Source-backed half-life profile
DMT half-life calculator
DMT has one of the fastest curves in the database, which is exactly why the page is useful: it shows how a short parent-compound half-life can coexist with a much richer experiential timeline.
Every curve begins at 100%. No dose or measured body concentration is assumed.
X-axis: elapsed time. Y-axis: modeled percentage of the relative starting point remaining. This is a mathematical visualization, not a personal concentration estimate.
What a careful reader should notice first
The displayed drop happens on a minutes scale. That makes it a clear example of why half-life, subjective duration, route, and setting should be kept in separate mental boxes.
Source angle
The linked human pharmacokinetic and psychopharmacology studies are more informative than the headline number alone because route and study design carry so much of the meaning.
Do not use it for
Do not read the 10.2-minute IV-infusion curve as a statement about other routes, psychological intensity, safety, or the full timing of an experience.
Best next step
Compare DMT with ayahuasca, psilocybin, LSD, and 5-MeO-DMT to separate parent-compound decline from duration.
DMT: evidence and interpretation notes
The evidence is fast and route-specific
The direct numerical source is a phase I study in 24 healthy adults who received DMT through a controlled 10-minute intravenous infusion. Across the study conditions, mean elimination half-life was reported between 9 and 12 minutes. HalfLifeDB uses 10.2 minutes, or 0.17 hours, as a center point for the display.
That design is part of the value, not a footnote. Intravenous infusion avoids an absorption phase that would appear with other routes, and the controlled pattern is not interchangeable with inhaled or orally combined exposure. The curve visualizes the studied IV parent-drug decline.
| Evidence source | What it contributes | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 phase I pharmacokinetic study | Direct human measurements, 24-participant context, and the 9-to-12-minute estimate | Results follow a controlled IV infusion and should not be transferred across routes |
| Earlier human psychopharmacology program | Separates biological measurements from subjective response and tolerance questions | It does not supply the selected half-life value |
| PubChem identity record | Compound identity and chemistry | It is not human pharmacokinetic evidence |
Why metabolism is central to the short curve
The 2023 paper reports rapid clearance consistent with DMT’s metabolic profile. Its laboratory work found reduced clearance when monoamine oxidase A was inhibited and also identified contributions from CYP2D6 and, to a lesser degree, CYP2C19. Those findings help explain why administration context can fundamentally change the time course.
HalfLifeDB does not simulate enzyme inhibition or combination exposure. Doing so would turn a transparent one-input model into a speculative interaction calculator. The omission is especially important for DMT because a brief unmodified parent-drug profile can look very different when metabolism is altered.
A minutes-scale half-life is not the whole experience
This is the fastest published curve in the current library. It demonstrates how quickly a parent compound can fall under a simple first-order model. It does not measure psychological intensity, subjective duration, functional recovery, or safety.
The defensible takeaway is precise: controlled IV research supports a roughly 9-to-12-minute parent-DMT half-life in the studied healthy adults. Other routes, combinations, and real-world circumstances require their own evidence rather than an adjustment to this line.
Reading this curve
HalfLifeDB uses 10 min as a representative input for DMT after a 10-minute IV infusion. In the simplified model, about 0.0% remains after 24 hours and about 3% remains after five half-lives, or roughly 51 min.
This is a very fast curve. The useful lesson is not "gone instantly," but how quickly a parent-compound model can move from prominent to low remaining percentages. The curve is relative: it does not estimate a person's measured concentration, effects, impairment, or time to clearance.
psychedelic context
Psychedelic duration is shaped by pharmacodynamics as well as pharmacokinetics, so subjective effects may not track a simple elimination curve.
- The curve does not predict psychological effects or functional safety.
- Metabolites and downstream receptor activity are not separately modeled.
- Published estimates may come from small or specialized study populations.
DMT timeline checkpoints
| Elapsed time | Modeled remaining | Reading note |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 13.0% | Long-tail portion of the model |
| 1 h | 1.70% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 2 h | 0.03% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 6 h | 0.00% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 24 h | 0.00% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
Nearby profiles by half-life
These entries sit near DMT within the psychedelic group when sorted by representative half-life. That makes them curve comparisons, not statements about equal potency, effects, or risk.
- Psilocybin (3 h)
- LSD (3.6 h)
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
| Representative half-life | 10 min |
|---|---|
| Modeled analyte or phase | DMT after a 10-minute IV infusion |
| Curve type | Normalized, first-order decline |
Selection note: The linked 2023 human study reported a mean elimination half-life of 9 to 12 minutes after a 10-minute intravenous infusion; the curve uses 10.2 minutes.
Sources and evidence context
A linked record is not automatically proof of the displayed value. Study, labeling, review, and compound identity sources serve different purposes; notes below identify limitations when they are known.
- Research abstract Timmermann C et al. Pharmacokinetics of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in humans (2023).Phase I human pharmacokinetic study in 24 healthy adults; direct basis for the 9-to-12-minute IV-infusion estimate.
- Research abstract Strassman RJ et al. Human psychopharmacology of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (1996).Human psychopharmacology research included to distinguish biological and subjective timelines; not the numerical basis for this curve.
- Identity record PubChem Compound Summary: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine.Compound identity record; background only.
What this page does not answer
- It does not estimate impairment, intoxication, or fitness to drive.
- It does not predict urine, blood, saliva, or hair test results.
- It does not model repeated exposure, tolerance, withdrawal, or interactions.
- It does not replace clinician, pharmacist, toxicologist, or emergency guidance.
Continue with context
- All substance profiles
- Browse the psychedelic group
- Compare this curve
- Clearance and volume of distribution
- Bioavailability, route, and formulation
- Active metabolites and parent compounds
- First-order vs nonlinear kinetics
- Detection windows vs half-life
- Reading labels and source quality
Read the medical disclaimer, methodology, and profile review log before using the model for comparison.