5-Amino-1MQ dosing & administration
A small-molecule NNMT inhibitor studied in animals for fat loss and NAD+ metabolism.
Written by Michael Carroll — Owner, Director of Research · Reviewed by the Peptide Initiative Research Team
Dosing
How much do I take?
50 – 150 mg/day (community-reported, no trial)
Frequency
Once daily, per community protocols
Duration
Undefined — no human study has run any duration
This is not a dose anyone established; it is the range people report using. The absence of human data here was checked rather than assumed: PubMed has no record under "5-amino-1MQ" and no clinical study of any NNMT inhibitor in people, ClinicalTrials.gov has no registered study of either the compound or the target, and no company has announced a clinical programme. The EU and WHO trial registries were not searched directly, so a trial registered only outside the US cannot be ruled out. With no human trial, there is no human safety data and no established human maximum, so there is nothing to describe any of these figures as tolerated against. It is shown as a single range rather than as starting, standard and advanced steps because no study set those steps — whether people using it escalate through them is a question about community practice that has not been checked here. The numbers that do exist are animal data only and do not convert to a human dose: mice received about 34 mg/kg a day by subcutaneous injection, 20 mg/kg three times daily for 11 days, n=9 [1]. In a dose-escalation study spanning 10 to 150 mg/kg/day, 60 mg/kg/day produced no observable adverse effects — in TWO mice [1]. Lab screening found off-target monoamine oxidase-A inhibition at higher concentrations, so caution with MAO-sensitive drugs and foods is reasonable [2], and the compound is cytotoxic to cultured pre-adipocytes at high concentration — about 40% loss of viability at 600 µM against none at 10 µM [1].
Timing
Best time to take
Community users typically take it in the morning; no human study has tested timing.
With food?
Can be taken with or without food (community practice); no peer-reviewed guidance exists.
If stacking
Some community users stack it with NAD+ precursors like NMN or NR because 5-Amino-1MQ raises NAD+ by a different route [1]. This combination has never been tested together in humans.
Adjusting your dose
Increase if
- A lower dose is well tolerated with no side effects after several weeks (community practice, not clinically validated)
Decrease if
- You notice any nausea, headache, flushing, or unusual fatigue
- You take any medication affected by MAO-A [2]
Signs of right dose
- No validated markers exist in humans; in animals the signs were gradual fat and weight loss without reduced appetite [1]
Administration
How do I use it?
Reconstitution
What you need
Injection
Route
Oral capsule is the most common community route; subcutaneous injection was used in animal studies [1][2]
Best sites
Storage
Before reconstitution
Store capsules or sealed powder in a cool, dry place away from light. Refrigeration is recommended for powder to preserve stability.
After reconstitution
If reconstituted for injection, keep refrigerated at 2-8 degrees C and use within a few weeks. Do not freeze the solution.
Signs of degradation — discard the vial
Safety
Is it safe?
Side effects
Commonly reported: No verified human side effects, Mild nausea or headache (community-reported)
Less common: Fatigue or flushing (community-reported)
Stop and seek help if
- Any severe or unexpected symptom
- Signs of a reaction to MAO-A effects such as severe headache, racing heart, or spiking blood pressure [2]
- Persistent nausea, headache, or fatigue
- You start a medication affected by MAO-A
- You become pregnant or are breastfeeding
This is an experimental research compound with no human safety data. This information is educational and not medical advice. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider before using it and before stopping any prescribed medication.
Flagged pairings
- MAO inhibitors — Avoid. The compound inhibited monoamine oxidase-A in lab screening, so combining could compound MAO-blocking effects [2]
- SSRIs / serotonergic drugs — Use caution due to theoretical off-target MAO-A activity [2]
- Drugs metabolized via MAO pathways — Discuss with a doctor before combining
- Tyramine-rich foods/supplements — Theoretical caution alongside possible MAO-A inhibition [2]
Published research
What the studies show
Neelakantan H, Vance V, Wetzel MD, Wang HL, McHardy SF, Finnerty CC, Hommel JD, Watowich SJ · 2018
The foundational study. In diet-induced obese mice, 5-amino-1MQ at 20 mg/kg given three times daily for 11 days significantly reduced body weight and white fat mass, shrank fat cells, and lowered plasma cholesterol, with no change in food intake and no observable adverse effects. The compound was highly selective for NNMT and membrane-permeable. Published in Biochemical Pharmacology, volume 147, pages 141-152.
Babula JJ, Bui D, Stevenson HL, Watowich SJ, Neelakantan H · 2024
In diet-induced obese mice, 5-amino-1MQ at 10 or 32 mg/kg once daily by subcutaneous injection for 28-30 days dose-dependently suppressed weight gain, lowered fasting insulin, improved oral glucose tolerance, reduced triglycerides, and cut liver fat (hepatic steatosis) by up to 73% at the high dose while normalizing liver enzymes. No serious adverse effects; off-target screening showed the compound inhibited monoamine oxidase-A at 10 micromolar. Published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, volume 26, issue 11.
Dimet-Wiley A, Wu Q, Wiley JT, Eswar A, Neelakantan H, Savidge T, Watowich SJ · 2022
In obese mice, combining a reduced-calorie diet with 5-amino-1MQ (32 mg/kg by subcutaneous injection) produced body weight and fat mass indistinguishable from lean control animals — better than diet change alone — and shifted the gut microbiome, increasing Lactobacillus. Published in Scientific Reports.
Sun WD, Zhu XJ, Li JJ, et al. · 2024
A review explaining how NNMT methylates nicotinamide using SAM to make 1-methylnicotinamide, depleting NAD+ precursors and raising homocysteine. It describes 5-amino-1MQ as a nicotinamide analog that competitively inhibits NNMT, is highly selective, and reversed obesity in high-fat-diet mice by raising NAD+ and lowering fat mass. Published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, volume 15, article 1410479.
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) · 2024
Official chemical database record confirming the identity and structure of 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium: molecular formula C10H11N2+ (cation), molecular weight 159.21 g/mol, PubChem CID 950107, salt CAS 42464-96-0.
Want the full picture?
The complete 5-Amino-1MQ research profile: mechanism of action, clinical studies, effectiveness timeline, and FAQ.