
Feelings of interdependent opposites
Delusions
Unity and interconnectedness
Wakefulness

Sensory

Auditory

Enhancements
Distortions
Hallucinations

Visual · Distortions

As for visual distortions and alterations, the effects experienced are detailed below:

drifting: (melting, flowing, breathing and morphing) - In comparison to other psychedelics, this effect can be described as highly detailed, cartooon-like in style, slow and smooth in motion and static in appearance.
Tracers
After images
Symmetrical texture repetition
Colour shifting
Scenery slicing

Visual · Enhancements

4-HO-MET presents a full and complete array of possible visual enhancements which generally includes:

Acuity enhancement
Colour enhancement
Pattern recognition enhancement

Visual · Hallucinatory States

4-HO-MET and its various other forms produce a full range of high level hallucinatory states in a fashion that is more consistent and reproducible than that of many other commonly used psychedelics. These effects generally include:

Transformations
Internal hallucinations: (autonomous entities; settings, sceneries, and landscapes; alterations in perspective and scenarios and plots) - This effect is very consistent in dark environments at appropriately high doses. They can be comprehensively described through their variations as lucid in believability, interactive in style, new experiences in content, autonomous in controllability, geometry-based in style and almost exclusively of a religious, spiritual, mystical, science fiction or transcendental nature in overall theme.

Forked from Subjective Effect Documentation work by Josie Kins, September 2015. Via dose.wiki (CC0).

Toxicity

PsychonautWiki

The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational 4-HO-MET use do not seem to have been studied in any scientific context and the exact toxic dose is unknown. This is because 4-HO-MET is a research chemical with very little history of human usage. However, there are reports of very high doses leading to drug induced psychosis. Anecdotal evidence from those who have tried 4-HO-MET suggests that there are no negative health effects attributed to simply trying the substance by itself at low to moderate doses and using it very sparingly (but nothing can be completely guaranteed). Independent research should always be done to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe before consumption.

Effect Profile

Curated + 88 Reports

Psychedelic 8.0

Strong visuals, auditory effects, and headspace with strong body load

Visual Intensity×3

10105.5

Headspace Depth×3

8104.8

Auditory Effects×1

10103.6

Body Load / Somatic Effects×1

10103.0

Catalog Erowid BlueLight

Based on reports from:

Effect Index Wracked with Color — nervewing Effect Index Unity with a Friend — Josie Effect Index My Fourth Experience with Unity — Josie Effect Index Cosmic Copyright Warning — Rho Effect Index Extreme Psychosis — Cocoanatta TiHKAL TiHKAL #21: 4-HO-MET Bluelight Big & Dandy Thread Erowid Experience Reports PsychonautWiki 4-HO-MET The Drug Users Bible 4-HO-MET

Duration Timeline

Bluelight

Onset Comeup Peak Offset After Effects

Oral

15-40 minutes

30 minutes - 1.0 hours

2-3 hours

1-1.5 hours

2-12 hours

Total: 4-6 hours

Insufflated

0-1 minutes

2-8 hours

Total: 3-7 hours

Intravenous

1-10 minutes

3.0-7.0 hours

2.0-8.0 hours

Total: 3-7 hours

Smoked

15 seconds-2 minutes hours

2-8 hours

Total: 25-45 minutes hours

Community Effects

TripSit

Positive

visual enhancement euphoria color enhancement music enhancement sociability

Negative

nausea body load anxiety

Tolerance & Pharmacokinetics

drugs.wiki

Half-Life

Unknown in humans; effect-duration ~4–6 h suggests a moderate elimination rate.

Addiction Potential

Low; not considered habit-forming. No established physical dependence or withdrawal syndrome reported.

Tolerance Decay

Full tolerance 6h Half tolerance 7d Baseline ~14d

Estimates reflect typical serotonergic psychedelic patterns; individual variability is high and data are anecdotal/community-derived. Redosing within the same day produces diminishing returns.

Cross-Tolerances

Psilocybin/Psilocin

LSD and analogues

Other 4-substituted tryptamines (e.g., 4-AcO-MET/4-HO-MiPT)

Experience Report Analysis

Erowid BlueLight

104 Reports

60 Single-substance

2007–2025 Date Range

94 With Age Data

31 Effects Detected

Demographics

Gender Distribution

Age Distribution

Reports Over Time

Effect Analysis

Erowid + Bluelight

Effects aggregated from 88 experience reports (60 single-substance Erowid + 28 Bluelight)

88 Reports

135 Effects Detected

67 Positive

41 Adverse

27 Neutral

Effect Sentiment Distribution

Confidence Distribution

Each bar is the share of reports mentioning the effect; its whisker, and the band on the rows below, is the 95% interval: where the share could plausibly be with other reports of the same kind.

Positive Effects 67

Visual Distortions 65.9% 81%

Color Enhancement 54.6% 89%

Joy 46.4% 86%

Music Enhancement 43.2% 86%

Euphoria 43.2% 90%

Introspection 40.9% 82%

Geometric Imagery 39.3% 90%

Awe 35.7% 83%

Closed-Eye Visuals 33.0% 91%

Surface Breathing 32.1% 87%

Contentment 28.6% 82%

Entity Imagery 28.6% 83%

Stimulation 28.4% 80%

Empathy 23.9% 82%

Visual Trails 21.4% 82%

Patterning 21.4% 92%

Insight 21.4% 84%

Thought Acceleration 17.9% 81%

Bliss 17.9% 88%

Empathogenic Connection 17.9% 81%

Adverse Effects 41

Anxiety 56.8% 82%

Body Load 42.9% 75%

Nausea 26.2% 90%

Confusion 25.0% 77%

Fear 25.0% 88%

Muscle Tension 20.0% 70%

Panic 17.9% 86%

Thought Disorganization 17.9% 81%

Depersonalization 14.3% 86%

Sweating 13.6% 85%

Thought Loops 12.5% 77%

Memory Suppression 11.4% 75%

Dysphoria 10.7% 83%

Motor Suppression 10.7% 78%

Headache 10.3% 75%

Pupil Dilation 9.1% 87%

Increased Heart Rate 8.3% 70%

Paranoid Ideation 7.1% 80%

Frequent Urination 7.1% 78%

Derealization 7.1% 85%

⚠ Psychosis 5.0% 70%

Show 20 more adverse effects

Identity Confusion 7.1% 88%

Jaw Clenching 6.8% 82%

Disinhibition 3.6% 85%

Involuntary Movements 3.6% 85%

Visual Snow 3.6% 80%

Disrupted Sleep Architecture 3.6% 75%

Tactile Hallucination 3.6% 85%

Vomiting 3.6% 95%

Guilt 3.6% 80%

Temporal Disorientation 3.6% 85%

Dry Mouth 3.6% 80%

Diarrhea 3.6% 75%

Tactile Suppression 3.6% 70%

Pareidolia 3.6% 80%

Insomnia 3.6% 70%

Visual Suppression 3.6% 80%

Delusion 3.6% 75%

Acid Reflux 3.6% 75%

Sadness 3.6% 80%

Fatigue 3.6% 75%

Show 27 neutral or unclassified mentions

Time Dilation 32.1%

Auditory Effects 27.2%

Chills 21.4%

Ego Dissolution 18.2%

Time Distortion 16.7%

Focus Suppression 14.3%

Sedation 13.6%

Dissociation 11.7%

Restlessness 10.7%

Tremor 10.7%

Size Distortion 10.7%

Numbness 7.1%

Pitch Shifting 7.1%

Auditory Echo 7.1%

Hospital 5.0%

Heaviness 3.6%

Metallic Taste 3.6%

Blurred Vision 3.6%

Butterflies In The Stomach 3.6%

Libido Suppression 3.6%

Appetite Suppression 3.6%

Vivid Dreams 3.6%

Salivation 3.6%

Body Temperature Change 3.6%

Sociability Suppression 3.6%

Perspective Distortion 3.6%

Field Narrowing 3.6%

Also reported in combinations. In the 44 4-HO-MET reports where another drug was taken too, 5 (11.4%) mention hospital, emergency services or an overdose, 1 (2.3%) a seizure and 4 (9.1%) psychosis. In the 60 single-substance reports: 5.0%, 0.0% and 5.0%. These are not in the figures above: they cannot be put down to 4-HO-MET alone, and a mention is not always something that happened to the writer.

Dose-Response Correlation

How effect frequency changes across dose levels. Whiskers, and the numbers' hover text, give each figure's 95% interval.

Not drawn, too few reports (a dose tier needs 20): Oral Strong (n=11). Why 20?

Dosage Distribution

Dose distribution from experience reports, one dose per report (the first listed). Doses above Q3 + 3×IQR, far above what people typically take, are left out of the median and range and listed under each route: most are real heavy doses or overdoses, not mistakes.

Median: 17.5 mg IQR: 10.0–22.8 mg n=46

2 reports gave a dose above the typical range (120–400 mg), so they are not in the figures above. Listing a dose here does not mean it is safe.

Show the reports

400 mg
120 mg · another drug taken too

Real-World Dose Distribution

Erowid

From 127 of 137 recorded dose entries: those that state a weight (mg, g or µg), in routes with at least five of them. Values above Q3 + 3×IQR, far above what people typically take, are left out; they can include real heavy doses and overdoses, not only mistakes.

Oral (n=108)

Median: 20.0mg 25th: 10.0mg 75th: 27.25mg 90th: 35.75mg

Insufflated (n=6)

Median: 17.5mg 25th: 15.0mg 75th: 23.75mg 90th: 25.0mg

Intramuscular (n=5)

Median: 10.0mg 25th: 10.0mg 75th: 30.0mg 90th: 36.0mg

Sublingual (n=5)

Median: 20.0mg 25th: 20.0mg 75th: 27.0mg 90th: 34.2mg

Common Combinations

Most co-occurring substances, as a share of all 104 reports filed under 4-HO-MET; whiskers are 95% intervals

Form / Preparation

Most common forms and preparations, as a share of the 65 reports that give one; whiskers are 95% intervals

Body-Weight Dosing

Dose per kg of body weight, one dose per report (the first listed), from reports giving a weight of 30–250 kg. Doses above Q3 + 3×IQR, far above what people typically take, are left out of the median and range and listed under each route.

Median: 0.245 mg/kg IQR: 0.176–0.299 mg/kg n=43

3 reports gave a dose above the typical range (1.029–5 mg/kg), so they are not in the figures above. Listing a dose here does not mean it is safe.

Show the reports

5 mg/kg
1.824 mg/kg · another drug taken too
1.029 mg/kg · another drug taken too

Redose Patterns

Redosing behavior across 69 reports

13.0% Redosed

1.2 Avg Doses

20m Median Interval

Legal Status

Country	Status	Notes
Austria	4-HO-MET is illegal to possess, produce and sell under the NPSG (Neue-Psychoaktive-Substanzen-Gesetz Österreich).
Canada	4-HO-MET is unscheduled in Canada.
Finland	Scheduled in the "government decree on psychoactive substances banned from the consumer market".
Germany	4-HO-MET is ruled under the Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz (NpSG) since July 18, 2019.	Production and Import with intent to distribute is punishable. Possession is forbidden but not punishable, although ordering it in small quantities can still be seen as an intent to distribute it and be punished. 4-Propionoxy-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine (also referred to as 4-PrO-MET) is the ester prodrug of 4-HO-MET. Unlike many other tryptamine derivatives, it is currently not explicitly listed under the German Neue-psychoaktive-Stoffe-Gesetz (NpSG). This means that, while its use as a recreational substance is not legally permitted, the compound may be obtained and handled for legitimate research purposes, provided all other relevant legal requirements and safety regulations are observed.
Japan	4-HO-MET is a controlled substance in Japan effective March 25th, 2015.
Sweden	The Swedish Riksdag added 4-HO-MET to Schedule I ("substances, plant materials and fungi which normally do not have medical use") as narcotics in Sweden as of May 1, 2012, published by Medical Products Agency in their regulation LVFS 2012:6.
Switzerland	4-HO-MET is a controlled substance specifically named under Verzeichnis E.
United Kingdom	4-HO-MET is a class A drug in the United Kingdom, as a result of the tryptamine catch-all clause.
United States	4-HO-MET is not scheduled at the federal level in the United States, but it is possible that it could be considered an analogue of psilocin, in which case purchase, sale, or possession could be prosecuted under the Federal Analogue Act.	It is a schedule I substance in some states, such as South Dakota and West Virginia.

Harm Reduction

drugs.wiki

4-HO-MET is a 4-hydroxylated tryptamine analogous to psilocin; community and Shulgin/TiHKAL notes place oral activity around 10–20 mg with 4–6 h total duration, but sensitivity varies widely—always titrate from low doses with an accurate milligram scale or volumetric dosing. Research chemicals are frequently misrepresented; use drug checking: Ehrlich reagent should turn positive for indoles but only confirms an indole, not identity—use multiple reagents (e.g., Hofmann/Marquis/Mecke) and prefer lab testing when available. Most retail 4-HO-MET is the fumarate salt due to better stability; keep airtight, dry, opaque, and cold (freezer with desiccant) to slow oxidation/darkening; color change does not reliably indicate potency loss, but degradation is possible over time. Avoid vaporizing/smoking salts; 4-substituted tryptamines tend to thermally degrade and give unreliable effects; oral is most characterized and predictable. Insufflation has a faster onset and shorter duration but is irritating and moreish; nasal care (saline rinse) helps, and redosing is often less efficient due to rapid tachyphylaxis. Dangerous interactions include MAOIs (potentiate/instability), lithium (documented seizures with serotonergic psychedelics), and tramadol (seizure and serotonin toxicity risk); avoid triptans near dosing windows for added serotonergic/vasoconstrictive risk. SSRIs/SNRIs commonly blunt psychedelic effects and make dose-response unpredictable; do not increase dose to compensate without caution. Combining with stimulants or empathogens can markedly increase cardiovascular load and anxiety; if combining at all, use lower doses than usual and cool environments. Cannabis can strongly amplify visuals and anxiety on 4-HO-MET; introduce late and gently if at all. Keep a calm, trusted sitter for first trials; if severe anxiety/overstimulation occurs, a measured benzodiazepine dose can de-escalate but impairs memory/coordination—avoid alcohol and other depressants concurrently. Tolerance to serotonergic psychedelics rises rapidly after a session and decays over about 7–14 days; cross-tolerance occurs with LSD/psilocybin/other tryptamines—spacing sessions reduces dose creep and preserves psychological integration.

4-HO-MET Stats & Data

Receptor Profile

Receptor Actions

Subjective Effects

Physical

Cognitive

Sensory

Toxicity

Effect Profile

Duration Timeline

Community Effects

Tolerance & Pharmacokinetics

Tolerance Decay

Cross-Tolerances

Experience Report Analysis

Demographics

Gender Distribution

Age Distribution

Reports Over Time

Effect Analysis

Effect Sentiment Distribution

Confidence Distribution

Positive Effects 67

Adverse Effects 41

Dose-Response Correlation

Dosage Distribution

Real-World Dose Distribution

Oral (n=108)

Insufflated (n=6)

Intramuscular (n=5)

Sublingual (n=5)

Common Combinations

Form / Preparation

Body-Weight Dosing

Redose Patterns

Legal Status

Harm Reduction

References

Data Sources

Cited References

Additional references