DMT
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Disease-modifying therapy |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical |
DMT has two meanings. It stands for Disease-modifying therapy (neurology) or N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (drug).
Meanings of DMT at a glance
| # | DMT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disease-modifying therapy | Medical › Neurology |
| 2 | N,N-Dimethyltryptamine | Medical › Drug |
1. Disease-modifying therapy
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Treatment that changes the underlying course of a disease rather than only relieving symptoms, most often referring to drugs for multiple sclerosis that reduce relapses, new MRI lesions and disability progression. More than 20 are approved for MS, from injectables and pills to infusions.
Example: Switched DMT from glatiramer to ocrelizumab after two new enhancing lesions.
Interferon beta-1b, approved in 1993, was the first MS DMT. Options are grouped by efficacy and risk, from moderate-efficacy drugs such as interferons and teriflunomide to high-efficacy drugs such as natalizumab, anti-CD20 antibodies and alemtuzumab, which require monitoring for infections. The term is also used in rheumatology (DMARDs) and in ALS and SMA. In pharmacology DMT also means dimethyltryptamine, a psychedelic.
2. N,N-Dimethyltryptamine
Medical · Drug Abbreviations
Short-acting psychedelic found in many plants and the active ingredient of ayahuasca, the Amazonian brew that combines DMT-containing leaves with a vine containing MAO inhibitors. Smoked or vaporized, its intense effects last only about 5 to 20 minutes.
Example: Patient used DMT at a retreat; transient tachycardia, now calm and oriented.
Swallowed DMT is broken down by MAO enzymes in the gut, which is why ayahuasca requires the MAO-inhibiting vine. DMT is Schedule I in the US, although some religious groups have won legal exemptions to use ayahuasca. In neurology DMT means disease-modifying therapy, as in multiple sclerosis.
Related abbreviations
More neurology abbreviations
- DBS – Deep brain stimulation
- DCI – Delayed cerebral ischemia
- DLB – Dementia with Lewy bodies
- DMD – Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- DTN – Door-to-needle time
- DTR – Deep tendon reflex
- EDH – Epidural hematoma
- EDS – Excessive daytime sleepiness
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
More drug abbreviations
- DHEA – Dehydroepiandrosterone
- DMPA – Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate
- DMSA – Dimercaptosuccinic acid (succimer)
- DMSO – Dimethyl sulfoxide
- doxy-PEP – Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis
- DPH – Diphenhydramine
- DPT – Demerol-Phenergan-Thorazine
- DRV – Darunavir
See all 170 drug abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.