3-MMA

3-MMA, also known as 3-methylmethamphetamine or metaphedrine, is a synthetic stimulant related to methamphetamine. Its structure contains a methyl group at the 3-position of the phenyl ring. The compound has appeared on the new psychoactive substance market, but information about its effects in humans remains very limited.

Chemistry

3-MMA is an N-methylated amphetamine with an additional methyl substituent on the aromatic ring. Its systematic name is N-methyl-1-(3-methylphenyl)propan-2-amine. It is structurally related to methamphetamine and is the non-keto counterpart of 3-MMC: unlike 3-MMC, 3-MMA does not contain a carbonyl group at the beta position.

The similarity in names can cause confusion. 3-MMA and 3-MMC are not the same substance and belong to different chemical subclasses. The former is a methyl-substituted methamphetamine, while the latter is a synthetic cathinone.

History and identification

3-MMA was first encountered in online drug-market discussions around 2020 and was reported to the European early-warning system from Sweden in 2021. It has also been listed in national monitoring and regulatory documents. The available record is much smaller than that for established amphetamines or more widely encountered designer stimulants.

The Wikipedia entry for metaphedrine identifies it as a methamphetamine derivative sold as a designer drug. The available PsychonautWiki discussion page is not a fully developed substance profile and does not provide a dependable account of subjective effects.

Pharmacology

Until recently, there was little direct information about how 3-MMA interacts with neurotransmitter systems. A 2026 in-vitro study measured its ability to inhibit the dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin transporters. The reported values showed stronger inhibition of the dopamine transporter than of the norepinephrine transporter, with substantially weaker inhibition of the serotonin transporter. This pattern is consistent with a catecholamine-oriented stimulant profile, although transporter inhibition in a laboratory assay is not the same as a demonstrated effect in humans (Stalberga and colleagues, 2026).

The same study did not establish a quantifiable potency value for 5-HT_2A receptor activation. The available results therefore do not support classifying 3-MMA as a psychedelic. More work is needed to establish whether it acts primarily as a transporter inhibitor, a releasing agent, or through a combination of mechanisms.

Subjective effects

A characteristic 3-MMA experience cannot yet be described reliably from human reports. It is generally expected to have stimulant properties because of its chemical structure and measured transporter activity, but detailed descriptions of euphoria, sociability, focus or physical sensations have not been established through controlled studies.

Human reports

There is no consistent set of human reports from which to describe a typical experience. A list of specific visual, cognitive or physical effects would give a false impression of certainty. The available evidence does not show whether 3-MMA resembles methamphetamine, other methyl-substituted amphetamines or a different stimulant profile in actual human experience.

Toxicity and research limitations

What is known about its risks

No well-characterised clinical series has established the acute toxicity, metabolism or long-term effects of 3-MMA. The 2026 transporter study adds to the limited evidence, but it was conducted in vitro and does not determine the consequences of exposure in people.

Regulatory documents have noted the lack of reported pharmacological and toxicological data for the compound. Structural similarity to methamphetamine is not enough to predict its potency or toxicity, and findings about 3-MMC or 4-MMA should not be transferred to 3-MMA without direct evidence.

Related compounds

3-MMA is related to methamphetamine, 3-MMC and other ring-substituted amphetamines. Its relationship to 3-MMC is structural rather than pharmacological: 3-MMA lacks the beta-keto group that defines the cathinone class.