BLouden

Compound

9-Me-BC

A lab-made β-carboline that blocks MAO and, in dish and rat studies, increased the number of working dopamine neurons.

Class
β-carboline · MAO inhibitor
Route
Oral capsule or under the tongue
Also called
9-methyl-β-carboline, 9MeBC, 9-MBC

Checked by Braden Louden · How we grade

CAnimal studies, no human
  • 0 human
  • 3 animal
  • 5 cell / test tube
  • newest study 2020
25 papers + 74 user reports cited

Two rat studies, one mouse study and a handful of cell studies, nearly all from one German group.

Quick answers

What people use it for
Mostly to repair a dopamine system burned out by years of Adderall, Vyvanse, meth, opioids or heavy weed. Also for motivation and flat mood r5r6r17r18r31r34.
How strong the evidence is
Two rat studies and a handful of cell studies, almost all from one overlapping German group, 2008–2020 12345, plus a high-dose mouse study that found harm 24.
Main risks
It blocks MAO-A first (the enzyme behind serotonin syndrome and the tyramine "cheese effect"), it's a UVA photosensitizer, and past a point more is worse: very high concentrations killed dopamine neurons in cells, and a very high dose did the same in mice 5824.
Half-life, onset and duration
Users describe a lift on days 1–3 (the MAO-A block) and a slower effect after 1–2+ weeks. In rats, 10 days worked and 5 didn't 4.
Typical studied range
Users most often take 10–20 mg, and 15 mg is the single most common. Worked out from the enzyme data, 15–20 mg lands somewhere between a negligible and a roughly half MAO-A block, depending on how well it absorbs 5. The writeup's ceiling is 50 mg a day.
Full dosing notes

Here's what people take, then the math from the animal and enzyme numbers.

What users take

  • 1–5 mg (microdose camp): "less than 2mg… gives me energy all damn day" r44. 1–3 mg/day while working outdoors r4b. 2.5 mg every morning for a month r15. 2–5 mg in a stack r45.
  • 10–20 mg (the most common): 15 mg is the single most reported dose, and it matches the 15 mg capsules vendors sell r3r5r17r23r34r11. 15–20 mg in a capsule orally r11. 10–25 mg sublingual r29. 15–30 mg sublingual r32.
  • 25–50 mg (upper common range): 25 mg daily r16r46. 30 mg sublingual for 30 days r8. 50 mg/day for a month r4a. Two 10-day runs at 50 mg/day r4c. 50 mg daily sublingual for 2–4 weeks as a passed-around "recipe" r41. 50 mg five days in a row with "zero noted problems" r3b.
  • 50–80+ mg (minority, and home to some of the worst reports): 50–60 mg for 6 days by accident r10. 60–80 mg daily for 3 months r38. 80 mg for 2 months, reported as permanently worsening emotions and music enjoyment r20. About 67 mg/day (2 g over 30 days), with sleep dropping to under 3 hours some nights r19.

Rat-to-human math

Start from the rats. The maze study 4 is the whole-body dose to scale from (the Parkinson's study 3 went straight into the brain). The rats got 2 µmol/100 g a day, which is 3.64 mg/kg at a molecular weight of 182.22 g/mol 23. Scale that by body surface (rat Km 6, human Km 37) and you get 0.59 mg/kg, about 41 mg for a 70 kg person. (On the lower 0.2 µmol reading one review gives, it's 0.059 mg/kg, about 4 mg.)

The rats were injected, so correct for oral absorption. Borrow it from the closest relative with a measured number: harmane absorbs about 19% by mouth in rats 25. At that rate the maze dose is about 3 mg/kg by mouth, around 215 mg at 70 kg. The highest number anyone quotes for a β-carboline is 63% for harmaline, but that figure comes from dosing a whole Peganum harmala alkaloid extract, not the pure compound 26; purified harmaline measures 17% 26, right alongside harmane. Take the pure-compound numbers and the maze dose lands at 3–3.5 mg/kg by mouth, roughly 215–240 mg at 70 kg.

Now come from the enzyme. Half-blocking MAO-A takes about 1 µM 5. Using harmane's measured absorption and how far it spreads through the body 25, reaching 1 µM in blood takes about 1.46 mg/kg, roughly 102 mg at 70 kg. If it absorbed perfectly it would be 20 mg, and 8 mg if it also stayed in the bloodstream rather than spreading into tissue.

Two independent routes, one from a rat in a maze and one from an enzyme in a tube, land within about 2× of each other: roughly 1–3 mg/kg by mouth for the full effect. The 15 mg most people take sits below that. On the central estimate it works out to about 0.15 µM, and on the best-case absorption nearer 2 µM — so on the same lab's curves the block runs anywhere from not measurable up to about half the enzyme 5. That spread is why the users split: a real but mild lift for some, and the camp who say 15 mg is mostly MAO-A r20. The maze rats' dose works out to around 215 mg by mouth — well above anything in the common range, and above where the harsh user reports start.

The ceiling. The neuron growth in the dish needs 70–90 µM, at least 7.7 mg/kg even with perfect absorption, about 540 mg at 70 kg. On the dose secondary sources give for the mice, the one that killed dopamine neurons scales to about 7.4 mg/kg, or 516 mg 24. So the dose it would take to grow neurons in a body lands at or above the dose that killed them in mice. Two different calculations, pointing the same way: no capsule gets to the growth window.

A conservative starting point

Built from what users take, the rat timing and the math above.

For resetting stimulant tolerance or a burned-out dopamine system:

  • Dose: 10–20 mg oral, in a capsule. 15 mg is the most common dose reported r3r5r17r34r11.
  • Timing: mornings. Sleep loss is one of the most common complaints r19r16r18b.
  • Duration: 2–4 weeks on, then a break at least as long r29r31. Give it at least 10 days before deciding it isn't working. In the maze study 5 days did nothing and 10 did 4.
  • Stimulants: most users cut stimulants entirely during the cycle, some "even coffee" r31r32.

For motivation, flat mood or anhedonia: same dose, timing and cycle. Don't treat the bupropion combo in r16 as a template. Talk to whoever prescribes your antidepressant before mixing anything with an MAOI.

If you want to start cautious: 1–5 mg is what the microdose camp uses r4br15r44. Expect a lighter MAO-A lift than at 15 mg. The molecule is still a photosensitizer at any dose, so the sun rules still apply.

Route: sublingual is the community default, on the belief that oral absorption is poor r43r7c. There's a basis for it: in the one human study of a simple β-carboline, norharman absorbed faster under the tongue than swallowed 27. But sublingual use is reported to burn, damage gums and kill taste for days to weeks r23r8r25r47. Saliva pooling may also defeat the point r24. A sizeable minority say capsules work just as well r11r7d. Also reported: a DMSO solution used on the skin r48, a homemade vape formulation from 2016 r43, and a proposal to neutralize it with baking soda to reduce burn (a proposal, not a result) r49.

Cycle length: most protocols run 2–4 weeks on, some to 30 days, with a break of equal or longer length. One user insists on "at least a month straight with no adderall" and says cycles cut short didn't deliver r31. A smaller camp doses only once every 2–3 weeks on the theory that the effect lasts r7r7b.

General notes: plan the cycle for winter or low-sun months r31r40r58. Don't stack it with other dopaminergic compounds or antidepressants on your first cycle. If you feel nothing at 15–20 mg after 2 weeks, chasing it up to 60 mg won't fix it and puts you where some of the worst reports are. Stop instead, and question your source before your dose.

Where to get it

Peak Chemical Supply

9-Me-BC Capsules 30 × 20 mg capsules

$35.99 price on 24 Oct 2026

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Try it: Which effect comes first

Slide the concentration and watch MAO-A shut down long before the dopamine-neuron effect even starts.

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What's measured and what's drawn

What people notice

anecdote

Here's what people report. It's messy, and it splits hard.

Stimulant tolerance reset (the main reason people buy it). This is the #1 use by a wide margin.

  • "9-me-bc basically reset my amphetamine tolerance (vyvanse) to lower than baseline, now I only have to take 10mg." (30-day 20 mg cycle, with memantine) r52
  • "before 9-me-bc quitting adderall left me completely and utterly drained, unable to function, and super depressed for around 30-60 days. After 9-me-bc quitting adderall was simply uncomfortable… I have definitely gotten permanent improvement from 9-me-bc." r50
  • One user taking 15 mg with Vyvanse every morning said it was making the Vyvanse last a few hours longer after about two weeks, and called it "becoming life-changing" r34.
  • Another said 2 days off Adderall while on 9-Me-BC reduced their tolerance "a surprising amount" r51, though the same user elsewhere said they were "a lil underwhelmed" r54.

Motivation and drive. The most common positive, and people specifically describe it as self-generated rather than forced.

  • "the motivation this substance gives is unbelievable. Especially because it's a very intrinsic type of motivation, not the forced adderall/meth dopamine motivation" (day 4, after months of daily meth) r18b
  • "Around 2pm I get the sudden urge to teach myself to do a handstand… Feeling fucking awesome." (day 1, 15 mg oral) r17
  • "it feels like its working on re inflating that ball of confidence" (15 mg sublingual) r23
  • "the effects actually get better the longer you take it - like a reverse tolerance." r6

Mood, emotional range and anhedonia.

  • A five-day log on 25 mg plus 300 mg bupropion (Wellbutrin, an antidepressant): music felt good on day 1, "I cried for the first time in ages over something small, like a normal person would" on day 4, and more emotions with less aggression on day 5 r16.
  • "I was getting tiny pleasure shivers down my back… this pleasure feels very natural. It isn't like speed or stimulants or pain meds" r3
  • "massive energy and feelings came back. I went from ADD to ADHD" (15 mg) r5
  • The milder version: "rather mild and gentle… It wasn't life-altering but it was pleasant." r33

Nothing at all. A real chunk of people feel nothing.

  • 3 months straight, 15 mg working up to 45 mg: "however, nothing…." r21
  • "it did nothing, even at 60mg." r22
  • 10 mg oral on day 1 (felt sleepy), then 15 mg on days 2 and 3: "It's as if I'm not taking it at all." r42
  • "didn't do much for me unless I took a large dose" r53
  • "nothing amazing," just a slight antidepressant effect r2

The skeptic camp. Several experienced users think the MAO-A hit is all it does. The harshest version: an 80 mg two-month cycle "provided no benefit besides initial MAO-A hit" r20, and a separate 40–80 mg cycle "only worked as stimulant MAO-A in the first 2 weeks. Then 0 effect and 0 long term befits [sic]" r20b. Another user argues the marketing is "birthed out of nothing but anecdotal hype posts and misconstruing what the literature actually says about it" r36.

When it kicks in, and how long it lasts

There are two separate things being reported, and they're worth keeping apart.

The acute lift (day 1–3): mood, energy, motivation, showing up fast r17r18br5. Many experienced users put this down to the MAO-A inhibition rather than anything structural r20.

The delayed, lasting effect (1–2+ weeks in, outlasting the cycle): effects lasting 2–3 weeks after stopping r4c, "permanent improvement" in quitting Adderall r50, and one user who dosed 12 mg every 3 weeks for about a year claims to have "maintained about 80% of the benefit 5 years later" r7b. Not everyone gets this: one early user said "I don't think the improvement has lasted, but then I took it for like two weeks" r1b.

How it works

9-Me-BC (9-methyl-β-carboline) is a small molecule from the β-carboline family 23. If you drink coffee, you've already had some of that family: the simplest β-carbolines, norharman and harman, are in coffee and cigarette smoke 1516. 9-Me-BC is norharman with one extra methyl group stuck on, and it's made in a lab rather than found in food 18.

9-Me-BC is an MAO inhibitor that, in cell and rat studies, also turns more cells into working dopamine neurons.

It does two very different things on two very different timelines. The first is what you feel on day one. The second is the reason anyone cares about it.

1. The cleanup crew (day one). MAO is the enzyme that breaks down dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine after they've done their job. 9-Me-BC blocks both versions, but it's an MAO-A drug first: in one lab's assay it was about fifteen times stronger on MAO-A than on MAO-B 5. That's where the fast mood lift and energy come from.

2. Building dopamine neurons (the reason anyone cares). In cultures of fetal mouse midbrain cells, 9-Me-BC turned up the master-switch genes that make a cell a dopamine neuron, so half-built cells got TH, the dopamine-making enzyme, and started making dopamine 12. Existing dopamine neurons grew more branches 2, support cells ramped up growth factors like BDNF 5, and the brain's immune cells calmed down 12.

3. The hippocampus and the delay. In rats, it raised dopamine in the hippocampus and grew longer, more complex dendrites with more spines 4. That's why the effect takes time: you're building branches, not releasing a chemical. In rats it showed up at 10 days and not at 5.

So basically: more cells able to make dopamine, each one better connected and better fed. It's the opposite of Adderall, which doesn't build anything. Adderall forces out the dopamine that's already there and leaves you with less. 9-Me-BC's pitch is changing the hardware instead of spending the inventory.

Technical version

Target by target

TargetWhat it doesEvidence
MAO-A (breaks down serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine)Blocked. Half-blocked at about 1 µM 5Cell (enzyme assay)
MAO-B (breaks down dopamine, phenylethylamine)Blocked, about 15× more weakly (15.5 µM). Confirmed by a second lab 510Cell (enzyme assay, human mitochondria)
Dopamine-neuron development genes, TH (the dopamine-making enzyme)Turned up; more working dopamine neurons (up 33 ± 8% at 90 µM) 125Cell (fetal mouse midbrain)
Astrocytes (support cells)BDNF doubled 5Cell
Microglia (the brain's immune cells)Calmed: less multiplying, fewer inflammatory signals 12Cell
Hippocampus (dentate gyrus)More dopamine; longer, more branched dendrites with more spines 4Animal (rat)

Part 1: The cleanup crew (what you feel on day one)

After dopamine (drive), serotonin (mood) and norepinephrine (alertness) get released and do their job, they have to be cleared out. An enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO) acts as the cleanup crew, breaking them down.

There are two versions. MAO-A handles serotonin and norepinephrine (and dopamine too). MAO-B handles dopamine and a related chemical called phenylethylamine.

So obviously, the less MAO you have working, the longer those signals stick around.

9-Me-BC blocks both, but it's an MAO-A drug first. In one lab's assay it was about fifteen times stronger on MAO-A than on MAO-B 5.

That's where the fast effects come from: the mood lift and energy people describe on day one or two, long before anything could have grown. It's also the opposite of the story you'll usually read online. 9-Me-BC leans toward the serotonin and norepinephrine side, and that matters a lot for what you can safely combine it with (see Safety).

Additionally, MAO's cleanup throws off damaging byproducts, basically chemical exhaust. Less MAO working should mean less of that exhaust sitting around your dopamine neurons, and the authors suggest that makes the block partly protective too 5.

So how much of a block does a capsule give you? Work it forward. Half-blocking MAO-A takes about 1 µM 5. At the 15–20 mg people take, that works out to about 0.15–0.2 µM on the central estimate and nearer 2 µM with best-case absorption, so on the same lab's curves the block runs from not measurable up to about half the enzyme 5. MAO-B needs about fifteen times more, so at normal doses it's barely touched.

Its cousins from coffee and cigarette smoke, norharman and harman, are reversible blockers 15, and 9-Me-BC is norharman with one methyl added, so expect the same: the block fades as the drug clears.

Part 2: Building dopamine neurons (the reason anyone cares)

Your brain has an assembly line for dopamine. The first enzyme on it, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), turns tyrosine into L-DOPA. The second, dopa decarboxylase, finishes it into dopamine.

TH is the bottleneck. A neuron with lots of TH is a working dopamine neuron. A neuron with no TH isn't making dopamine, no matter what else it has.

And there are cells sitting around with the second enzyme but no TH. Half an assembly line. They aren't making any dopamine.

Whether a cell gets TH is decided during development, by a set of master-switch genes 1. Basically, those switches are what tell a young cell "you're going to be a dopamine neuron."

In cultures of fetal mouse midbrain cells, 9-Me-BC turned those switches up 1. So obviously, the half-built cells get their TH and start making dopamine. The extra dopamine neurons appear to come from those cells, not from brand new ones 2.

On top of that, the dopamine neurons that already existed grew more branches, called dendrites, reaching out to make more connections 2.

It doesn't do all of this alone. Astrocytes, the support cells around neurons, get in on it too. Treated astrocytes ramp up growth factors like BDNF, the stuff that feeds and protects dopamine neurons 5.

There's one more piece, and it matters for the "after the damage" crowd. Microglia are the brain's immune cells. When they sense damage, they multiply and pump out inflammatory signals, and in a damaged dopamine system that inflammation keeps the damage going. 9-Me-BC calmed them down: less multiplying, fewer inflammatory signals, and fewer neurons self-destructing 12. In a dish of neurons damaged over a long stretch by the pesticide rotenone, 9-Me-BC given afterward brought dopamine neurons back 2. That's the claim people with a burned-out system hang their hopes on.

Part 3: The hippocampus and the delay

The hippocampus is where new memories get laid down, and dopamine arriving there is part of what tags an experience as worth keeping.

A memory is physically a connection, and connections sit on those dendrite branches, on little knobs called spines. More branches, more spines, more connection.

In rats, 9-Me-BC raised dopamine in the hippocampus and grew longer, more complex dendrites with more spines 4. That's why the effect takes time: you're building branches, not releasing a chemical.

Caffeine works in forty minutes and is gone by evening. This looks like the other kind of drug, where the effect is a structural change that builds over time. In rats it showed up at 10 days and not at 5.

So the day-one lift is the MAO-A. The slower stuff — motivation that feels like your own, mood coming back, stimulants working like they used to — is what the building side would look like from the inside: more dopamine and more branches in the hippocampus, the change the maze rats showed after 10 days 4.

What the evidence shows

Evidence: rat, mouse and cell studies, no human trials yet. Nearly all of the brain research comes from one overlapping group of German authors (Gille, Reichmann, Rommelspacher, Polanski and colleagues), published between 2008 and 2020. The whole literature is 14 entries in PubMed, about 10 of them actual research. Three studies gave it to living animals: two in rats 34 and one in mice 24. Human experience comes from Reddit and Longecity reports.

The dish concentrations are high, so it's worth working them back to a body. The 70–90 µM that grew dopamine neurons takes at least 7.7 mg/kg even if every milligram were absorbed, about 540 mg for a 70 kg person, and 7–9 g on the central estimate. An independent review reached the same place: "unlikely to be reached during systemic administration" 14. So the dish studies explain the mechanism, and the rat maze study is the one that maps onto a capsule.

Spatial learning and hippocampal growth (Gruss et al. 2012) · Animal

This is the closest thing to a nootropic study 9-Me-BC has 4. The rats were tested on a radial-arm maze: several arms branch off a center, and the rat has to remember which arms it already visited.

Study design:

  • Rats given 9-Me-BC for 5 days or for 10 days
  • Route and dose: an injection into the belly, not a pill, at 2 µmol per 100 g a day (3.64 mg/kg). One review gives 0.2 µmol, but the source citing the methods directly gives 2, and 0.2 would be an unusually small injected dose for a behavior study.
  • Group sizes: not given in the abstract
  • Measured afterward: dopamine levels in the hippocampus, plus the length and complexity of dendrites and the number of spines on neurons in the dentate gyrus

Results:

  • 5 days: no improvement in learning
  • 10 days: improved spatial learning
  • Hippocampal dopamine: elevated
  • Dendrites: longer and more complex, with more spines

What it means for you: this is the study that maps onto a capsule. Scaled by body surface, the rats' dose is about 41 mg injected for a 70 kg person; corrected for oral absorption, more like 215 mg by mouth (see Dosing). The authors put the learning gain down to the same dopamine rise and dendrite growth they measured, though they stop short of calling it causal.

Rat Parkinson's model (Wernicke et al. 2010) · Animal

Researchers infused MPP+, a toxin that kills dopamine neurons, directly into rats' brains for 28 days, at a dose that dropped dopamine about 50%. Then they infused 9-Me-BC into the same spot in the brain for 14 days 3. They compared these to toxin rats given plain saltwater instead, and rats that got the surgery but no toxin at all.

Results:

  • Dopamine loss in the striatum: reversed
  • Dopamine neuron counts in the substantia nigra: the authors say they "reached normal values"
  • Complex I, a key step in the mitochondria: about 80% more active than in either the toxin-only or the healthy comparison rats, so above normal, not just restored
  • Growth factors (including BDNF): switched on

The catch: the drug went straight into the brain, so this shows what 9-Me-BC does once it's there, not what dose gets it there. And an independent 2019 review argues the neuron rescue was arguable: no statistically significant difference between the 9-Me-BC rats and the saltwater rats was reported, and the toxin never caused Parkinson's-type movement problems, so there were no symptoms to fix 14. The authors say the counts went back to normal.

Cell studies (mechanism support only) · Cell

These are cells in a dish, mostly from fetal mouse midbrain, at the high concentrations worked through above.

  • Hamann et al. 2008 1: The first time anyone found a β-carboline (a family that includes some known neuron-killers) that helps neurons instead. More fully developed dopamine neurons, less cell death, and a long list of dopamine-development genes turned up.
  • Polanski et al. 2010 2: Raised TH in neurons that were already there, protected cultures against two toxins (including 2,9-dime-BC+), calmed the brain's immune cells, and, applied after long-term damage from the pesticide rotenone, produced "pronounced regeneration" of dopamine neurons. The "regenerates after damage" claim the whole community repeats traces back to this one dish experiment.
  • Keller et al. 2020 5: Dopamine neurons up 33 ± 8% at 90 µM (27 ± 7% at 70 µM). Blocking dopamine's own receptors (D2/D3) didn't change it, so it isn't just dopamine signaling to itself. Astrocytes doubled their BDNF. In a test-tube enzyme assay, it took about 15 times less 9-Me-BC to half-block MAO-A than MAO-B (1 µM vs 15.5 µM).
  • Keller et al. 2020, the bad part 5: In cultures with the astrocytes removed, 150 µM cut dopamine neurons by 50%. In normal cultures the same concentration caused only a slight drop. The dose-response is a hill, not a ramp.
  • Herraiz & Guillén 2011 10: A second, unrelated lab confirmed 9-Me-BC blocks MAO-B in human mitochondria.

Bottom line

In dishes and rats, 9-Me-BC does something unusual for a nootropic: it increases the number of working dopamine neurons and their branches instead of just squeezing out the dopamine you already have. Run the numbers forward and a 15–20 mg capsule lands somewhere between a negligible and a roughly half MAO-A block, depending on how well it absorbs, with MAO-B barely touched 5. Dish-level neuron growth needs doses at or above the one that harmed mice 24, while the rat maze dose, the one that grew hippocampal branches in a whole animal, scales to roughly 215 mg by mouth 4. And the molecule itself is a UVA photosensitizer 8.

Myths that circulate

  1. "It's an MAO-B drug."

    Where it comes from The usual community story

    What's true In the one lab assay that measured both, it blocked MAO-A about fifteen times more strongly than MAO-B. That matters for what you can combine it with. 5

  2. "It regenerates dopamine neurons after damage."

    Where it comes from Traces back to one dish experiment: Polanski 2010, rotenone-damaged cultures.

    What's true That was one dish experiment. The neuron growth in the dish studies took 70–90 µM, and worked back to a person that's at least 540 mg for a 70 kg adult, at or above the dose that killed dopamine neurons in mice. By mouth, what you get is the MAO-A side. 2524

  3. "It upregulates D2/D3 receptors."

    Where it comes from Reddit

    What's true No paper shows this. The one receptor experiment that exists showed the effect is independent of D2/D3. r645

  4. "One dose gives two weeks of motivation."

    Where it comes from Reddit

    What's true Not in any paper. r37

  5. "Sun sensitivity only starts above 5 mg, lasts 72 hours, or needs eye drops."

    Where it comes from Reddit

    What's true No source for any of those numbers. The molecule itself absorbs UVA, so treat any dose as photosensitizing. r37r15

  6. "Combining it with an antidepressant will give you brain damage."

    Where it comes from Reddit

    What's true Overstated. The real risk is serotonin syndrome or a blood-pressure spike, which follows straight from the MAO-A block. r37

  7. "It's not neurotoxic according to studies."

    Where it comes from Common claim

    What's true The studies say the opposite at high doses: 150 µM halved dopamine neurons in cells, and a very high dose in mice cut them to 66% of normal. At 15–20 mg you're orders of magnitude under that mouse dose, which works out to roughly 500 mg for a person on the figure secondary sources give. 524

  8. "It's a peptide."

    Where it comes from Reddit

    What's true It isn't. It's a small alkaloid. r47

Safety
  • Established

    A very high dose killed dopamine neurons in mice 24

    Mice, 7 days: dopamine neurons down to 66% of normal, slowed movement, dopamine and serotonin depleted. Secondary sources put the dose around 91 mg/kg a day, which scales to about 516 mg for a 70 kg person

  • Established

    UVA photosensitizer (DNA damage under UVA light) 89

    Shown in a test tube, and the molecule absorbs UVA across the band that reaches skin. One firsthand user report of a burn; most who've tried sun exposure report nothing

  • Inferred

    MAO-A block → serotonin syndrome or blood-pressure spikes when combined with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, stimulants or high-tyramine food 510

    Half-blocked at 1 µM in an enzyme assay; 15–20 mg lands somewhere between a negligible and a roughly half block, depending on how well it absorbs, and the interaction risk follows from it

  • Established

    More is worse (150 µM cut dopamine neurons by 50% without astrocytes) 5

    Cells. Worked back to a person, 150 µM is around 15 g on the central estimate, far above any capsule

  • Established

    The body can turn it into a 2,9-dimethyl neurotoxin 211121324

    Shown in mouse brains at the same very high dose that killed dopamine neurons. In a dish, 9-Me-BC protected neurons against 2,9-dime-BC+

  • Inferred

    Long-term genotoxicity (a class concern) 1417r2c

    β-carbolines as a class can slip into DNA, and no chronic study has been run on 9-Me-BC, so cycle it

  • User reports

    Less sleep, irritability, feeling "toxic" or "dirty" r9r16r19r35r56

    User reports

  • User reports

    Mouth burning and taste loss (under the tongue) r8r23r25r47

    User reports

  • Established

    Purity: no standard, no oversight 19r21r22r62

    Flagged by a 2025 surveillance study of 12 medicines-control labs; users report vendors that didn't deliver

Full safety notes

Sun sensitivity and UV damage

Established: 9-Me-BC itself, not just a related compound, is a UVA photosensitizer. Mixed with DNA and hit with UVA, it caused several kinds of DNA damage, including outright strand breaks and the same kind of damage sunlight itself causes (pyrimidine dimers) 8. Other photochemistry work shows related 9-methyl-β-carbolines behave the same way under light 9.

At real doses: the DNA work was in a test tube. In people there's one firsthand report of a skin reaction and a handful of uneventful sun exposure — almost nobody tests it, because almost everybody avoids the sun on this. The molecule absorbs UVA either way:

  • "i got burned just sitting near a window for an afternoon. not even direct sun." r14
  • Pretty bad sunburn from "very brief and transitory sun exposure around 8am" r13
  • Red, irritated skin from a tanning bed r12
  • Lips burning without sunscreen "even in the winter" r8
  • On the other side: a mailman who did cycles mid-summer with no sunburn r11, someone who tanned half the days on 30 mg with no change r57, and 3–4 months including summer outdoor time with no UV sensitivity r4d.
  • The fairest summary from the community: "Seems like the photosensitivity is user dependent, some get it, some don't." r11b

Because of this, a lot of people only run it in winter r31r40r58, wear sunscreen r33, or have dropped it over the sun concerns r40r39r2.

MAO-A inhibition and interactions

Established: in a test-tube assay, 9-Me-BC blocks MAO-A about fifteen times more strongly than MAO-B 5, and a second lab confirmed the MAO-B block 10.

MAO-A also breaks down tyramine, a chemical in aged cheese, cured meat and tap beer that raises blood pressure. Block MAO-A and tyramine piles up. That's the "cheese effect," and it can mean a dangerous blood pressure spike. Stack an MAO-A blocker with drugs that raise serotonin and serotonin can pile up too. That's serotonin syndrome: shaking, fever, a racing heart.

At a real dose: 15–20 mg works out to about 0.15–0.2 µM on the central estimate and nearer 2 µM with best-case absorption, so on the Keller curves the block runs from not measurable up to about half the enzyme 5. Not a full MAOI, but tyramine and serotonin drugs act on whatever block is there.

Inferred: the interaction risk with SSRIs and SNRIs, other MAOIs and stimulants follows straight from that block.

What users report:

  • The one acute adverse event found: a user combined 9-Me-BC with a cat's claw product and, 3–4 hours later, was shaking uncontrollably, having muscle spasms and eye shaking, and felt "my blood pressure was so high." They called it mild serotonin syndrome. Big confound: they themselves suspect the cat's claw product was adulterated r27.
  • Another user reported high blood pressure and irritability during a two-week run r35.
  • The community can't agree on how strong the MAOI effect is: "a strong MAOI" r59, no issues with no diet and stimulants r29, and the middle view, "a mild-moderate MAOI so definitely be cautious if you're taking any SSRI, SNRI, NaSSAs, or high doses of stimulants" r30.
  • Bupropion combos have been reported both ways r60r16. Neither report makes it safe.

More is worse

Established, in cells: at 150 µM in cultures without astrocytes, 9-Me-BC cut dopamine neurons by 50%, and in normal cultures the same concentration caused a slight drop instead of a gain 5. Worked back to a person, 150 µM is around 15 g on the central estimate, so the dish's hilltop sits far above any capsule.

Established, in mice: the whole-animal number is closer. Mice given a very high dose for 7 days lost a third of their dopamine neurons (down to 66% of normal), slowed down, and had both dopamine and serotonin depleted 24. Secondary sources put that dose around 91 mg/kg a day; scaled by body surface, that's about 7.4 mg/kg, or 516 mg for a 70 kg person.

Two of the harshest user reports came at 67–80 mg a day r20r19, though the single worst one came after one dose r28 and at least one 60–80 mg user reported no problems r38.

The 2,9-dimethyl-β-carbolinium question

9-Me-BC has a methyl group on one of its two nitrogens. Add a second methyl on the other nitrogen and you get 2,9-dimethyl-β-carbolinium (2,9-dime-BC+). That second methyl is what turns a β-carboline into a strong complex I blocker 12.

2,9-dime-BC+ is genuinely nasty. In cells it preferentially kills dopamine neurons 11 and produces more cell-damaging oxidation than MPP+, the classic Parkinson's research toxin 12. Injected into rat brains, it caused a Parkinson's-like syndrome 13. It has been found in human brain 12, it's been found in the spinal fluid of Parkinson's patients and not in controls 28, and an enzyme that can add methyl groups to β-carbolines is elevated in Parkinson's brains 22.

In mice, it happens. In the high-dose mouse study above, the brain made 14× more of the 2,9-dimethyl neurotoxin from 9-Me-BC than from norharman, and that's the same study where a third of the dopamine neurons died 24. At normal doses the dish result points the other way: 9-Me-BC protected neurons against 2,9-dime-BC+ 2, and 15–20 mg sits far below the mouse-equivalent.

Long-term (inferred)

β-carbolines as a class can slip into DNA and inhibit enzymes involved in cell division, which is why they're studied as anti-cancer drugs and also why genotoxicity is a concern 17. An independent review specifically says in-vivo toxicity data on β-carbolines "including 9-methyl-β-carboline and its possible metabolites" should be taken into account 14. That's the reason to cycle it rather than run it nonstop.

Feeling toxic, sleep and irritability (user reports)

  • "I tried it for like two weeks, I stopped cause it slowly started feeling toxic," and later, "Unlike most other things, I will never use it again, even though I still have a bunch" r9
  • "it felt like it helped a couple times and the other times felt really off and dirty." r56
  • One dose, then sleeping 16 hours a day for two weeks with balance and movement problems r28
  • 80 mg for 2 months "permamently worsened my emotions and music pleasure" r20, from a user with pre-existing PSSD who blamed "excess serotonin"
  • Less sleep is common: about an hour less a night, sometimes under 3 hours r19; down from about 9 hours to about 6 r16; insomnia by day 4 r18b
  • Irritability: "never had a real issue with it as long as I dont exceed 10-15mg" r55; "peak irritability, high blood pressure, and about a week of severe sex addiction" r35
  • Headache after about 3 hours on a computer r26

Purity and sourcing

There's no official purity standard and no regulatory oversight. A 2025 market surveillance study by 12 official medicines-control labs in Europe and Australia picked it up as an illicit nootropic with "unknown" regulatory status 19, and a 2025 sports-science review lists it as having "unclear" anti-doping status 20. Some users report feeling nothing even at 45–60 mg and suspect the vendor r21r22. One user emailed a testing lab because they suspected a certificate of analysis was fabricated r62. Another blames blurred vision and neck pain on one vendor's capsules r63. No published analysis has ever checked for leftover β-carboline contaminants r4c.

Practical safety recommendations

  1. Don't combine it with SSRIs, SNRIs, other MAOIs, or high doses of stimulants, and go easy on high-tyramine foods (aged cheese, cured or fermented meats, tap beer, lots of soy sauce). At 15–20 mg the block runs from negligible up to about half the enzyme, depending on how well it absorbs 5, and the top of that range is enough to matter with these. Don't be a dumbass.
  2. Take the sun seriously. Run it in winter if you can, wear sunscreen, and skip tanning beds.
  3. More is not better. Stay at or under 50 mg a day; most people don't need more than 10–20 mg.
  4. Oral capsules over sublingual. Plenty of users say capsules work just as well r11r7d, and sublingual is reported to wreck your mouth and taste.
  5. If it feels toxic, stop. Feeling "off" or "dirty," balance or movement problems, severe insomnia, or a bad mood drop are reasons to quit the cycle, not push through it.
  6. Cycle it, don't run it indefinitely. The harshest reports come from long runs at high doses r20r19, and the mouse harm came from a week of very high daily dosing 24.
  7. Know your source. It's an unregulated research chemical.

Video

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Braden's video on 9-Me-BC, embedded, with a link to its written version.

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References

Papers and documents (25)

  1. 1Hamann, J., Wernicke, C., Lehmann, J., Reichmann, H., Rommelspacher, H., Gille, G. (2008). 9-Methyl-beta-carboline up-regulates the appearance of differentiated dopaminergic neurones in primary mesencephalic culture. Neurochemistry International, 52(4–5), 688–700 doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2007.08.018Cell / test tube
  2. 2Polanski, W., Enzensperger, C., Reichmann, H., Gille, G. (2010). The exceptional properties of 9-methyl-beta-carboline: stimulation, protection and regeneration of dopaminergic neurons coupled with anti-inflammatory effects. Journal of Neurochemistry, 113(6), 1659–1675 doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.06725.xCell / test tube
  3. 3Wernicke, C., Hellmann, J., Zięba, B., Kuter, K., Ossowska, K., Frenzel, M., Dencher, N.A., Rommelspacher, H. (2010). 9-Methyl-beta-carboline has restorative effects in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. Pharmacological Reports, 62(1), 35–53 doi.org/10.1016/S1734-1140(10)70241-3Animal
  4. 4Gruss, M., Appenroth, D., Flubacher, A., Enzensperger, C., Bock, J., Fleck, C., Gille, G., Braun, K. (2012). 9-Methyl-β-carboline-induced cognitive enhancement is associated with elevated hippocampal dopamine levels and dendritic and synaptic proliferation. Journal of Neurochemistry, 121(6), 924–931 doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2012.07713.xAnimal
  5. 5Keller, S., Polanski, W.H., Enzensperger, C., Reichmann, H., Hermann, A., Gille, G. (2020). 9-Methyl-β-carboline inhibits monoamine oxidase activity and stimulates the expression of neurotrophic factors by astrocytes. Journal of Neural Transmission, 127(7), 999–1012 doi.org/10.1007/s00702-020-02189-9Cell / test tube
  6. 8Vignoni, M., Rasse-Suriani, F.A., Butzbach, K., Erra-Balsells, R., Epe, B., Cabrerizo, F.M. (2013). Mechanisms of DNA damage by photoexcited 9-methyl-β-carbolines. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 11(32), 5300–5309 doi.org/10.1039/c3ob40344kCell / test tube
  7. 9Rasse-Suriani, F.A.O., García-Einschlag, F.S., Rafti, M., Schmidt De León, T., David Gara, P.M., Erra-Balsells, R., Cabrerizo, F.M. (2018). Photophysical and photochemical properties of naturally occurring normelinonine F and melinonine F alkaloids and structurally related N(2)- and/or N(9)-methyl-β-carboline derivatives. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 94(1), 36–51 doi.org/10.1111/php.12811Cell / test tube · related compound
  8. 10Herraiz, T., Guillén, H. (2011). Inhibition of the bioactivation of the neurotoxin MPTP by antioxidants, redox agents and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49(8), 1773–1781 doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2011.04.026Cell / test tube
  9. 11Hamann, J., Rommelspacher, H., Storch, A., Reichmann, H., Gille, G. (2006). Neurotoxic mechanisms of 2,9-dimethyl-beta-carbolinium ion in primary dopaminergic culture. Journal of Neurochemistry, 98(4), 1185–1199 doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03940.xCell / test tube · related compound
  10. 12Pavlovic, S., Schulze, G., Wernicke, C., Bonnet, R., Gille, G., Badiali, L., Kaminska, A., Lorenc-Koci, E., Ossowska, K., Rommelspacher, H. (2006). 2,9-Dimethyl-beta-carbolinium, a neurotoxin occurring in human brain, is a potent inducer of apoptosis as 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium. Neuroscience, 139(4), 1525–1537 doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.01.018Cell / test tube · related compound
  11. 13Lorenc-Koci, E., Rommelspacher, H., Schulze, G., Wernicke, C., Kuter, K., Śmiałowska, M., Wierońska, J., Zięba, B., Ossowska, K. (2006). Parkinson's disease-like syndrome in rats induced by 2,9-dimethyl-beta-carbolinium ion, a beta-carboline occurring in the human brain. Behavioural Pharmacology, 17(5–6), 463–473 doi.org/10.1097/00008877-200609000-00012Animal · related compound
  12. 14Sidorova, Y.A., Volcho, K.P., Salakhutdinov, N.F. (2019). Neuroregeneration in Parkinson's disease: from proteins to small molecules. Current Neuropharmacology, 17(3), 268–287 doi.org/10.2174/1570159X16666180905094123Review
  13. 15Herraiz, T., Chaparro, C. (2005). Human monoamine oxidase is inhibited by tobacco smoke: beta-carboline alkaloids act as potent and reversible inhibitors. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 326(2), 378–386 doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.11.033Cell / test tube · related compound
  14. 16Herraiz, T., Chaparro, C. (2006). Human monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibition by coffee and beta-carbolines norharman and harman isolated from coffee. Life Sciences, 78(8), 795–802 doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2005.05.074Cell / test tube · related compound
  15. 17Cao, R., Peng, W., Wang, Z., Xu, A. (2007). β-Carboline alkaloids: biochemical and pharmacological functions. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 14(4), 479–500 doi.org/10.2174/092986707779940998Review
  16. 18Zawirska-Wojtasiak, R., Fedoruk-Wyszomirska, A., Piechowska, P., Mildner-Szkudlarz, S., Bajerska, J., Wojtowicz, E., Przygoński, K., Gurda, D., Kubicka, W., Wyszko, E. (2020). β-Carbolines in experiments on laboratory animals. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(15), 5245 doi.org/10.3390/ijms21155245Review
  17. 19Vanhee, C., Deconinck, E., George, M., et al. (2025). The occurrence of illicit smart drugs or nootropics in Europe and Australia and their associated dangers: results from a market surveillance study by 12 official medicines control laboratories. Journal of Xenobiotics, 15(3), 88 doi.org/10.3390/jox15030088Survey
  18. 20Pokrywka, A., Surala, O., Grabowska, K., Przybyla, M., Granda, D., Malecki, A. (2025). "Brain doping" substances: prohibited or not in sports? Biology of Sport, 42(4), 189–201 doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.150047Review
  19. 22Parsons, R.B., Smith, S.W., Waring, R.H., Williams, A.C., Ramsden, D.B. (2003). High expression of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience Letters, 342(1–2), 13–16 doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(03)00218-0Human tissue · related compound
  20. 23PubChem CID 164979, 9-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole. C12H10N2, MW 182.22 pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/164979Database
  21. 24Matsubara, K., Gonda, T., Sawada, H., Uezono, T., Kobayashi, Y., Kawamura, T., Ohtaki, K., Kimura, K., Akaike, A. (1998). Endogenously occurring beta-carboline induces parkinsonism in nonprimate animals: a possible causative protoxin in idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Journal of Neurochemistry, 70(2), 727–735 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9453568/Animal
  22. 25Guan, Y., Louis, E.D., Zheng, W. (2001). Toxicokinetics of tremorogenic natural products, harmane and harmine, in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 64(8), 645–660 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11766171/Animal · related compound
  23. 26Li, Y., Zhang, X., Wang, Z., et al. (2017). Exposure characteristics of the analogous β-carboline alkaloids harmaline and harmine based on the efflux transporter of multidrug resistance protein 2. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 8, 541 doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00541Animal · related compound
  24. 27Fekkes, D., Tuiten, A., Bom, I., Pepplinkhuizen, L. (2001). Pharmacokinetics of the beta-carboline norharman in man. Life Sciences, 69(18), 2113–2121 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11669455/Human · related compound
  25. 28Matsubara, K., et al. (1995). Neurology, 45(12), 2240–2245 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8848200/Human · related compound

User reports (74)

Forum posts, quoted as anecdote. For some compounds they're the only human data there is.

  1. r1bu/jameswlf. (2015, January 8). "No, I don't think the improvement has lasted, but then I took it for like two weeks…" [Comment on the online forum post The 9MeBC thread (9MBC, 9-methyl-beta-carboline)]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/2oictr/comment/cnhu344/User report
  2. r2u/DocDimethyl. (2014, December 7). "9mebc has a subtle effect on me with just slight antidepressant active…" [Comment on the online forum post The 9MeBC thread]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/2oictr/comment/cmnfldi/User report
  3. r2cu/shrillthrill. Comment on the absence of non-brain toxicity data [Comment on the online forum post The 9MeBC thread]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/2oictr/comment/cmnhxut/User report
  4. r3u/Volcanyx. (2019, July 20). 9 Methyl Beta Carboline research [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/cfozyy/9_methyl_beta_caUser report
  5. r3bu/Volcanyx. (2019, December 4). "I have taken up to 50mg in a single dose as many as 5 days in a row…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/cfozyy/comment/f9n1006/User report
  6. r4aStrangelove. (2016, May 22 & 24). Comment in Great for boosting my motivation, but any possible risks with 9-me-bc? [Online forum post]. Longecity www.longecity.org/forum/topic/87238-great-for-boosting-my-moUser report
  7. r4bBasicBiO. (2016, May 22). Comment in the same Longecity thread www.longecity.org/forum/topic/87238-great-for-boosting-my-moUser report
  8. r4cgizmobrain. (2016, August 17). Comment in the same Longecity thread www.longecity.org/forum/topic/87238-great-for-boosting-my-moUser report
  9. r4dJunipersun. (2018, September 26). Comment in the same Longecity thread www.longecity.org/forum/topic/87238-great-for-boosting-my-moUser report
  10. r5u/lassemann9. (2020, August 13). This has got to be the cure for anhedonia [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/anhedonia/comments/i93uf0/this_has_got_to_bUser report
  11. r6u/__The__Anomaly__. (2023, October 17). 9-methyl-beta-carboline is one of the most underrated substances out there [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/17a5wtv/9methylbetacarbolineUser report
  12. r7u/Yeetusdeletus781. (2025, February 3). Unconventional dosing of 9MEBC [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1igi3e6/unconventional_User report
  13. r7bu/Yeetusdeletus781. (2026, July 1). "I took a gamble with 9MEBC and dosed it at 12mg every 3 weeks for about a year straight…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1ukactc/comment/ouw079a/User report
  14. r7cu/Yeetusdeletus781. Comment on sublingual bioavailability [Comment on Unconventional dosing of 9MEBC]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1igi3e6/comment/mb1othl/User report
  15. r7du/MrFoeTwenty420. Reply on no sublingual advantage [Comment on Unconventional dosing of 9MEBC]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1igi3e6/comment/mk1qp96/User report
  16. r8u/CryptoEscape. (2024, December 1). "I've done two cycles of 9-me-bc. 30 mg sublingual for 10 minutes for 30 days…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1h3uo8v/comment/lzvowuz/User report
  17. r9u/PsychedStrawberry. (2024, December 23 & 24). "I tried 9-me-bc too and it feels straight up toxic…" [Comments]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1hkkb2x/comment/m3gd6qp/User report
  18. r10u/Mindless_Base6767. (2025, March 30). 9-me-bc side effects [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/NootropicsHelp/comments/1jnbu9v/9mebc_side_User report
  19. r11u/MrFoeTwenty420. (2025, March 27). "I work outdoors for the majority of my workday, I'm a mailman…" [Comment]. Reddit. and "Oral 9mebc definitely works for me, 15-20mg in a capsule." www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mk1oat0/User report
  20. r11bu/MrFoeTwenty420. (2025, March 27). "Seems like the photosensitivity is user dependent, some get it, some don't." [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mk21vx9/User report
  21. r12u/laktes. (2025, March 27; 2026, July 11). "I got photosensitive while taking it…" [Comments]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mk1yagk/User report
  22. r13u/Cool22228888. (2025, July 31). "I suffered some pretty bad sunburn from very brief and transitory sun exposure around 8am while taking." [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/n65ww8u/User report
  23. r14u/Express-Turnover2672. (2026, July 29). "9-me-bc makes you photosensitive like crazy…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1v9x5xq/comment/p0h0esw/User report
  24. r15u/Cyvki. (2026, September 3). "Try starting out on ~2.5mg every morning for a month…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1w0xe77/comment/p7nfwd0/User report
  25. r16u/l0lfl0w3r. (2026, July 22). 9mebc and wellbutrin combo [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/anhedonia/comments/1v3vu57/9mebc_and_wellbuUser report
  26. r17u/blodreina_kumWonkru. (2026, July 14). Day 1 9-me-bc [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/comments/1uwiayn/day_1_9mebc/User report
  27. r18u/Own_Second_98. (2026, August 23). 9-me-bc first day after months of daily meth and Tianeptine [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/comments/1vw8q7p/9mebc_first_dayUser report
  28. r18bu/Own_Second_98. (2026, August 26). Day 4 update [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1vw8q7p/comment/p61njs7/User report
  29. r19u/LobsterD. (2026, September 20). "I took 2g orally over the course of 30 days back in June…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1wi4jdh/comment/payrwju/User report
  30. r20u/OutrageousBit2164. (2026, July 21). "9-ME-BC 80mg 2 month cycle permamently worsened my emotions and music pleasure…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1v2b69j/comment/oytvvw1/User report
  31. r20bu/OutrageousBit2164. (2026, June 8). "I already did 4 week 40-80mg 9-ME-BC cycle in 2025…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1tv2t91/comment/oqesnif/User report
  32. r21u/kamikaze995. (2026, May 12). "I took 9-me-bc for 3 months straight…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1t9ox0g/comment/olgj8gc/User report
  33. r22u/OneFlow2976. (2026, October 3). "Ive ordered 9-me-bc from the .uk site 1 year ago and it did nothing, even at 60mg." [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1wwlskv/comment/pdm5ggz/User report
  34. r23u/jewtaco. (2026, July 21). Anyone cycle 9 Me Bc for a few years? [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1v2655j/anyone_cycle_9_User report
  35. r24u/JomoKomo. (2026, May 26). How to deal with the saliva build up from sublingual 9 me bc use? [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1to6l8j/how_to_deal_witUser report
  36. r25u/ZipperZigger. (2026, April 29). "I am worried more about your poor gums and lingual veins…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1sywluj/comment/oixhker/User report
  37. r26u/Randonauticliner. (2026, July 8). "I did take 9-me-bc for a couple days… had to stop due to a headache…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1upwjj0/comment/owdsl8v/User report
  38. r27u/gorgelad. (2026, September 13). Mixed 9-Me-BC and cats claw tablets and gave myself mild serotonin syndrome [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/1wfcubc/mixed_9mebc_and_catsUser report
  39. r28u/covidtransmutation. (2026, August 14). "I tried one dose of 9-me-bc and felt instant toxic effect…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1vo19m7/comment/p3md0z2/User report
  40. r29u/LSDMDMA2CBDMT. (2026, April 2). "I use to dose 10-25mg sublingually for ~2 weeks at a time then stop for 2 weeks…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1saqxh4/comment/ody8srg/User report
  41. r30u/QuinnMiller123. (2026, March 31). "It is a mild-moderate MAOI so definitely be cautious…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1s89du7/comment/odf9wfd/User report
  42. r31u/donniedenier. (2026, April 11). "9-me-bc works best when you take it for at least a month straight with no adderall…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1sisjqf/comment/ofmsukw/User report
  43. r32u/Complete_Still7584. (2026, May 20). "15-30mg of 9-me-BC taken sublingually for 15-30 minutes for 12-20 days MAX…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1tiqquy/comment/omxbs7n/User report
  44. r33u/Eugregoria. (2026, April 12). "My experience with 9-me-bc was rather mild and gentle…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1sbk3gn/comment/ofo7pui/User report
  45. r34u/300hp2point4literNA. (2025, March 17). "I'm taking 15mg with my vyvanse every morning…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1jd5afq/comment/mi9uioa/User report
  46. r35u/Mountain-Monk-525. (2025, August 18). "I just did my first two-week run and I'm blown away…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/n9astz1/User report
  47. r36u/sirsadalot. (2025, March 1). Comment on 9-Me-BC marketing and the literature [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mfdaeiq/User report
  48. r37u/Helookfine. (2026, April 6). "It gives powerful motivation & energy levels that last up to 2 weeks on 1 dose…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1sdmjh2/comment/oejpobv/User report
  49. r38u/Immediate_Cucumber74. (2026, August 9 & 16). "I did it for 3 months straight 60-80mg each day…" [Comments]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1vjb88l/comment/p2l27oe/User report
  50. r39u/RMCPhoto. (2026, October 6). "I have tried a few short cycles, but kept shying away because of the sun exposure concerns…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1wy3kpq/comment/pe7za51/User report
  51. r40u/reptilesoma. (2026, August 21). "Due to the UV-induced phototoxicity risk, I've completely dropped 9-Me-BC from my active protocol…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1vj63cp/comment/p51akge/User report
  52. r41u/Signalseeker1776. (2025, January 9). "This is a recipe given to me years ago…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1hvs3sy/comment/m657p8x/User report
  53. r42u/Due_Appointment_5658. (2025, February 27). "On the first day, after taking 10 mg orally, I felt sleepy…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1h3uo8v/comment/mf3od4q/User report
  54. r43u/discohornet. (2016, January 25). 9 Methyl Beta Carboline Vape Solution: Beta Testers Wanted! [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/42jeye/9_methyl_beta_caUser report
  55. r44[deleted]. (2019, July 20). "I microdose it at less than 2mg and it gives me energy all damn day…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/cfozyy/comment/euc2k6p/User report
  56. r45u/BadBiO. (2019, July 21). "I dose at 2-5mg along with the Mr Happy Stack…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/cfozyy/comment/eue9mmw/User report
  57. r46u/Select_Chemist_4923. (2026, March 31). 9mebc your experience and what about taking pre workouts during use? [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1s8zx6w/9mebc_your_expeUser report
  58. r47u/Aromatic-Minimum657. (2026, April 13). "it's a new research Peptide…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1shhseh/comment/ofy6pba/User report
  59. r48u/liviseoul. (2026, September 22). "I dissolved some 9 me bc at 100 mg / mL in DMSO…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1vur6p3/comment/pbbsbvj/User report
  60. r49u/AdAcceptable6389. (2026, March 20). Is this the optimal way to use 9-me-bc? [Online forum post]. Reddit www.reddit.com/r/NooTopics/comments/1ryrjt2/is_this_the_optiUser report
  61. r50u/NewIntension. (2025, May 22). "before 9-me-bc quitting adderall left me completely and utterly drained…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mtpxdcr/User report
  62. r51u/Minimum-Inspector160. (2025, March 12). "9 me-bc was super noticeable in terms of reducing stim tolerance…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j99344/comment/mhbo4st/User report
  63. r52u/lowkey_add1ct. (2025, February 3). "I ran a 30 day 20mg cycle of 9-me-bc and took memantine the whole time…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1hn2dpu/comment/maqjb99/User report
  64. r53u/BryDnull. (2026, July 29). "I've taken 9mebc and semax…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1qzlcxb/comment/p0km731/User report
  65. r54u/Minimum-Inspector160. "i didn't get this at all from it. if anything i was a lil underwhelmed" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mfb55rz/User report
  66. r55u/Friedrich_Ux. (2025, March 1). "Its main side effects are irritability…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mfhmbz4/User report
  67. r56u/Abel_091. (2025, January 8). "I only tried the 9-me-bc 4 times…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1huyo78/comment/m5ys5dq/User report
  68. r57u/No_Plankton_3640. (2026, July 11). "I don't understand this side effect…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/owtvkap/User report
  69. r58u/voyager256. (2019, July 27). "It's likely a photosensitizer, that's why I took it during winter…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/cfozyy/comment/ev7l980/User report
  70. r59u/Ratatoskr_Paracletus. (2025, February 2). "9-Me-BC is a strong MAOI…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1ig18rc/comment/mamh33t/User report
  71. r60u/Eugregoria. (2026, April 19). "I used bupropion, went off it for 9-me-bc…" [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1sptqwf/comment/oh33l5e/User report
  72. r62u/OneFlow2976. (2026, October 3). On emailing a testing lab to verify a suspected fabricated certificate of analysis [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1wwlskv/comment/pdm4tt2/User report
  73. r63u/Particular_Feed9659. (2025, March 8). On lasting side effects attributed to one vendor's capsules [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1j0frzd/comment/mgnqlxd/User report
  74. r64u/Nice_Relation1133. (2026, May 31). "9-ME-BC Only compound that hits TH + AADC + D2/D3 upregulation simultaneously." [Comment]. Reddit www.reddit.com/comments/1tr0ljj/comment/oouswhp/User report

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