Did MDA give me a heart attack?

[Hilopsilo]

So this happened this past summer, and while I was definitely under the influence I'm going to try to recount it as best as possible.

I was at a music festival. I had taken LSD at around 8pm, and then I took 100mg of MDA at about 10pm. I have taken MDMA many times but this was my second time taking MDA. It got VERY intense in a psychedelic way, was coming up on MDA and my visuals were getting to the point where I could hardly tell what I was looking at accompanied by the usual MDMA extreme anxiety/paranoia I get on the comeup. Ended up fleeing the forested music stages to a field with my girlfriend to chill out. Calmed down and fully come up, we decided to go back to music, was on another planet, in a good way. Was back to dancing at about 11:15 or 11:30.

At around 1:15 I felt like I had really come down. Which surprised since when I take MDMA it feels like it sort of lasts all night. Still felt good, but it sort of abruptly stopped, or more abruptly than MDMA.

And this is when it happened: was just hanging out in the sparse crowd with some friends, and I remember someone on my right saying something so I turned to them, but at the exact same time another friend touched my left shoulder and I turned my head sharply to the left and an INCREDIBLY excruciating pain shot through my left arm, felt like when someone touches you with a static current but like so many more times extreme, like my arm was electrocuted. It only lasted a split moment, but I was completely stunned. My friends were like, holy shit are you okay what just happened? My first thought was that something from the stage, that hung far over the crowd with LEDs and whatnot, fell and hit me and electrocuted my arm. That was all I could think of immediately. We sort of chalked it up to just a static current from my friend. Couldn't tell if the feeling of it was just really amplified from being very high. And once again, not sure if it was exacerbated by drugs, but my arms sort of stayed tingling for the next ~45 minutes. Really fucking spooked me.

Wasn't hyped up or physically exerting myself beforehand, was literally just standing there completely chilling when it happened, barely dancing.

Night went on with nothing else out of the ordinary. Didn't take anymore MDA, but I took 100mg MDMA the next night and everything was fine.

I've heard stuff about how people can have heart attacks and not even know they had one? And stuff about heart attacks and pain in the left arm? Or maybe I'm just paranoid and this was some weird crazy pinched nerve?

Anywho, I know you all aren't doctors, but the only thing that was out of the ordinary that night was taking MDA. Trying to google stuff about heart attacks isn't really getting me anywhere lol. Anyone heard of anything like this happening?

 

[Volsam]

I turned my head sharply to the left and an INCREDIBLY excruciating pain shot through my left arm, felt like when someone touches you with a static current but like so many more times extreme, like my arm was electrocuted. And once again, not sure if it was exacerbated by drugs, but my arms sort of stayed tingling for the next ~45 minutes. Really fucking spooked me.
Night went on with nothing else out of the ordinary. Didn't take anymore MDA, but I took 100mg MDMA the next night and everything was fine.

^^^I would never take another heart related chem on the following day after having suspected a heart attack - you are clearly asking for more to happen.

MDA and MDMA both have strong affinity for 5HT-2B serotonin receptors, as I know it, which are expressed in heart's valves. Besides this they agonize and inhibit uptake of dopamine and adrenaline, both of which might affect the heart's functioning. Add to that LSD you took earlier and the setting of being at a concert which add to hypomania.

It's hard to say what really happened, also I assume that "MDA" was not tested either.
But IMO it could have very well been a panic attack induced by your situation and drugs taken - check out "vagus nerve" - lots of physical symptoms might appear as heart attack whereas they are direct or indirect vagus nerve irritation.

If worried, better have your heart checked out by professionals. After all, you only have one heart, but there are a lot of drugs that always will be there. Be safe!

 

[Hilopsilo]

^^^I would never take another heart related chem on the following day after having suspected a heart attack - you are clearly asking for more to happen.

MDA and MDMA both have strong affinity for 5HT-2B serotonin receptors, as I know it, which are expressed in heart's valves. Besides this they agonize and inhibit uptake of dopamine and adrenaline, both of which might affect the heart's functioning. Add to that LSD you took earlier and the setting of being at a concert which add to hypomania.

It's hard to say what really happened, also I assume that "MDA" was not tested either.
But IMO it could have very well been a panic attack induced by your situation and drugs taken - check out "vagus nerve" - lots of physical symptoms might appear as heart attack whereas they are direct or indirect vagus nerve irritation.

If worried, better have your heart checked out by professionals. After all, you only have one heart, but there are a lot of drugs that always will be there. Be safe!

Yeah, that definitely was not smart. But realistically my only reason to think it was a heart attack was that I had heard in the past something about pain in the left arm being associated with heart attacks, but looking on the internet now the information is scarce and most sources are telling me pains that feels "electric" is usually nerve related? Which would sort of make sense since I turned to my left rather abruptly.

Not sure how it could have been a panic attack, since I was completely calm and relaxed. Was having a good time, but nothing was intense at all.

And FWIW the MDA was tested.

 

[Sir Ron Pib]

A heart attack can commonly be completely without pain - it is really only a medical examination can decide this

 

[EntheoDjinn]

I damaged my left shoulder in a sports injury when I was young. Now every few years, when I turn my head to the left, I experience an excruciatingly sharp snap in my shoulder/neck. It's instantaneous and powerful - makes me recoil and leaves me shocked. Just a trapped nerve. Sounds a bit like your experience. I can't replicate it intentionally, it just happens!

 

[pofacedhoe]

get an ECG and have the doubt removed

 

[Tranced]

I don't get why you haven't had it checked out if you think you had a heart attack - maybe evidence that part of you knows its the old medical paranoia/google combo, with added drugs?

Sounds to me like you trapped a nerve or pulled a muscle or something, due to the rapid movement/twist motion from one side to the other. The MDA and LSD probably made this feel very bizzare and exaggerated.

If you want to known for certain, get it checked out.

 

[Xorkoth]

I damaged my left shoulder in a sports injury when I was young. Now every few years, when I turn my head to the left, I experience an excruciatingly sharp snap in my shoulder/neck. It's instantaneous and powerful - makes me recoil and leaves me shocked. Just a trapped nerve. Sounds a bit like your experience. I can't replicate it intentionally, it just happens!

That happens to me every so often too and I never even injured myself. Such a jarring feeling!

 

[Hilopsilo]

I don't get why you haven't had it checked out if you think you had a heart attack - maybe evidence that part of you knows its the old medical paranoia/google combo, with added drugs?

Sounds to me like you trapped a nerve or pulled a muscle or something, due to the rapid movement/twist motion from one side to the other. The MDA and LSD probably made this feel very bizzare and exaggerated.

If you want to known for certain, get it checked out.

Yeah, that was why i took MDMA the next night i think. I chalked it up to some static shock from my friends touch + strong drugs = really crazy sensation. I hit my funny bone really hard before making this post and it reminded me of the incident i guess, so i thought i'd just share my experience.

 

[IamaBonobo]

That sounds like you pinched a nerve by twisting. The sensation was probably enhanced by the drugs, but doesn't sound like a heart attack without shortness of breath or chest pain.

 

[pofacedhoe]

easy way to find out if you had a heart attack is by an ECG

its easy

if you are worried go get one, takes 10 minutes

 

[Solipsis]

The 5-HT2B thing of drugs like LSD and MDMA / MDA is a developmental effect so it's chronic, not acute.

They do stimulate you a lot though... it's possible you temporarily got some serious circulation problems or something, the left arm sensations are indeed typical but I don't know what would be a minor attaque / cardiac episode. The tingling is also a sign of poor circulation but these drugs are vasoconstrictive so you are already so prone to poor circulation and mild neuropathy induced parasthesia that the tingling is not really surprising.
Circulation problems can also exacerbate neurological issues because the nerves need blood/oxygen, that is what the neuropathy refers to (here).

Poor circulation would affect other extremities too though, so I guess it is more likely that you compressed a nerve like suggested above.

While it is smart to get any serious health concerns checked out lest you keep walking around with a dangerous condition... if you had zero symptoms after those 45 minutes I don't know if it is truly a concern. My question would be: if you have a cardiac episode wouldn't you always have additional symptoms during and afterwards, things that wouldn't be as ambiguous as to whether they were neurological or cardiovascular?

If you are curious: not sure if this thread here is appropriate but ok. If you are worried: get checked out. It sounds like you are just curious which makes it even less likely you had anything close to a cardiac arrest... if you were worried by the way, it would have been utterly stupid of you to take any drug whatsoever since the occurrence unless maybe a mild sedative.

Regardless of suggestions by us ^ V we are not a substitute for healthcare.