You want the strong stuff, don’t you?
While the FDA may not want you to have DMAA, there’s another stimulant that is shaking the industry with lots of hype and promises.
As soon as a popular stimulant like DMAA gets banned by the FDA, there is a rush to fill the void and, inevitably, some new variant comes onto the market that fits into the legal framework.
Often, as time passes, that stimulant also gets banned, and the whole process starts over again.
That's why stimulants like Eria Jarensis were marketed and made with hype.
Flame v3 is much more for euphoria and focus while Flame v2 is much more physical and aggressive in energy.
Zeus Pre Workout by God Status Labz is known for its potent formula designed to deliver intense energy and euphoria. It’s made for those looking for a strong but euphoric workout experience.
Adrenaline is Dark Labs DMHA-based fat burner with mostly stimulants. It'll make you sweat buckets.
The label is small and strange, but the focus is long and smooth.
It doesn't have any euphoria or appetite suppression but the focus is excellent.
Chaos and Pain is bringing back the glory days of AMPeD by bringing it back to life, with more stimulants than ever. It features 400mg DMHA, 450mg caffeine, and 500mg eria jarensis, along with a bunch of pump ingredients, this is one of the craziest labels on a pre-workout we've seen so far.
As expected, the supplement industry has been scrambling for a replacement to DMAA.
Enter DMHA.
DMHA is claimed to be about 80% of the strength of DMAA.
Our favorites are:
Check them out below…
The label is small and strange, but the focus is long and smooth.
It doesn't have any euphoria or appetite suppression but the focus is excellent.
Update: I've used and tried 4 bottles so far (out of six), only one seemed to not be as good, which was the Sour Candy flavor. I'll have to try my other unopened sour candy bottle to see if it's also not as good. I've had Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch (2), and Strawberry Lemonade which all provided my original experience.
Phenta Plex has taken stim junkies by surprise.
When you look at the label, you'd agree that there's nothing special about this.
But we said the same about Excelsior.
Phenta Plex and Excelsior have one thing in common...
They both contain something that probably isn't disclosed on the label.
But unlike Excelsior, Phenta Plex is in stock and is much cheaper.
At around $45 per bottle, Excelsior better watch out for the new number 1 pre workout for special focus and energy.
Check out our review here.
At one scoop, there's more than 12g of ingredients, which is suppose to be 800mg of caffeine as it's twice the serving.
But most people that have taken a full scoop (double serving), have reported that they haven't felt like they've taken in this much caffeine.
So this makes us question if any of the ingredients on the label are actually in this pre workout.
One thing is for certain..
Phenta Plex has ridiculous amounts of energy and focus.
Use discount code FITFREK.
This pre-workout seems to be out of stock everywhere and the company hasn't set a return date yet. The Power is easily one of the most urgent pre workouts we've come across.
Urgency, aggressiveness and focus are the highlights of this pre workout.
Although it's DMHA based, it definitely feels like something more.
Another store that has this is SuppsCentral.
The Power pre workout is one of the hardest hitting pre workouts we have listed here.
It kicks in with warmth and it drives with absolute urgency.
The formula is all in a proprietary blend so we can only guess how much of each ingredient is dosed.
It can be hard to find because the brand is keeping only a few stores stocked with this pre workout.
Power mainly gives an absolutely strong urgency feeling like a conquer everything you see kind of mindset.
It has more focus and energy than your typical exotic pre workout, like Crack, but less euphoria than Flame.
The focus is just very strong on this, and it has excellent energy.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Back in stock but very limited supplies and officially discontinued but still possible to buy.
Crack Gold Edition is the special pre workout from Dark Labs.
It not only uses DMHA but it also has DMAA.
The original version of this pre workout only has DMAA, but it also has very strong nitric oxide to counter the possible side effects from DMAA.
If you prefer pumps over energy, then check out the original version, but otherwise Crack Gold Edition is one of the strongest pre workouts we've tried.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Flame v3 is much more for euphoria and focus while Flame v2 is much more physical and aggressive in energy.
Dark Labs pushes the limits to what a pre workout should be like.
This is Flame, and it has massive dosages of exotic stimulants that people seem to enjoy.
With 500mg eria jarensis, 300mg DMHA and much more, this is one of the stronger pre workouts for euphoria and energy.
It also has 400mg caffeine in total, from two sources.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Assassin v7 is the next best pre workout coming from Apollon Nutrition
Dark Labs pushes the limits to what a pre workout should be like.
This is Flame, and it has massive dosages of exotic stimulants that people seem to enjoy.
With 500mg eria jarensis, 300mg DMHA and much more, this is one of the stronger pre workouts for euphoria and energy.
It also has 400mg caffeine in total, from two sources.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Smack is a productive pre workout with steady mood elevation and a great combination of ingredients to provide strong long lasting energy and pumps.
Vices and Vibes is a fairly new company.
Surprisingly, they entered the market with a bang.
Their pre workout, Smack, is one of the best with DMHA so far.
It not only has the exotic stimulants, DMHA and eria jarensis, but it also has isopropylnorsynephrine (super synephrine) along with 350mg caffeine from two sources, and much more.
And of course it didn't forget it's nitric oxide ingredients.
This is going to give some strong long lasting pumps, along with strong focus and energy that's going to feel very urgent and aggressive.
Use discount code FITFREK
El Jefe LTD is the 3rd limited edition pre workout coming from ASC Supplements.
El Jefe LTD is the recently released pre workout by ASC Supplements.
It's very similar to the original but with more premium ingredients.
It uses a wide mix of ingredients to help with performance, pumps and energy.
The stimulants are mixed, but it isn't overwhelming and likely won't cause jitters.
The energy is very productive and the pumps lasts for hours.
But the downside is that it has a proprietary blend.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Phenom is one of the newer DMHA-based pre workouts.
It has a full blend of ergogenic aids for pumps and mood support but most importantly, it has DMHA.
Along with DMHA it has DMBA, which is amp citrate.
We've rarely seen DMHA combined with amp citrate, so this is definitely not one to take lightly.
If you've taken a pre workout with this strong of a stimulant combination then this might be one to consider.
Phenom has strong euphoria, with super strong focus as well.
Use discount code FITFREK.
If there's any pre workout that shouldn't be judged by it's label, it's this one.
Apocalypse is another pre workout with DMHA, and also a boatload of ergogenic aids.
We haven't seen this much citrulline malate, especially not in a pre workout of this caliber.
While this is another "labs" pre workout, the label is not what you would expect from such a name.
Every scoop is packed with over 22g of ingredients.
Some ingredients are strangely dosed, like 225mg of arginine but everything else seems good.
This company is fairly new, but if you want to try Apocalypse then you can use discount code FITFREK.
Looking for a happy DMHA pre workout?
Look no further.
Light Year is a relatively new pre workout that seems to work really well for mood.
It has a formula that is packed with performance enhancers, from big doses of nitric oxide boosters and nootropics.
You're sure to get a nice long lasting buzz with the exotic blend, and the effects lasts for hours.
The pumps, the mood, and the energy is what Light Year seems to be good with.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Enjoy The Insanity is similar to Light Year in that it can provide a good mood uplift for hours at a time.
Although it has less than 200mg caffeine, it's still a powerful pre workout.
Powered by DMHA, a few stimulants and only 200mg caffeine, it is a very mood supportive pre workout.
It isn't one that will make you anxious, instead you'll feel like your riding through with an absolutely uplifted mood.
This can also be used as a productive pre workout, if you want something better than coffee but without putting your heart in a racing state.
You might also consider combining this either with nitric oxide boosters or with a pre workout that has less than 200mg caffeine.
Enjoy the Insanity plays it safe with energy, but does it super well with mood without producing an overwhelming feeling of jitters and anxiety.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Condemned Labs have been around for a while now and they are best known for their pre workout Convict, a pre workout powered by 225mg DMHA, 300mg caffeine and more.
You'd assume right that their fat burner is also just as strong.
Arysn contains 300mg caffeine along with 200mg DMHA.
This formula contains the 3 ingredients needed to mimic ECA (ephedra caffeine and aspirin), which is white willow.
White willow is nature's answer to Aspirin as it has salicin, something that reduces pain and increases mobility.
It also uses a green tea extract, in the form of matcha, along with 50mg synephrine, 50mg higenamine, 25mg cayenne, 25mg grapefruit, 5mg vinpocentine along with yohimbine.
Luckily the yohimbine is dosed at a small 3mg.
But what do those ingredients all do together?
They help increase blood flow, pumps along with increasing breathing capacity as higenamine works as a brochodilator.
It's even banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency because it's considered to be a performance enhancer and a brochodilator.
It's also powered by 12.5% Paradoxine, a strong thermogenic that'll make you sweat buckets.
Arysem is a potent DMHA fat burner that'll help with weight loss, energy and appetite suppression.
Use our 15% coupon code FITFREK.
Venom is what you want when you just want the exotic stimulants.
This potent pre workout has DMHA, DMAA, ephedra and more.
There's way too much to list here.
But we can agree on one thing, this is a stim junkie pre workout.
DMHA isn't disclosed but it might be around 150mg as that what it was in it's previous formulation.
We do know there's 100mg DMAA in here, and 350mg of caffeine.
That means you should try half a serving before jumped to a full one.
Because venom is strong.
Use discount code FITFREK.
Adrenaline is Dark Labs DMHA-based fat burner with mostly stimulants. It'll make you sweat buckets.
These are two similar products made by Dark Labs.
Ripper contains DMAA and 15mg yohimbine, while Adrenaline has DMHA, eria jarensis and only 7mg yohimbine.
This means, if you want 100mg DMAA and a high dose of yohimbine (15mg), then go with Ripper.
But if you prefer a mood uplift with eria jarensis, and energy with 200mg DMHA, then go with Adrenaline.
I personally can handle the 15mg yohimbine, but the 100mg DMAA on top of that will surely result in increased nervousness and maybe anxiety.
Adrenaline is much easier to handle and it lasts a little longer anyway since DMHA is more smooth.
This is where you can get both of them:
Use discount code FITFREK.
You can read our review here on both of these supplements.
You can have DMHA for ages with this option from BulkStimulants.
Add it to any boring pre workout and make it more hardcore with this stimulant.
What if you could turn any pre workout into an exotic one?
You can with this bulk DMHA.
There is only one source that offers bulk powder of this exotic stimulant and that's BulkStimulants.com.
You're probably thinking this must be expensive.
But you couldn't be more wrong.
It costs 40$ for 10 grams.
That's about 50 servings of 200mg, or $0.80 per serving (or 100 servings of 100mg).
If you buy 3 packs, you'll get a discount at around $0.72 per serving of 200mg.
This is a great way to make any pre workout into one with DMHA. It'll run you longer if you can take 100mg (around $0.40 per serving).
Or you can make your own pre workout with bulk powders, including caffeine, from this source.
Zeus Pre Workout by God Status Labz is known for its potent formula designed to deliver intense energy and euphoria. It’s made for those looking for a strong but euphoric workout experience.
If there was a DMHA only version of Dark Energy, then Zeus would be it.
This pre workout is made by God Status Labz, a fresh company that makes open formulas with only DMHA.
There are a few variations of pre workouts that God Status Labz makes, the other one being Leviathan and Kark'n.
Leviathan has a similar formula, but uses 150mg Phenylpiracetam, which is going to provide some aggressive-energy and focus.
And Leviathan differs by using mostly nitric oxide and volumizing ingredients like arachidonic acid, agmatine and betaine.
And Krak'n has a similar profile to Dark Energy but doesn't use DMHA.
Use coupon code FITFREK for 15% off.
Alternatively, you can get Zeus from this store.
MuscleForce has created one of the most balanced stim-junkie experiences here with Defiant Unleashed, making it easily one of the best pre-workouts and it has great euphoric vibes.
If you need a pre workout with not only lots of stimulants and nootropics, but also performance aids that will help with muscle gains and strength, then you're looking at a solid choice.
Defiant Unleashed is packed with nootropics, stimulants and ergogenic aids.
With 8g citrulline, 3.2g beta alanine and 1g choline, you're going to be pumped and focused for improved performance.
And the stimulants are huge, with 450mg caffeine, 250mg eria jarensis, 200mg DMHA, 100mg theobromine and 100mg octopamine.
It goes without saying, this is a pre workout that should be used with caution.
Use half a scoop, and be responsible.
This is easily one of the most potent DMHA pre workouts, Defiant Unleashed is powerful with energy and focus.
It combines 250mg eria jarensis and DMHA for some synergy for energy and euphoria.
Use coupon code FITFREK for 15% off.
Herolean from Dark Labs is considered to be the strongest thermogenic pre-workout with DMHA and eria jarensis. For now it's not available and has been reformulated without the DMAA content.
From the company that has brought you Crack, one of the top ranking pre workouts on our strongest pre workouts list, this is their thermogenic focused pre workout.
Herolean is packed and if you see the stimulant list, you'll notice it's monstrous.
There are at least 9 stimulants, but the downside to this blend is the 10mg yohimbine, which may be too much for some people, but this can be solved by taking half a scoop.
At half a scoop, you'd still be getting a boatload of stimulants including 125mg eria jarensis, 100mg DMHA, 50mg DMAA and more.
At full servings though, you'll get the full punch as it contains 200mg DMHA, 100mg DMAA, 250mg eria jarensis, 300mg caffeine and more.
The energy is insane and you'll definitely feel the appetite suppression here.
Use coupon code FITFREK.
INGREDIENTS:
Hydrazine is nearly the exact same as Excelsior and Thermal Spark, but it's more expensive.
In fact, we'd guess it is exactly the same, with the same level of focus and energy.
Hydrazine is definitely worthy of being a OG Craze replacement.
If you're looking for appetite suppression with DMHA in the formula, then Hydrazine is for you. But if you don't live in the UK or want to spend more than 60$ on a pre workout, then go for Excelsior.
Other than that, this is something that will likely discontinue later on, if not soon.
INGREDIENTS:
Update 2022: The only way to get Excelsior these days is from the EU because the FDA is giving Imperial Nutrition a hard time in the U.S.
I know what you're thinking.
That is the strangest nutrition label you've seen so far.
We agree but you're looking at one of the most potent pre workouts available today.
This is one that is easily the OG Craze of today.
Yes it does have DMHA but there has to be something else to this label that isn't on the label.
It will inevitably be banned one day but until that day comes, enjoy it while it's avialable.
But it comes with a cost and that's the withdrawals.
The energy and focus is amazing and unmatched by most pre workouts, but once you're off it, it'll spoil you because nothing else will come close.
The only 2 other supplements that are nearly the same is one made by the same company, Thermal Spark and the other by Hydrapharm, Hydrazine.
Excelsior and Thermal Spark are cheaper options compared to Hydrazine.
If you're susceptible depression, then be wary of taking Excelsior.
It is comparable to amphetamines, in fact some say Excelsior feels the same as the medicine they take for ADHD.
So whether you want something that will make you feel like you can squat the world or a super potent pre workout, Excelsior is something to try.
Keep some in storage for those rare days where you want to break PR's, or use it a few times and take a break from it.
The guide below will answer all your questions DMHA.
We'll start with the related stimulant, DMAA, which was suppose to be replaced with DMHA.
Read on below…
Methylhexanamine, commonly known as DMAA, is a stimulant that was first produced by Eli Lilly and Company in 1944 as a nasal decongestant.
In 1983, that company withdrew it from the market.
However, since 2006, it has been produced by supplement companies as a workout stimulant.
Within a year many fat burning and pre-workout products were using DMAA as a key ingredient.
It was often paired with caffeine, just as ephedrine had been.
The FDA didn’t take long to get interested in DMAA.
In 2011, they came out and said that it is known to narrow the blood vessels and arteries which can elevate blood pressure and can lead to cardiovascular events ranging from shortness of breath to heart attack.
In 2013, the FDA determined that DMAA was potentially dangerous and did not qualify as a legal dietary supplement.
However, they did not ban the ingredient.
Instead, they sent ‘warning letters’ out to the vast majority of supplement companies, but not all of them.
Virtually every company got the message and removed DMAA from their products.
One that didn’t was Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals (more on them later).
One of the only DMAA based pre workouts left and it's priced fairly low for a hard to find ingredient…
So now we have DMHA to “replace” DMAA’s role in hard hitting pre workouts.
With DMAA being pulled from the shelves, it was inevitable that that a schematically similar analog would emerge to take its place.
That product is named DMHA (1,5 dimethylhexylamine) for marketing purposes.
This name cleverly keeps it associated with, and easily confused with, DMAA.
This new analog, DMHA, has an ambiguous claim to being consumed as a natural product that is consumed as a food source, which is required for it to pass the dietary Supplement Health And Education Act (DSHEA) guidelines of 1994.
It is highly unlikely that any brand of DMHA currently on the market is selling an extract of the claimed source Aconitum kusnezoffii or related plants, because the root of those plants contains highly toxic alkaloids that have been attributed to severe, sometimes fatal poisoning (1).
One research paper describes DMHA as being a component of the fruit of the plant Kigelia Africana, which is touted as being the definitive evidence that DMHA has been present in the food supply prior to DSHEA.
The use of a chemically synthesized molecule weakens the argument against the likely stance to be taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that this is not a DSHEA-eligible natural product.
The use of a synthesized chemical as opposed to an extract was one of the FDA’s points in declaring the related ingredient AMP Citrate also called DMBA, as an adulterant (3).
Interestingly the marketers chose not to refer to DMHA by its former name, and the one commonly used in the few clinical papers that are available on this material – octodrine.
There's a way to make any pre workout have DMHA and that's with bulk DMHA.
For who knows how long, DMHA is available in bulk form and you can add it to any pre workout, turning into a boring pre workout into an amazing one.
References:
(1) Chan TY, Aconite Poisoning, Clin. Toxicol 2009:47; 279-285
(2) Department of Health and Human Services (FDA). Warning Letter, March 31, 2016. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2016/ucm493994.htm
(3) Lin, C., Chan, T., & Deng, J. “Clinical features and management of herb-induced aconitum poisoning”; Annals of emergency Medicine, 43(5): 574-579; 2004; Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196064403011314
(4) Millan, M; “The role of monoamines in the actions of established and novel antidepressant agents: a critical review”; European Journal of Pharmacology; 500(1): 371-384; 2004. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014299904007472
(5) Hutcheon, D, McCullough, L; “The Respiratory Stimulant Action of Octylamines”; British Journal of Pharmacology; 7, 42; 1952; Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.1952.tb00688.x/pdf
(6) Charlier, R; “Pharmacology of 2-amino-6-methyl-heptane”; Archives internationales de pharmacodynamie et de thérapie; 85(1-2):144-51; January 1951; Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14820395
(7) Chowdhury, R et al; “Dopamine modulates episodic memory persistence in old age”; Journal of Neuroscience; 32(41): 14193-14204; 2012. Retrieved from http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/41/14193.short
(8) Wise, R; “Dopamine, learning and motivation”; Nature Reviews Neuroscience; 5: 483-494; 2004. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v5/n6/abs/nrn1406.html
(9) Fellows, E; “The pharmacology of 2-amino-6-methylheptane”; The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics; 90(4):351-8; August 1947; Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20265812
(10) Schilling, Brian K et al; “Physiological and Pharmacokinetic Effects of Oral 1,3-Dimethylamylamine Administration in Men.” BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology; 14: 52; 2013. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3852303/
(11) Miya, T, Edwards, L; “A pharmacological study of certain alkoxyalkylamines”; Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association. American Pharmaceutical Association; 42(2):107-10; February 1953. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13034643/
(12) Kim, Kevin, Zilbermintz, Leeor, Martchenko, Mikhail; “Repurposing FDA approved drugs against the human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans”; Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials; 14:32; June 9, 2015. Retrieved from http://ann-clinmicrob.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12941-015-0090-4
(13) Niu, Hongxia, et al; “Identification of Anti-Persister Activity against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli from a Clinical Drug Library”; Antibiotics; 4(2), 179-187; 2015. Retrieved from http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/4/2/179/pdf
(14) Kim, Kevin, Martchenko, Mikhail; “Method of treating microbial infections”; US Patent and Trademark Office; US Patent US20150196499 A1; July 16, 2015; Retrieved from https://www.google.com/patents/US20150196499
(15) Arkhipov, A, et al; “Metabolomic Profiling of Kigelia Africana Extracts with Anti-Cancer Activity by High Resolution Tandem Mass Spectroscopy”; Pharmacognosy Communications; Volume 4, Issue 4; Oct–Dec 2014; Retrieved from http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/64248/98347_1.pdf
Useful Links
FitFrek operates as an independent platform, offering comprehensive workouts, programs, routines, guides, and unbiased reviews to accelerate your progress. We pride ourselves on our honesty, delivering straightforward and candid insights. FitFrek does not offer medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment services.