MDMA (Ecstasy)
Bits & Pieces
The "Bits & Pieces" section is intended for random snippets of information which don't fit
easily elsewhere and/or which have been newly added, but not yet carefully categorized.
easily elsewhere and/or which have been newly added, but not yet carefully categorized.
- Minimize Use to Minimize HarmWhile there is still much controversy about the possibility that MDMA is neurotoxic at recreational doses...it is clear that less frequent use is less likely to cause problems. Frequent use leads to tolerance which requires people to use higher doses for the same effects. Keeping use to less than once every 4-6 weeks can help reduce both tolerance and chances of long-term negative impact.
- Visuals and Visual HallucinationsAlthough visual changes are common with MDMA, strong patterning is unusual and actual hallucinatory visual effects (seeing objects, people, etc) with open eyes are extremely rare. There are reports, however, where people see full hallucinations while remaining otherwise coherent. There also exist reports of psychotic/schizophrenic episodes for people on MDMA, such as one from Julie Holland's book Ecstasy: the Complete Guide where a female subject is given 200 mg MDMA and:
"she was completely disoriented, had marked difficulty walking. . . spent several hours trying to pick up nonexistant objects from the floor and talking to people who were not present."
See also MDMA Short-Term Side Effects for information about research into other effects of MDMA.
- Control of Precursors Leads to Shifts in Manufacturing #"In 2005, global seizures of the main chemical used in the illicit manufacture of ecstasy (PMK) declined significantly. As a result, the ecstasy market went into decline. Traffickers were selling 'ecstasy' pills which contained little or no MDMA, the active ingredient of ecstasy pills. However, starting 2010, the MDMA content in ecstasy pills increased again.
"This was possible because traffickers substituted the less widely available PMK with PMK-glycidate, a derivative of PMK which is easily converted into the "parent" form. PMK-glycidate was first seized in an ecstasy and methamphetamine laboratory in the Netherlands along with instructions for its conversion into PMK and the substance has since appeared in other countries."
See also Traffickers using "limitless" ways to disguise manufacture of party pills, says UNODC expert (UNODC, Mar 14 2012)