25I-NBOMe

25I-NBOMe is a synthetic hallucinogen of the phenethylamine class, part of the "NBOMe" (N-methoxybenzyl) family. It was first described in scientific literature around 2003 and was originally created as a research tool for studying serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. Around 2010 it appeared on the recreational drug market, sold under names such as N-bomb, Smiles, and 25I, typically on blotter paper or as a liquid. Critically, it is very often sold as LSD, or as the milder psychedelic 2C-I, to people who have no idea they are taking a far more dangerous drug. Because it is active in the microgram range, a single blotter can carry a life-threatening dose.

25I-NBOMe is an extremely potent full agonist at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor — the same receptor responsible for the effects of classic psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and the 2C compounds. What sets it apart is its binding strength: it attaches to the 5-HT2A receptor with sub-nanomolar affinity, far more tightly than LSD, and acts as a full rather than partial agonist. This combination makes it active at microgram doses and gives it a much narrower margin between an active dose and a toxic one. Unlike LSD, it also produces marked stimulant-like (sympathomimetic) and vasoconstrictive effects that contribute to its toxicity.

Reported effects include intense visual and sensory distortion, stimulation, confusion, and at higher doses overwhelming and frightening experiences. But the effect that matters most for safety is toxicity: even at doses people take expecting a psychedelic, 25I-NBOMe frequently produces a dangerous sympathomimetic toxidrome — a racing heart, dangerously high blood pressure, severe agitation, and seizures — rather than a manageable experience. One partial safeguard reported by users and clinicians is taste: NBOMe compounds are markedly bitter, whereas genuine LSD is tasteless, so an unexpectedly bitter blotter is a warning sign.

25I-NBOMe is genuinely dangerous and has caused numerous deaths, including in healthy young people. Its documented toxicity includes seizures (more common than with other psychedelics), severe high blood pressure and rapid heartbeat, intense vasoconstriction, dangerously high body temperature, muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) that can injure the kidneys, serotonin syndrome, and death. Because it is active at microgram doses, the difference between a recreational dose and a lethal one is extremely small — deaths have been reported at as little as roughly twice a typical dose, in stark contrast to LSD, which has no established lethal dose even at many times a normal dose. The most important safety fact is that material sold as LSD or as 2C-I may actually be 25I-NBOMe, and cannot be told apart by sight alone. At least 19 deaths were linked to 25I- and related NBOMe compounds in the United States between 2012 and 2013 alone, which prompted emergency federal scheduling.

hallucinogenic; often mis-sold as LSD — [DEA-NBOMe]

extremely small amounts can cause seizures, cardiac + respiratory arrest, and death; no human-safety studies; linked to deaths — [DEA-NBOMe]

research only (5-HT2A receptor mapping) — [DEA-NBOMe]

NFLIS >6,800 reports (peak 1,968 in 2014 → 1 in 2025) — [DEA-NBOMe]