Does Ecstasy MDMA Cause Brain Damage? Controversial Evidence

can molly cause brain damage

Overall, research on the effects of chronic MDMA use is limited, and more studies in humans are needed to determine the long-term effects of this drug. More long-term effects of MDMA are emotional and psychological damage, such as strong emotional reactions, extreme anxiety, https://sober-home.org/ecstasy-addiction-and-abuse-understanding-mdma/ depression, and paranoia. You may also experience sleep interruptions and insomnia, disordered thinking, delusions, and panic attacks. Using Ecstasy while pregnant allows the drug to pass through the mother’s bloodstream into the developing fetus’s bloodstream.

can molly cause brain damage

What’s the difference between recreational use and MDMA-assisted therapy?

Aside from MDMA’s physiological effects, a major part of what makes Molly so dangerous is the uncertainty of its assumed contaminants. Without access to proper laboratory equipment, accurately identifying how much actual MDMA is in Molly powder or pills is difficult. Because this drug is typically manufactured in clandestine labs lacking rigorous quality control standards, the amounts of each ingredient, https://soberhome.net/6-ways-to-lower-high-blood-pressure-without-using/ Molly or otherwise, can vary significantly between batches and even from pill to pill. As a psychoactive drug that has similarities to both stimulants and hallucinogens, MDMA causes altered sensations, euphoria, energy and empathy. Users may also have a distorted perspective on the passage of time and sensory perception. Molly can be taken in several forms, including pills, liquid and powder.

can molly cause brain damage

Recreational ecstasy use: acute effects potentiated by ambient conditions?

Because even if they do get to a place where they realize that their beliefs are untrue, if they feel that they can’t emerge as someone who is still loved, respected, and valued by the people around them, they’re not going to come out. So you really need to let them know, however you can, that if and when they’re ready to come out, you will be there for them, and you will still love them. The cardiac effects of MDMA go beyond high blood pressure and racing pulse. MDMA can cause major cardiac events due to improper blood flow and impaired heart function. MDMA is an illegal substance in the United States because it has a high chance of misuse and negative health effects.

Meta-analysis of molecular imaging of serotonin transporters in ecstasy/polydrug users

Regarding the long-term effects of MDMA exposure, it was proven that MDMA could reduce the level of serotonin in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats (Mueller et al., 2009; Mustafa et al., 2018). However, some researchers have suggested that MDMA may be able to cause a long-term 5-HT down-regulation without causing structural damage to serotonin neurons (Kish, 2002). MDMA-induced serotonin deficit has been interpreted as neurotoxicity. Unfortunately, there is still an ongoing debate on whether the deficit of serotonin reflects damage to the neurons (Baumann, Wang & Rothman, 2007). However, in a clinical study, the brain imaging studies on MDMA users had been drug-free for 20 weeks or longer have not revealed less serotonin transporter binding levels in the brain (Buchert et al., 2003).

Acute MDMA and nicotine co-administration: behavioral effects and oxidative stress processes in mice

In one study, researchers found that only 60% of samples contained any MDMA at all and many were mixed with so-called “fake cocaine,” a substance typically made with synthetic cathinone. In nearly 25% of the samples, the researchers were unable to identify what was actually in the tablets. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration granted MDMA breakthrough therapy status due to the preliminary evidence of its efficacy in the treatment of PTSD. This status helps expedite the development and review of substances for the treatment of serious conditions. Tragically for the students at Wesleyan, they may have gotten a “bad batch” of Molly. The dose may have been too high, or the pills may have been adulterated with caffeine or other amphetamine-like substances.

  1. It was then re-synthesized, first by Gordon Alles and then by Alexander Shulgin, who tested it on himself, his wife, and his friends.
  2. Even within the ‘normal’ people (non-users) the top dot is actually over twenty times as far up as the bottom one.
  3. With that said, they did state that further research needs to be conducted.
  4. It’s possible that people who have taken Ecstasy in a warm place (like a packed club) and spent hours doing vigorous activity without taking time to cool down can experience hyperthermia, a rare side effect that requires medical attention.
  5. Several therapeutic methods have been suggested by the researchers for the treatment of MDMA abuse.

Always seek your physician’s advice with any questions or concerns regarding a medical condition. MDMA functions by elevating three brain chemicals damage cocaine does to the nose – serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Preclinical studies suggest that using Molly may temporarily deplete the brain’s serotonin stores.

Like with other drugs, especially those with psychedelic properties, MDMA often causes pupils to dilate, and people who us it may become sensitive to light. Together, the treatments could help produce faster and more measurable results, people involved in the research say. The drug may help people put experiences such as violence or war into perspective, enabling them to move on with their lives in a positive way. MDMA not only provides prolonged euphoria, but it enhances sensory experiences like music and physical sensations like touch, people who use it say. When given the MDMA, the women rated their favorite memories as “significantly more vivid, emotionally intense, and positive” and their worst ones as “less negative,” the study’s authors wrote.

(Antioxidant use is actually good advice for any drug user, including smokers and drinkers.) Visit Preloading for more information on antioxidants. • Overheating, often of life-threatening proportions, is important for neurotoxicity to occur. Throughout the long study, no serious adverse effects were recorded. MDMA, also known as ecstasy or Molly, is a synthetic psychoactive drug that acts as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen, changing mood and perception.

Health experts will need to see a significant amount of research on the benefits and risks of MDMA use for health conditions before it could become a treatment option. An early study published in 2000 explored the literature on long-term cognitive effects of recreational ecstasy use. Heavy MDMA use has been shown to cause long-term effects on serotonin production, but researchers are trying to learn if long-term positive benefits exist as well. And when we think about the root of this crisis, I think we need to rethink our interventions. The characters in my book who did manage to climb back out of the rabbit hole did so when their underlying needs were met. That was when the conspiracy theories they’d been clinging to fell away.

MDMA is a popular stimulant and hallucinogenic drug that can cause feelings like euphoria, sensuality, and empathy. However, while the short-term effects of MDMA only last a few hours, chronic or heavy use of MDMA may possibly lead to long-term effects on the brain. Its physical effects are like other stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamines because it causes increased heart rate and blood pressure. Even though substances like Molly are considered nonaddictive when compared to drugs like heroin or cocaine, anything can become a problem habit. If too many nights spent clubbing with MDMA or regular use of it while smoking pot or getting drunk have turned a party drug into a substance use disorder, there’s help. With its inpatient and outpatient programming, FHE Health has helped many people successfully overcome addiction problems in all shapes and sizes.

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