What Is Ecstasy Made from, and What Are Its Effects on the Body?

More than 22 million of those surveyed said they have tried ecstasy at some point in their lives. This involves taking several doses of ecstasy spread out over a short time. For example, someone may take ecstasy first, then take amphetamines when the ecstasy starts to wear off.

The UK term “mandy” and the US term “molly” colloquially refer to MDMA in a crystalline powder form that is thought to be free of adulterants. MDMA is often co-administered with alcohol, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs such as SSRIs with which MDMA has several drug-drug interactions. MDMA is sometimes taken in conjunction with other psychoactive drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, 2C-B, and Ecstasy ingredients ketamine. In the rave environment, the sensory effects of music and lighting are often highly synergistic with the drug.

Addiction Involving Ecstasy

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is a promising and generally safe treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder when administered in controlled therapeutic settings. MDMA is structurally similar to mescaline (a psychedelic), methamphetamine (a stimulant), as well as endogenous monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. MDMA acts primarily by increasing the release of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in parts of the brain. When taken by mouth, effects begin in 30 to 45 minutes and last three to six hours.

Potentially Dangerous Effects in the Body

Believing MDMA allowed users to strip away habits and perceive the world clearly, Shulgin called the drug window. While not finding his own experiences with MDMA particularly powerful, Shulgin was impressed with the drug’s disinhibiting effects and thought it could be useful in therapy. A 1960 Polish paper by Biniecki and Krajewski describing the synthesis of MDMA as an intermediate was the first published scientific paper on the substance. In 1953 and 1954, the United States Army commissioned a study of toxicity and behavioral effects in animals injected with mescaline and several analogues, including MDMA. At the time, Merck was interested in developing substances that stopped abnormal bleeding.

Any use of ecstasy can be dangerous because of how it’s made and the harmful chemicals it contains. You will also discover how to get effective and compassionate treatment for substance abuse. This can result in severe side effects, dependence, overdose, and even death.

Ecstasy Overdose

Repeated use can deplete the brain’s supply of serotonin, which can result in depression, anxiety, memory problems, and difficulty concentrating. Even if someone has taken ecstasy before, the ingredients in each pill can vary, making it impossible to know how the body will react. In severe cases, these effects can lead to heart failure, kidney damage, or even death. Ecstasy affects the brain by increasing the levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, chemicals that control mood, energy, and emotions. The dangers don’t stop with the production of ecstasy. The chemical reactions needed to create MDMA can produce dangerous fumes that are harmful if inhaled.

Bill Mandel reported on “Adam” in a 10 June San Francisco Chronicle article, but misidentified the drug as methyloxymethylenedioxyamphetamine (MMDA). In an early media report on MDMA published in 1982, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spokesman stated the agency would ban the drug if enough evidence for abuse could be found. A California laboratory that analyzed confidentially submitted drug samples first detected MDMA in 1975.

Ecstasy Use Complications

Severe overdose resulting in death has also been reported in people who took MDMA in combination with certain monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or moclobemide (Aurorix, Manerix). MDMA also interacts with drugs which inhibit CYP450 enzymes, like ritonavir (Norvir), particularly CYP2D6 inhibitors. A scheme for management of acute MDMA toxicity has been published focusing on treatment of hyperthermia, hyponatraemia, serotonin syndrome, and multiple organ failure. Acute toxicity is mainly caused by serotonin syndrome and sympathomimetic effects. One study found approximately 15% of chronic MDMA users met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for substance dependence.

Is MDMA safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved MDMA as a treatment for any medical condition. However, those studies show that animals did not take MDMA as much as some other addictive drugs, such as cocaine.2 Learn more about ways to test drugs for hidden ingredients.

• This status helps expedite the development and review of substances for the treatment of serious conditions.
• MDMA is often called molly or ecstasy and is frequently taken in pill or capsule form.
• While you may not get addicted to ecstasy, using it does increase your risk for substance use disorder, especially if you struggle to control your use of ecstasy.
• Educate yourself and your friends about the safety tips for ecstasy use to reduce unwanted health problems.

Reporting countries

Furthermore, it is not clear yet whether “typical” recreational users of MDMA (1 to 2 pills of 75 to 125 mg MDMA or analogue every 1 to 4 weeks) will develop neurotoxic brain lesions. However, there is consistent evidence of structural and functional deficits in MDMA users with high lifetime exposure. Cases of life-threatening or fatal hyponatremia (excessively low sodium concentration in the blood) have developed in MDMA users attempting to prevent dehydration by consuming excessive amounts of water without replenishing electrolytes. Acute adverse effects are usually the result of high or multiple doses, although single dose toxicity can occur in susceptible individuals.

Everything You Need to Know About MDMA (AKA Ecstasy or Molly)

Serotonin 5-HT2 receptor agonists or serotonergic psychedelics may potentiate the neurotoxicity of MDMA. This may be due to formation of toxic MDMA metabolites and/or induction of simultaneous serotonin and dopamine release, with consequent uptake of dopamine into serotonergic neurons and breakdown into toxic species. In addition, whereas MDA fully substitutes for psychedelics like LSD and DOM in rodent drug discrimination tests, MDMA does not do so, nor do psychedelics generally fully substitute for MDMA. Whereas MDA and psychedelics like psilocybin induce the head-twitch response in rodents, a behavioral proxy of psychedelic effects, findings on MDMA and the head-twitch response are mixed and conflicting. These effects are said to be dose-dependent, such that greater hallucinogenic effects are produced at higher doses. TAAR1 activation is thought to auto-inhibit and constrain the effects of amphetamines that possess TAAR1 agonism, for instance MDMA in rodents.

MDMA may increase the risk of cardiac valvulopathy in heavy or long-term users due to activation of serotonin 5-HT2B receptors. The drug became popular as a club drugs in the 1990s and early 2000s due to its hallucinogenic effects and its reputed ability to make people feel more sociable and empathetic. It’s almost impossible to know if the ecstasy you’re taking is pure MDMA or mixed with other dangerous substances.

MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly)

A number of homologous compounds with broadly similar effects, e.g. Many illicit syntheses start with PMK and use either the Leuckart route or various reductive aminations including the aluminium foil method. Fatalities following a dose of 300 mg have been noted, but toxicity depends on many factors, including individual susceptibility and the circumstances in which MDMA is used. Some of the pharmacodynamic and toxic effects of MDMA vary, depending on which enantiomer is used.

Need help getting addiction treatment?

• Shulgin occasionally used MDMA for relaxation, referring to it as “my low-calorie martini”, and gave the drug to friends, researchers, and others who he thought could benefit from it.
• MDMA has become widely known as ecstasy (shortened “E”, “X”, or “XTC”), usually referring to its tablet form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants or diluents.
• A number of ecstasy manufacturers brand their pills with a logo, often that of an unrelated corporation.
• Other effects include feeling greater empathy toward others and enhanced sensory perception.

Ecstasy has several effects during the hours it’s active in your system. Popular with young people since the 1980s, raves are parties often held in locations such as warehouses, nightclubs, and fields. Almost double that number of 10th and 12th graders reported using ecstasy in the previous year.

The drug is specifically a well-balanced serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA). The α2-adrenergic receptor agonist clonidine did not affect the cardiovascular effects of MDMA, though it reduced blood pressure. SRIs like citalopram and paroxetine, as well as the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin, have been found to partially block the increases in heart rate and blood pressure with MDMA.

Ecstasy has no approved medical uses and is classified as a Schedule I substance, meaning it is illegal and dangerous. Reports also suggest that people who use ecstasy exhibit symptoms and other markers of addiction including tolerance, drug cravings, and withdrawal. Although ecstasy affects many neurotransmitters in the brain impacted by other addictive drugs, the National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that research has not determined whether MDMA is addictive. MDMA, also known as ecstasy or “molly,” is a synthetic drug known primarily for its hallucinogenic and stimulant effects. MDMA is a synthetic substance commonly known as ecstasy, although the latter term has now been generalised to cover a wide range of other substances.

The chemicals used to make ecstasy are toxic and can cause serious harm during the production process. In these illegal and unregulated labs, there’s no quality control. The main chemical used to create MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, is safrole. It could be made entirely of other chemicals, which are added to mimic the effects of MDMA. Even batches of molly sold by the same dealer can have very different ingredients, leading to unpredictable and sometimes life-threatening outcomes. The name molly is short for molecular and refers to the powder or crystalline form of MDMA, which is typically sold in capsules.

Categorised in: Sober living

This post was written by host