DMAE

Dimethylaminoethanol · Deanol

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder^{1, 2} Skin firmness (topical)³ Behavioral symptoms in senile dementia⁴ Lucid dream induction⁵	Seizure disorder⁶ Bipolar disorder⁶ Pregnancy or lactation⁶

Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), also called deanol, is a choline-related compound assumed to raise brain acetylcholine. It is taken for attention and focus, including in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), where it probably has a small effect. It is also used for behavior in older adults with dementia, for skin firmness in topical products, and for lucid dream induction.

Systematic reviews found deanol no more effective than placebo for tardive dyskinesia, with more adverse events, including gastric and sedative effects⁷. A double-blind Alzheimer's disease trial found no significant benefit, and several participants withdrew for drowsiness and increased confusion⁸. A 2007 split-face trial of a topical product combining herbal extracts and DMAE found improved skin firmness³. In a 2026 cell-model study, DMAE, unlike other pre-workout alkylamines, did not inhibit human dopamine, noradrenaline, or serotonin transporters; no human trial has examined this. Products listing DMAE number over one thousand, mostly capsules and tablets; see Form comparison.

The psychiatric cautions rest on a 1979 report of depression or hypomania in patients taking high-dose deanol, most with prior affective symptoms⁹. Product labels in the United States list seizure disorder and bipolar illness as conditions in which DMAE is not to be taken⁶.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

41 sources, 31 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources