DOI

(Dimethoxyiodoamphetamine)

TrippyWiki score: 7.6/10

What is DOI?

DOI (Dimethoxyiodoamphetamine) is a psychedelic substance of the amphetamine class that was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin in 1972. The effects are similar to those of LSD, the main difference is that DOI lasts for much longer and it has stimulant qualities. The drug is almost identical to DOM, DOB, and DOC.

Why choose DOI over other psychedelics?

DOI…

Is relatively physically safe and it almost never leads to a fatal overdose (if so, combining the substance with other drugs is usually to blame)
Is relatively gentle and doesn’t cause a “bad trip” as often as most other psychedelics, despite the drug’s long duration
Has a lot of research to back up its safety and potential benefits
Usually doesn’t cause nausea or physical discomfort
Allows you to have cleaner thoughts than if you were to take magic mushrooms, for example
Has a longer duration than almost any other psychedelic, allowing you to derive more insights from your trip
Won’t make you addicted unless you take the drug just to have fun and see pretty colors

Long-term benefits & side effects

Many of the benefits will only occur if you follow the tips below.
Most (if not all) of the side effects are preventable and they will not happen if you follow the Safety checklist.

DOI…

Seems to be an effective way to treat depression and PTSD
Can lower your levels of stress and anxiety, including social anxiety
Is being used to cure addictions
Might help you form positive habits, such as meditation and exercise
Increases neuroplasticity
Makes you more creative and open-minded
Helps you look at your life from a different perspective
Allows you to heal your childhood trauma and forgive people who’ve hurt you
Makes you more conscious and loving
Can help you transcend the fear of death
Gives you insights into the nature of reality
Makes you appreciate nature more
Can be used for treating autism
Is an effective way to treat cluster headaches
Has some anti-inflammatory properties, might decrease your chance of cancer
Is believed to slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s
…

Might not be real DOI and can instead be a physically dangerous substance (25I-NBOMe is a common substitute)
Has led to self-harm by people who took it in an unsafe environment
Might speed up the onset of schizophrenia if you’re genetically predisposed to it
Can cause HPPD and physical damage if you combine it with other substances (such as alcohol or stimulants)
Could cause you trauma due to bad set and setting
Might lead to drug-induced psychosis if you’re predisposed to it
Can be psychologically addictive (but only if you use the psychedelic recreationally)
Can cause seizures in rare cases
Is illegal in many places and you might get arrested for getting involved with the substance
May cause heart problems if you’re predisposed to them because of the drug’s stimulant effects
May cause long-term physical damage (even though this is unlikely, there is not enough data to prove the drugs long-term safety)
…

How to take DOI

Administration

DOI is mostly sold on a blotter or as a pill but you can also buy it in gummy bears or in a liquid form. Either way, you can either swallow the substance or let it dissolve on your tongue.

Always test your blotter with a Marquis Reagent Testing Kit because 25I-NBOMe is sometimes sold as DOI and it can be extremely dangerous even in a tiny amount. If the drug turns brown, you have NBOMe.

If you are not willing to do this, swallow the substance. If you do so, NBOMe should not affect you in any way.

If you stick the tab under your tongue, the drug will dissolve a little faster and it will take slightly less time to notice the effects.

Dosage

0.2 mg = Microdose
Best if you’re afraid of tripping and you still want to reap the benefits
0.5-1 mg = Light dose
Best if you take the substance for enjoyment or for solving human problems (business, relationships, …)
1-2 mg = Regular dose
The insights you’ll learn are easier to retain and incorporate than if you were to take higher doses
2-3 mg = Strong dose
Best for getting mystical experiences and insights into the nature of reality, this dose is also great if you have a problem with letting go because it will force you to surrender to the experience
3+ mg = High dose
The benefits of a high dose are similar to a high dose while the risks are higher so do not take this dose unless you have a great reason for it. High doses could be physically dangerous

It’s been shown that mystical experiences can deeply change your identity and the higher the dose you take, the more intense they will be.

Do not, however, start with a strong dose if you don’t have a trip sitter nearby.

A strong dose can easily cause you to reach a breakthrough where you lose sense of the physical world. You will become so conscious that you will “go unconscious.”

The last thing you want is to be lying on the ground for hours in nature, let alone on a street or in a club.

So keep in mind that the higher the dose you take, the more important it is to be in a safe environment.

Some people are more sensitive than others. There are people who can take a relative or even a strong dose and feel nothing. This mainly happens to people with autism. Otherwise, it is rare.

Equivalents for 1.5 mg of DOI

The effects of the psychedelics below are not the same as the effects of DOI. This chart only compares the intensity of each substance.

DOM	4 mg
DOB	1.5 mg
DOC	3 mg
DOI	1.5 mg
LSD	100 µg
Dry Mushrooms	1.7 grams
Mescaline	250 mg
Moringa Glory (LSA)	150 seeds
HWB (LSA)	6 seeds
1P-LSD	100 µg
ETH-LAD	75 µg
AL-LAD	115 µg
ALD-52	110 µg
LSZ	125 µg
25I-NBOMe	600 µg (can be dangerous!)
4-AcO DMT	15 mg
4-HO MET	16 mg

Safety checklist

Maximize the benefits

Keep in mind that integration is even more important than the trip itself. Taking psychedelics would be almost useless if you didn’t retain any lessons in your day-to-day life.

What will help you the most is contemplating about the experience – be it by journaling, thinking about the trip, or sharing your memories with a trusted friend.

Distracting thoughts can get in the way, which is why you want to spend the day after your trip without TV, social media, and other distractions.

If you can, spend time in silence and solitude. Meditate, go for a walk, contemplate the experience.

Should you listen to music on DOI?

Music can make the trip more pleasant and greatly increase the benefits. That is why it is used in most psychotherapy sessions.

However, not all music is created equal. Listening to N.W.A. and 2Pac wouldn’t be so helpful. Even positive, relaxing music with lyrics can be a distraction.

If you decide to listen to music on psychedelics, choose calm, classical music with little to no lyrics.

This playlist used in Johns Hopkins psilocybin studies is proven to be extremely effective:

The author of the playlist, Roland Griffiths, went over hundreds of songs and only chose the best of the best based on how his patients responded to the music.

The music should be loud enough so you can hear it clearly but not unpleasantly loud. If you can, play it in your headphones.

Duration

Onset = 1-2 hours
Come up = 2-3 hours
Peak = 5-10 hours
Come down = 5-10 hours

You should notice the first effects within 90 minutes after you take the psychedelic
You will reach the maximum effect around the 5-hour mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 12-20 hours
At heroic doses, your trip may last for even longer (up to 30 hours in some cases)
If you eat before your trip, the substance will take longer to kick in (sometimes over 6 hours)

What does DOI feel like?

The effects of DOI are virtually identical to a more famous DOM and comparable to those of LSD. The main difference between DOI and LSD is that DOI also acts as a stimulant and lasts for much longer (approximately 1.5x longer).

The drug also makes users more sociable. This effect is similar to what MDMA users experience.

Other common effects include:

Euphoria
Music enhancement
Increased creativity and open-mindedness
Mindfulness, being present
Higher capability for love and compassion
Pain relief
Feeling one with all that is
Seeing life from a different perspective
Appreciating small things
Higher energy
Increased awareness
Stamina enhancement
Feeling your emotions more intensely
Memory suppression
Time distortion
Inability to sleep
Visual effects (enhanced colors, seeing patterns in everything, distortions, …)
Getting stuck in a thought loop
Confusion
Nausea
Headache
Inability to focus
Increased body temperature
Increased heart rate
Worse thermoregulation
Difficulty urinating
Anxiety, paranoia
Vulnerability

The higher dose you take, the more intense these effects will be.

With that said, it is impossible to accurately describe the experience through human language.

The psychedelic affects each individual differently and no two trips are the same. Therefore, there is virtually no way to know what your trip will feel like.

The only way to truly know what DOI feels like is to try it.

The substance will most likely give you a pleasant experience. Bad trips can happen but you can prevent them by following the tips below.

Bad trips

Bad trips mostly happen because people take the substance irresponsibly. If you take this psychedelic the right way, there is virtually no chance you’ll get a bad trip.

In case you still do, that’s good! A “bad” trip isn’t always bad, it can actually be the most healing and insightful moment of your life!

During a “bad” trip, negative emotions are coming up from your subconscious mind. They have always been there whether you are aware of it or not. They have been damaging your life and a difficult trip is an opportunity to process these traumas and unpleasant feelings and let go of them.

The more painful the experience, the more you can heal.

So instead of calling bad trips bad, call them challenging.

If you understand that bad trips are awesome in the long run, not only will you feel more comfortable diving into these challenging states, it will actually excite you!

Why they happen

The most common reasons for getting a bad trip are:

Tripping in an unsafe environment (in public, at a party, even nature doesn’t feel safe if you take higher doses)
Facing difficult times in your day-to-day life (a break-up, death of a loved one, …)
Rejecting to let go and trying to hold on to your ego and control the state
Being afraid of the trip (either because of the stigma around psychedelics or because you are not sure how pure your substance is)
Mixing the psychedelic with alcohol, weed, or other drugs
Expecting a bad trip (it can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy)

How to cope with a bad trip

Do not perceive this experience as something bad, remember that facing these difficult emotions is extremely healing
Fully surrender to the experience, do not try to feel good
If you’re alone, call a trusted friend to come over and keep you safe

How to end a bad trip

In case you are not ready to face your inner demons yet, there are a few ways to end a bad trip.

One possible way is to put on music that is familiar to you. Another way is to switch up your location and move from one place to another. This can completely change your train of thought.

In case the trip becomes extremely challenging and there is no one around you to keep you safe, consider ending your trip with a trip killer.

Using a trip killer usually is not the best idea because the bad emotions will stay unresolved and you will get little to no benefits from the experience. With that said, using a trip killer is smarter than harming yourself.

The 2 best options that you have for ending a bad trip are Phenibut and benzodiazepines.

Phenibut is generally safer. The downside is that it can take hours to kick in.

So to end a trip, use benzodiazepines but only do this if you completely have to.

Interactions

Qualia Mind
This nootropic is comprised of 28 ingredients designed to support and maximize your brain function. These ingredients act synergistically and many of them will protect you from the potential neurotoxic effects of the psychedelic. Qualia will also make your trips more pleasant and help you retain more benefits from them.
Green tea
Tea makes you both more alert and calm at the same time. It also contains neuroprotective antioxidants, such as EGCG.
Herbs
Herbs can help calm you down. Herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, …) are especially helpful.
CBD
CBD has a calming effect.
Magic mushrooms
The substances act synergistically, some people prefer this combination instead of taking the two individually.
Weed
Marijuana will greatly intensify the trip.
MDMA (Candy Flipping)
They have a synergistic effect but DOI might increase the neurotoxicity of MDMA. Also, do not combine the two if you suffer from heart problems.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide will multiply the intensity of your trip.
Dissociatives
Combining dissociatives with psychedelics won’t necessarily cause you harm but it can be confusing and lead to bad trips.
Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, …)
Benzos will end your psychedelic experience within 40 minutes but using this method may cause you side effects in the long run.
Alcohol
Alcohol minimizes all the potential benefits of a psychedelic experience. It also greatly increases your chance of having a bad trip.
SSRIs or MAOIs
Not only will these antidepressants greatly decrease the intensity of your trip, but they can also lead to long-lasting side effects.
Lithium
Combining psychedelics with lithium significantly increases the risk of seizures and psychosis.
Stimulants
The combination can easily lead to heart problems, even if you’re a healthy individual.
Tramadol
Combining the two can cause seizures.
St. John’s Wort
This combination may lead to serotonin syndrome.

Microdosing

Microdosing DOI might be even more beneficial than microdosing LSD. This is because the DOx family seems to have anti-inflammatory properties.

However, we don’t have enough data to know for certain that DOI is safe when taken on a regular basis for a long period of time.

If you are going to microdose DOI, do so every 3rd or 4th day. Taking a microdose more often is not a good idea because you would become tolerant to the substance and it would have little to no effect.

Around 80% of people who take LSD microdoses claim that it has profoundly changed their lives. This is likely the case for DOI as well.

For some, microdosing has cured their depression and helped them find beauty in small things. Some also say that they experience significantly less anxiety when they microdose.

Many people take tiny doses of acid to become more creative and productive throughout the day. Microdosing has also been shown to increase athletic performance.

What is awesome about microdosing is that you can stop at any time in case you notice some adverse reaction or if you simply don’t see any benefits.

How to microdose

Put your blotters into distilled water Keep the water in a cold dark place for 24 hours to make sure your tab has fully dissolved into the liquid.

Put the liquid into your fridge so that the substance doesn’t oxidize. If you store your substance in the fridge, it will last for up to a year there, sometimes even longer. The same applies to a freezer.

Take the liquid every 3rd day, preferably on the days you want to be the most creative.

Do so in the morning so that the substance doesn’t interfere with your sleep.

Legality

As of 2021, DOI is illegal in almost every country.

In many countries, you can legally own a small amount of the substance for personal use (in Mexico and Portugal, for example).

FAQ

Becoming addicted to DOI is virtually impossible. What you need to know about is tolerance.

If you were to trip 2 days in a row, your 2nd trip would be extremely weak. You will have to wait for several days to refresh your tolerance.

How many days does it take?

This mostly depends on the dose. At regular doses, it takes approximately 7 days to become sensitive again.

So you could technically take the drug every week but if you want to maximize the benefits, do not trip before you integrate all the lessons from your last trip.

Counter-intuitively, you might get more benefits by tripping less often.

That is why you may only want to trip once or twice a month or just a couple of times a year.

As your trips get more and more intense, you will not want to trip nearly as often anyway.

DOI is a partial agonist for the 5-HT_2A, 5-HT_2B, and 5-HT_2C receptors.

DOI also shows efficacy at all dopamine and norepinephrine receptors.

With that said, the only way to truly know what this psychedelic does to your brain is to try it yourself.

Most importantly, you need to trip in a safe place where there are no strangers around.

Whether you should take the drug at home or in nature will depend on your priorities.

Tripping at home is safer and better for personal growth while taking psychedelics outside will help you develop a strong connection with nature.

Try both and see which one you like more.

If you are a mentally stable individual who does not suffer from psychosis or have a predisposition to schizophrenia, there is virtually no way you would develop any mental illnesses because of taking the psychedelic.

DOI can be detected in your blood for 6-12 hours after you’ve taken it.

It stays in your urine for 3-4 days.

In your hair, the drug can be detected for a couple of months.

All that said, there’s almost no chance anyone would ever test you for DOI. Police officers rarely do it and in sports, the drug usually isn’t prohibited.

DOI blotters have no taste or a slightly bitter taste because of the ink. If your blotter is very bitter, spit it out! It is likely to be 25I-NBOMe which may cause you physical harm and can even kill you.

Order a Marquis Reagent Testing Kit from the internet and follow the instructions on its label. If the test shows a presence of NBOMe, trash the substance. If not, the blotter should be safe to take.

Keep the substance in a cold dark place, preferably with no air.

If you don’t do this, the drug will lose potency within a few weeks or months.

When you store the blotters/pills well, it will last for years or even decades.

Eating before you take DOI has some advantages as well as a few disadvantages.

One reason you’d want to eat before your trip is because people sometimes lose appetite on psychedelics.

Preparing and eating food can also be a distraction.

If you don’t eat anything and become hungry during your trip, it can make you feel fatigued and irritated.

However, eating before your trip can cause nausea and even make you vomit.

The substance will also take longer to kick in, sometimes up to 5 hours.

So the best way to go about food is to eat a little bit 1-2 hours before the trip and have some snacks prepared next to you.

Those who suffer from heart problems or are predisposed to them
Immature people who are not willing to follow the safety guidelines
People who suffer from psychosis
People who have a familial history of schizophrenia
Those who suffer from HPPD
People who are going through a manic phase of bipolar disorder
If you’re going through extremely challenging times, you can take psychedelics but the trips might be unpleasant, beware of that

TABLE OF CONTENTS