DMAE Bitartrate Side Effects: What You Need to Know

The side effects reported with DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol, sold in supplements as DMAE bitartrate) include drowsiness, confusion, a mild rise in blood pressure and, in one long-term case, involuntary face and breathing-muscle movements. Most of what we know comes from small trials run decades ago at doses far above many supplement labels. Nobody has studied whether taking DMAE every day for months or years is safe, so caution and a conversation with your healthcare provider make sense before you start.

Key Takeaways

DMAE bitartrate is a salt form of dimethylaminoethanol, a compound related to the nutrient choline. It is sold in supplements marketed for memory and focus.
Side effects reported in human trials include drowsiness, slowed thinking and movement, increased confusion and a mild rise in blood pressure.
The common idea that DMAE raises brain acetylcholine is not well supported: rodent studies found no increase in brain acetylcholine after deanol, and a 2019 study did not find conversion into choline.
No study has tested the long-term safety of daily DMAE use in healthy adults. Most trials lasted three to twelve weeks.
Avoid DMAE if you are pregnant, could become pregnant or are breastfeeding. A 2020 government animal study found equivocal evidence of developmental effects.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first if you take medicines that act on acetylcholine, antipsychotic medicines or any prescription drug.

Evidence grade: Emerging. Human data on DMAE safety come from a handful of small, short trials (mostly from the 1970s to 2000s) and one case report; long-term daily use has not been studied.

What Is DMAE Bitartrate?

DMAE stands for dimethylaminoethanol, also called deanol. It is a small molecule with a structure close to choline, an essential nutrient your body uses to make cell membranes and the messenger chemical acetylcholine. In supplements, DMAE is usually supplied as DMAE bitartrate, a salt that pairs the compound with tartaric acid. The National Toxicology Program notes that supplements containing DMAE bitartrate are marketed to improve memory and cognitive function, and that DMAE is also used in industrial products such as paints and coatings.

Does DMAE really boost acetylcholine?

This is the main reason DMAE is sold for focus, and the evidence is weaker than marketing suggests. In a 1979 rat study, deanol reached the brain and raised choline levels in blood and brain, but it did not change brain acetylcholine levels and was not converted into acetylcholine. A 2019 study by National Toxicology Program scientists in rats and mice found low brain concentrations of DMAE with no build-up, no rise in blood choline, and no sign that DMAE turns into choline in the body. In short, the "acetylcholine precursor" label is a hypothesis, not an established fact.

DMAE Side Effects Reported in Human Studies

Modern safety trials are lacking, so the best human data come from older studies of deanol, often at high doses in people who were already unwell. They may not reflect a healthy adult on a low-dose supplement, but they are the only controlled data available.

Drowsiness, slowed responses and confusion. In a 1981 double-blind trial of 27 older adults with Alzheimer's disease, 6 of the 13 people taking DMAE dropped out within five weeks because of side effects, including drowsiness, slowing of thought and movement, increased confusion and a mild rise in blood pressure. The trial found no benefit.
Worsening of psychiatric symptoms. In a 1979 placebo-controlled study, people with schizophrenia who took up to 1.5 g of deanol a day for three weeks showed a trend toward worse symptoms than the placebo group.
Involuntary movements with very long-term use. A 1991 case report described a person who took deanol for 10 years and developed involuntary movements of the face and breathing muscles. The movements partly eased after stopping it.

Other side effects you may read about online, such as constipation, bloating, jaw tension or headaches, are repeated widely but we could not find them in the primary studies we reviewed, so we have not listed them as established.

Human studies at a glance

Study	Who took part	Dose and length	What it found
Fisman et al., 1981	27 older adults with Alzheimer's disease	DMAE vs placebo (double-blind); dropouts occurred within the first 5 weeks	No benefit; 6 of 13 on DMAE withdrew due to drowsiness, confusion and mild blood pressure rise
Penovich et al., 1978	14 people with a movement disorder linked to antipsychotic drugs	2 g a day for 4 weeks (crossover)	No difference from placebo
de Montigny et al., 1979	Adults with schizophrenia and the same movement disorder	Up to 1.5 g a day for 3 weeks	No improvement; trend toward worse psychiatric symptoms
Dimpfel et al., 2003	80 adults with mild mood complaints	Vitamin-mineral combination with DMAE, 12 weeks	EEG changes linked to alertness and better mood scores; the effect of DMAE alone cannot be separated
Blin et al., 2009	Healthy young men given a drug that temporarily impairs memory	DMAE pyroglutamate (a different salt), single study	Reduced the drug-induced memory dip on one recall test
Grossman, 2005 (review)	Adults using a skin gel	3% DMAE gel on the face daily for 16 weeks	Well tolerated on skin; modest improvements in fine lines and firmness

Can You Take DMAE Daily?

DMAE is often included in daily brain-support formulas, but the honest answer is that daily DMAE use has never been tested for long-term safety in healthy people. Controlled trials ran for three to twelve weeks. The only long-term data point is a single 10-year case report that ended with a movement side effect.

If you and your healthcare provider decide DMAE is reasonable for you, these steps keep the risk low:

Follow the label dose. The high side-effect rates in older trials came from gram-level doses, well above what many supplements provide. More is not better.
Count every source. DMAE shows up in many stacked "nootropic" products. Check each Supplement Facts panel so you do not double up.
Watch for early warning signs. Stop and talk to your provider if you notice unusual drowsiness, confusion, mood changes, a rise in your blood pressure readings, or any twitching or involuntary movement.

For a broader look at daily use across brain-support ingredients, see our guide on whether it is bad to take nootropics every day.

Does DMAE Work for Focus and Memory?

The evidence is thin. A 2003 trial of 80 adults found that a vitamin-mineral product containing DMAE, taken for 12 weeks, changed EEG brain-wave patterns in ways the authors linked to alertness, and improved mood questionnaire scores. Because the product contained many ingredients, the effect of DMAE itself is unknown. A 2009 study found that a related salt, DMAE pyroglutamate, reduced a temporary memory dip caused by the drug scopolamine in healthy young men. Neither study shows that DMAE bitartrate improves focus or memory in everyday life.

If you want to compare DMAE with ingredients that have more human research, our guide to nootropics grades the evidence for each main ingredient class, and what is the best nootropic walks through choosing one.

DMAE in supplements that combine ingredients

DMAE is most often found as one part of a multi-ingredient formula. For example, OPA Neuro Plus lists DMAE bitartrate within its 692 mg brain support complex per two-capsule serving, alongside Bacopa extract, green tea extract, choline bitartrate, inositol and N-acetyl L-tyrosine. It is formulated to support mental focus, alertness and clarity. If you take a formula like this, the safety points in this article still apply.

DMAE in Skin Care

DMAE is also used in creams and gels for aging skin. A 2005 review, written by an author employed by a skin-care manufacturer, described a randomized trial in which a 3% DMAE facial gel applied daily for 16 weeks modestly improved forehead lines, fine wrinkles around the eyes and skin firmness. Redness, peeling, dryness, itching and stinging were no more common than with placebo, and an open-label extension of up to one year was well tolerated. Results for applying DMAE to skin say nothing about swallowing it.

Safety and Interactions

There is no NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet for DMAE and no established upper limit. Here is what the research does support:

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid DMAE. In a 2020 National Toxicology Program study, pregnant rats given DMAE bitartrate showed equivocal evidence of developmental toxicity, including skeletal and blood-vessel changes in offspring. The program flagged possible exposure in women of childbearing age who use DMAE supplements. Earlier lab work found that DMAE disrupted choline use in mouse embryos grown in culture.
Medicines that act on acetylcholine: talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you take anticholinergic medicines or cholinesterase inhibitors. Researchers have suggested DMAE may interfere with normal acetylcholine signaling, and interaction data in people are lacking.
Antipsychotic medicines: talk to your doctor or psychiatrist first. An older trial saw a trend toward worse symptoms in people taking deanol alongside their usual treatment.
Blood pressure: if you monitor your blood pressure or take blood pressure medicine, talk to your doctor before using DMAE.
Children: do not give DMAE to children unless a pediatrician recommends it.

If you notice a reaction you think is linked to a supplement, stop taking it and tell your healthcare provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common DMAE bitartrate side effects?

In the human trials available, the side effects reported most often were drowsiness, slowed thinking or movement, increased confusion and a mild rise in blood pressure. These came from older trials using high doses in people who were already unwell. Data in healthy adults taking typical supplement doses are very limited.

Is it safe to take DMAE every day?

No one has studied daily DMAE use over months or years in healthy people. Controlled trials lasted three to twelve weeks. If you choose to take it, stick to the label dose, avoid stacking products that also contain DMAE, and review your use with a healthcare provider.

Is DMAE the same as choline?

No. DMAE is structurally similar to choline, but it is not a nutrient and has no recommended intake. A 2019 animal study did not find that DMAE is converted into choline. Choline itself has an Adequate Intake of 550 mg a day for men and 425 mg for women, and foods such as eggs supply it. One large hard-boiled egg has about 147 mg.

Are DMAE bitartrate side effects different from other forms of DMAE?

No study has compared the side effects of different DMAE salts directly. The bitartrate form is the one sold in most supplements and was the form tested in the 2020 government animal study. The older human trials mostly used deanol acetamidobenzoate, a different salt.

Can DMAE be taken with other supplements?

DMAE is often combined with other brain-support ingredients in one formula. The main concern is doubling up on DMAE from several products. Bring every supplement label to your doctor or pharmacist, especially if you take prescription medicines.

Sources

Disclosure: OPA Nutrition sells supplements, including products mentioned in this article. This content is for education only and is not medical advice. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your healthcare provider before using any supplement, especially if you take medication or have a medical condition.

Written and reviewed by Michael Gonzales, Founder, OPA Nutrition · Last reviewed: October 17, 2026 · How OPA researches and writes

DMAE Bitartrate Side Effects: What You Need to Know

Key Takeaways