The Complete DMHA Guide [2021]

While we wait for updates with the DMAA case, DMHA has swooped in and taken its place. In fact, almost every product containing DMAA now features DMHA. But what is this “new” ingredient and what can we expect from it? We’re covering these questions!

Have a specific question? Jump to your answer!

• What is DMHA: The Basics
• Is It Legal in 2021?
• What Can You Expect?
• Ingredients That Compare?
• What Products Have It?

Have an uncovered question? Comment Below! Or send us an email HERE!

What Is DMHA?

As we’ve said time and time again…

DMHA is a DMAA-like stimulant. (1) Originally, or at least medically, it’s used as a decongestant. In supplements, it may help  improve performance and increase weight loss. But, you’re not likely to see “DMHA” on the label of your favorite pre workout or fat burner. It has a TON of different names but here’s a short list of the common ones: (2)

• 1,5-Dimethylhexylamine
• 1,5-DMHA
• 2-amino-5-methylheptane
• 2-amino-6-methylheptane
• 2-aminoisoheptane
• 2-Heptylamine, 6-methyl-
• 2-Isooctyl amine
• 2-Metil-6-amino-eptano
• 6-Amino-2-methylheptane
• Amidrine
• Octodrine
• Vaporpac

Background

This ingredient can come from nature or be made synthetically. Generally, companies are more likely to make it synthetically due to this being the cheaper method. But, it comes from the Juglans Regia tree. In products like (spoiler) Hydroxyelite, this is labeled as Walnut Bark Extract. We’ll talk more about this product and more below but feel free to jump to it!

Is DMHA Legal?

Short answer: As of today, Yes!

Detailed answered: Yes, but it’s complicated. In April of 2019, the US FDA did send out warning letters to manufacturers to remove DMHA from their products. This was due to companies not submitting a New Dietary Ingredient Notification (NDIN), which is required for all new dietary ingredients. Or if DMHA was an unsafe food additive. (3)

But here’s the thing-

DMHA isn’t new. It’s a constituent of walnuts, which has been around for long before any FDA Law. So this isn’t a strong enough case to ban the ingredient. But, what about it being “unsafe”?  Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, along with other companies, have been selling products with DMHA for 2(+)  years now. With no serious issues from consumers when taken properly.

And let’s not forget it’s medical use as a decongestant, which has been instated in the 1950s. (4) Therefore, we can’t really ban it for this reason either. And don’t worry if you’ve grown to love DMHA as much as we have, Hi-Tech has fought the FDA for it. And continues to fight for DMAA.

What About Sports?

Being legal in the US is great and all, but what are the chances of a false positive on a drug test?

It’s possible. We can’t guarantee it will or won’t. Generally, if this is a concern for you, we would advise you to stray away from risky products. Not just ones containing DMHA.

But, for this matter, we have a statement from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

“Categorized as a stimulant under the World Anti-Doping Prohibited List, octodrine is prohibited in-competition. Because clearances times depend on many individual factors, USADA cannot advise athletes on when they should discontinue using a substance to ensure that it has completely “washed out” from their body. Octodrine is not included in FDA-approved medications for any medical condition, so USADA would not grant a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for a product containing the substance.” (5)

If you’re an athlete or if your profession limits what kind of supplements you can take;

Send us an email or talk to one of our Live-chat agents before you buy a product. We can help guide you to products that have been okayed before.

How Does DMHA Work?

As we’ve mentioned, DMHA is a stimulant. It’s structurally similar to 2 familiar compounds (maybe more):

• 1,3 Dimethylamylamine (AKA DMAA)
• Amphetamine

Based on that alone, there’s an expectation that it will act like both these compounds. Just not as potently.

Diving in deeper:

There, unfortunately, isn’t many human studies on DMHA to back up its effects. But, due to the methyl group on the alpha carbon, it should have a half-life similar to DMAA and Amphetamine (9-11 hours). And it should act as a monoamine releasing agent (MRA) of catecholamines like DMAA. This includes dopamine and norepinephrine.

Then DMHA binds to the trace amine associated receptor 1. This will temporarily prevent the re-uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine into the presynaptic nerve. By doing this, these catecholamines remain active in your body for longer. This attributes to the euphoric and wakeful feelings we get from ingredients like this. (4)

What To Expect From DMHA?

Alright, so we’ve gone through what happens in the inside. But, what effects can you expect?

Again there are not enough human studies to back up these effects. The following information is based on customer feedback and our anecdotally experiences. Everyone will have a different experience and because DMHA is rarely taken on its own, we can’t guarantee any effect is directly because of it.

With that little disclaimer out:

What’s the feedback?

Customers state the effects last several hours. And that they felt a heightened sense of euphoria during that period of time. This is what we can predict based on the structure and similarities to DMAA. As far as any crash goes, it was reported as a much smoother come-down.

But, adversely the come-up is also gradual. So if you’re looking for a spike of energy, DMHA isn’t for you. Customers also explained that they felt some appetite suppression with the DMHA. This is generally going to be tied to stimulants.

Are There Side Effects?

Any stimulant will have its fair share of risks. Some of the reported side effects include; (4)

• Nausea
• Energy crash
• High blood pressure
• Heart palpitations
• Labored breathing
• Hyperthermia

Reading that list might scare you away from the products below. And if these side effects are a concern for you, you should, in the very least, consult a doctor. But, it wouldn’t be fair to paint DMHA as the bad guy. Not without comparing the side effects to more common stimulants, such as caffeine: (6)

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Digestive Issues
• Muscle Breakdown (in large amounts)
• Addiction
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart palpitations
• Fatigue
• Frequent Urination

Comparisons

Congrats! We’re almost at the end of the post. Now we’ve reached the good stuff (and probably why you’re here).

DMAA VS DMHA

We’ve already tapped into this a little in the “What To Expect” section, but here we’re getting as deep as research lets us. And your feedback of course. To start off, let do a review comparison of our top selling fat burner Hydroxyelite.

Way back when it had DMAA our reviews looked like this:

The Structure:

DMAA contains two methyl groups located directly next to the NH2 group on either side. This makes it very effective at blocking MOA and increasing potency.

Compare the structure of DMAA  to the structure of DMHA and you’ll understand why DMHA is said to have about 70-80% the strength of DMAA.

The overall opinion on DMHA to DMAA is that it has a lot of the focus elements, but comes a little short in the energy department. The good news though is that the crash from DMHA is reported as much smoother. Allowing consumers to continue to have a good day long after the stimulant has worn off.

DMHA vs Ephedrine

So the thing with ephedrine is that it hasn’t been available for use in dietary supplements in the US for a long time. It’s not illegal though! Much like DMHA, ephedrine has its use in medicine. In fact, it’s also a nasal decongestant. It’s one of four active components from the plant Ephedra. Now supplements use just ephedra and remove the ephedrine alkaloids. But back in the day ephedrine was very popular for ECA stacks (ephedrine, caffeine, and aspirin). (7) And it’s really common for fat burners today to mimic this stack with ephedra.

But besides their medicinal use, what do these compounds have in common?

It’s actually structurally similar to not only DMHA and DMAA, but also Amphetamine.

But what do people think?

It’s varied, to say the least. Some people feel DMHA is more like ephedrine than DMAA and some say the opposite. The clear thing is that they are related, which is why even in medicine they share a purpose.

What Products Have DMHA

A lot. It’s actually very popular in fat burners and pre workouts. So we’ll try to include as many popular products as possible but keep in mind this isn’t the full list.

Fat burners

*In no particular order*

Awesome! Review by Jack

Amazing! Review by N/A

The shipment arrived quickly and on time! I have a ton of energy and have seen a huge increase in my metabolism just after 2 weeks of taking this product. I only take a half in am and half in the after noon and it gives me energy all day and curbs my cravings so I’m not snacking all day. (Posted on 1/11/21)

LOVE IT! Review by Felicia

I tried Lipodrene back in November and loved it. At first, I heard my fit friends talking about how much energy and focus it have them. At the time, I was not eating clean and honestly could not relate. However, as soon as I cleaned up my diet, I began to feel the same energy and focus, and the pounds started falling off. I took a break for a few months and just started again. It works. I love this product! (Posted on 6/13/19)

Synadrene Review by Kristina 

Just What I Was Looking For! Review by Karin

Clean energy laser focus after all of these years looking for anything close to Eca stack that felt good …finally keep it up hi tech. (Posted on 5/25/19) 

Great Appetite Suppressant! Review by Robert 

Personally I think this is better than the prescription phentermine. Controls hunger and doesn’t keep me up all night. (Posted on 8/1/19)

Favorite Product! Review by Lex

This is one of the strongest fat burners I have tried and I’ve tried many. Fastin XR is really good in terms of helping with weight loss and it suppresses my appetite. I have taken it it for about 4 weeks so far, I am down 15lbs! (Posted on 6/21/19) 

5lb Downs And Counting! Review by Tanner

I just started taking these to help with slimming down and I think its helping. My appetite is not as aggressive and I feel more awake throughout the day. (Posted on 5/8/20)

Love it! Review by Brandy

Top Shelf Energy And Fat Burner! Review by N/A

I have been using this product off and for for years, it’s the best product I’ve found for energy and fat burning. If you are sensitive to caffeine/stimulants, make sure to only take one max and take with a smoothie or food. Excellent overall product! (Posted on 12/15/20)

Best Ever! Review by Jeremiah 

This is by far the best fat burner I’ve ever taken without any negative side effects. I was a little hesitant about purchasing it at first but then I thought why not everything else has failed me. I’m glad I did. I’ve only been taking it for 2 months at 2 pills per day and I’ve already seen amazing results. I purchased 2 bottles so I still have one more month to go. Can’t wait to see the end result. I highly recommend this fat burner and I intend on using it until I’ve fully reached my weight loss goals! (Posted on 7/12/20)

Amazing! Review by Orla

Kills appetite, improved energy, you can feel the thermogenic working after 20mins. Will definitely be buying again. (Posted on 12/26/20)

It Works! Review by N/A

This S$&@/! Is The Bomb! Review by N/A

Holy smokes I ripped through my workout like never before and still felt stimulating effect 7 hours after I took one! (Posted on 1/7/21)

New Version ??? Review by Ally

Im a fan of the old version but they seemed to have got this right without changing very much.
I barely notice the difference between 1,3 and dmha. I don’t get that spike of energy like with the 1,3 but it feel more smooth. Not the strongest appetite suppressant tbh but still great. (Posted on 6/21/19)

Not Too Bad! Review by Alexandria

Arson Burns! Review by N/A

The Best! Review by Justin

Pre Workouts

*In no particular order*

Energy! Review by Calvin

Wicked Pre Workout Review by Chris

2 scoops of this stuff will get you where you need to be… the DMHA will give you focus and energy for hours! (Posted on 5/16/19)

Great Pre Workout! Review by Sandra

PUMPS & Lean Muscles! by Ahmed

Perfect in every way ! I have studied all ingredients and did some compression and research before ordering, i wanted to have a pre-workout that helps having lean muscles & a fat burner as well, to get me sweating and lose fats during workout. And definitely this gets the job done. After one week of using Jack’d up, i have leaner muscles & i sweat like a MF in my workout, i got a better shape and i feel great, not to mention that DMHA suppress my appetite & i don’t feel hungry at all, so i stay away from junk food & i keep up my intermittent fasting diet plan. I combine this with Growth from Blackstone labs & i am getting an amazing results. (Posted on Posted on 7/19/20)

Love It! Review by Joe

Love the bit of protein in with the mix. I had one of my best shoulder days the first day I took Ultimate Orange. Think I’m a lifelong consumer now. (Posted on 4/5/19)

Love This! Review by N/A

The product was great but the service I got from Same Day Supps is why I keep coming back. They didn’t have the flavor I ordered so they actually called me to ask if I wanted another flavor so they could ship it the same day. I got it a couple of days later. Great company to order from. (Posted on Posted on 9/27/20)

AMAZING!!!!!! Review By dennylolo

This was an easy and fast ordering process. 3 days and my product was delivered. AMAZING at how fast it got to my front door. What’s even more astonishingly Amazing was the product. OMGOODNESS!!! The BEST PRE-WORKOUT I have ever USED! The pump is unbelievable, the focus is real and I sweat like a pig in a blanket at the GYM! My new all time favorite PRE-WORKOUT. Btw, the poprock flavor is rocking my world. So tasty. I LOVE THIS STUFF! (Posted on 8/18/20)

Disclaimer: