DOB
Pronunciation:dee-oh-bee
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:53581-53-6
Formal Names:4-Bromo-2,5-Dimethoxyamphetamine
Informal Names:Bob, Bromo-DMA, Bromo-STP, PBR
Type:Hallucinogen.Seepage 25
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule I (DEA no. 7391)
USA Availability:Illegal to possess
Pregnancy Category:None
Uses.This drug became available in the 1960s. It can produce hallucinations
and affect interpretations of time and space. Some persons who thought they
tookLSDwere actually on DOB. Research has found DOB effects to develop
more gradually and to be more prolonged than those of LSD.
A chemist who knew he was taking pure DOB reported that a small dose
brightened his perception of colors and created a mellow mood. Larger doses
created muscle tremors and increased insight into psychological issues. The
chemist recommended against attempting to drive a car while intoxicated. In
a controlled experimental setting with volunteers interested in using the drug
to gain better awareness of themselves, the drug stimulated thoughts, feelings,
and physical senses. People became more articulate, saw new meaning in or-
dinary experiences, and became more inclined to self-examination. In contrast
toMDAexperiences, theDOBvolunteers showed less lethargy and were
more interested in what was going on around them. No hallucinations oc-
curred.
Drawbacks.In canines DOB can elevate body temperature and blood pres-
sure. In humans DOB’s physical effects can include nausea, diarrhea, muscle
spasms, blood vessel spasms, sensations of tingling and burning, impaired
sense of touch, convulsions, and seizures. The drug may be safe from a tech-
nical pharmaceutical standpoint because there is a huge difference between
the size of a therapeutic dose and a lethal one, but the drug is so potent that
small doses are known to kill. Effects may last for hours and suddenly inten-
sify and become fatal. Characteristics of overdose can resemble those of am-
phetamine, including fear and physical aggression. The medical literature
includes a DOB case somewhat resembling ergotism (seeergot), resulting in
the patient’s lower legs being amputated.