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MDMA induced heart damage?

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ionblue

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Jul 25, 2016
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Hello all,

I am a 24 year old male, over the past 2 years i have rolled on average once per month (sometimes more/less).

I estimate i have taken about 20 tablets in my life, with little to no side effects. I never take more than one dose (80-100mg) in a single night and i weigh 90kg at 6ft.

I took a good capsule 2 weeks ago and i had a good time, no heart problems on the night or for the following few days, however..

3 days later i developed a mild dull ache in the lower left side of my chest that has pretty much been constant ever since.

My heart rate at rest is quite high - about 80-90 BPM and I get fluctuations and palpitations here and there. My blood pressure is a little high, but pretty close to normal.

I plan on seeing a doctor but in the mean time, I was wondering if MDMA is likely to have induced these symptoms. I did find online some research that MDMA can cause Valvular Heart Disease in some individuals due to the stimulation of cell growth on the heart relating to serotonin binding agents etc. Considering the relatively low amount i've taken, the time between dosages and the actual dosages that i take - i did not consider this to be highly likely though.

I've always been quite healthy and haven't experienced heart issues before just now. I eat well, i have been training at the gym for 4-5 years now and I notice the pain is worse when i am there.

The only other thing i might add is that i do take pre-workout powder quite often, which is a stimulant for the CNS and contains vasodilators and caffeine. I have not had any problems with it for years though.

Has anyone else experienced constant chest/heart pain or similar symptoms related to MDMA use? Did it go away?
(I am quite aware it may be unrelated and i've taken steps to cut back on pre-workout supplements/MDMA and not go so hard in the gym for a while until i discover the source of the problem.)
 
Hello!

As you say, drugs that stimulate serotonin receptors can cause abnormal growth of heart valves, but I've only seen clear evidence of it happening with certain medications that are taken daily for long periods. It may prove to be a risk with MDMA with heavy, long-term use, but I haven't seen cause to believe there's any danger from occasional use. My bet would be it's something else and the timing was a coincidence.

Go see your doctor. If there is a problem with your heart valves for some reason it's easy for them to spot (the valve becomes 'leaky', causing a distinctive 'murmer' sound when they listen to your heart.) If you're using a lot of caffeine and the like, it might be as simple as a little acid reflux (which can cause pains in places other than your stomach.)
 
One thing to rule out would be costochondritis and pec minor type pains, often confused for heart pain after one is chest breathing heavily for a while.

Angina is fairly common, all things considered. Typically with VHD you have constitutional symptoms. But alas, a doctor is always your best bet. But you could start by ruling out ribcage pain.
 
It is extremely unlikely (as in you are more likely to have a congenital (born with it) valve defect) that you have mdma caused heart issues.

The literature shows that even with prescription drugs (fenfluramine pergolide) that have a known issue causing valular fibrosis (5HT2b agonists) an apparent genetic pre-disposition and months of daily use is necessary to develop issues. (which average less than 10% of long term users)

To even get to the threshold of potential induction of cellular growth it takes approximately a 200mg dose of mdma, and the concentration that may cause issues is only reached for a very short time.
 
exactly, there has to be chronic (pretty much daily) use of a 5-ht2b agonist to cause heart issues. people have seen signs of valvulopathy in heavy mdma users, but as far as i know there's not a single case report of someone who got clinically relevant issues due to mdma. if you take mdma every few months (as you should), then you're extremely unlikely to run into any such problems.

palpitations could be due to any stimulant (i certainly noticed it when i took amphetamine at every weekend) with mdma being a rather unlikely substance. caffeine is a much more common cause. if you pre-workout-powder contains ephedrine or anything like it then it's almost certainly the culprit here. ephedrine has much more pronounced cardiovascular side effects than more recreational stimulants. of course palpitations can also always be due to having a little more stress than usual.
your heart rate seems pretty normal to me. ideally it should be a below 80, but many people naturally have a higher heart rate. also if you are a smoker, such a slight increase would be expected. that's nothing to worry about (at least unless you have other serious heart issues).

chest pains can have many differerent causes. most often they are caused by muscle aches (for instance due to working out, or even sitting in unnatural positions), back or even stomach problems. if it doesn't get substantially better in the coming days/weeks, a visit to the doctor (even though in all likelyhood unnecessary) could add greatly to your peace of mind.
 
Chest pain and palpitations can also be linked to anxiety, without any "physic" problems in the heart.
 
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