Under the tongue is 'sub-lingual'.
It is not a good idea due to the truly horrendous taste of MDMA - it will be very likely to cause nausea...and whole body shivers!
Plugging is not wise if his heart is in question, since absorption is faster.
The intestinal wall is rich in blood vessels and many reports exist that say plugging causes a very FAST onset and a harder roll, albeit shorter in duration. Then there are stories of people wasting their dose because they didn't push it up far enough or clean themselves out first. It would either be a disappointment or feel WAY too harsh.
Esp. for a first time!
There is no better ROA than ingesting it and several repeat pluggers would agree with this statement.
Although a portion of MDMA, and other drugs, is destroyed in the acidic environment of the stomach - it causes the most predictable, efficient, and long-lasting effect.
Renz is correct that an EKG reveals very little about the actual condition of the heart.
And even a 3d sonorgram cannot reveal everything about the condition of his arteries - as far as I know it requires a surgeon closely examining and feeling the inside of the blood vessel.
Then you have the knowledge that death from MDMA is pretty rare, despite its wide-spread use.
Surely many people with minor heart defects have taken it.
And the deaths that have occurred are most frequently attributed to liver toxicity, over-heating, hyponatremia leading to cerebral edema, and stroke.
Cardiac events are damned rare, especially among the younger crowd.
His risk of heart-attack is more based on his age, health, weight...
Even with methamphetamine and cocaine (powerful stimulants) heart-attacks are rare and normally involve high and repeated doses. Long-term use is what leads to cardiac damage.
People that experience 'panic attacks' or acute reactions to MDMA often have tachycardia as an initial symptom.
I had chest pains once for a few days in a row, enough to send me in for an EKG - which found nothing.
Then six weeks later after my first time rolling two weekends in a row and taking a high dose of benedryl - I had a terrible case of Serotonin Syndrome.
The onset was rapid and without warning, and the first symptom was extreme chest pain and tachycardia.
I was convinced I was having a heart-attack...
Then the swelling in my stomach began and anxiety that I cannot describe in English.
How I survived that night still escapes me.
But the chest pain and fast heart beat only took center stage for the first twenty minutes.
Past this it was the other symptoms that were most violent and troubling.
Ironically, many of the symptoms of SS and acute MDMA reactions parallel those felt during a 'normal' MDMA experience.
Increase in heart-rate and stomach discomfort are the most obvious correlation.
This should be expected.
What is happening to cause this?
And why does it parallel in extreme reactions?
You have to understand the nature of serotonin in the brain to answer this.
And much is still unknown...
The basics:
Serotonin is primarily found in the intestines - 80-90%. Both the chemical itself and its receptors.
In the brain it constitutes the densest, most intricate, and farthest reaching of all neurotransmitter systems.
Serotonin is the 'brain-gut' connection.
From the Raphe Nucleus in the brainstem, it extends towards the face in a brain-wide web of axons, terminals, receptors, and transporters.
Eventually it reaches the Prefrontal Cortex, the highest cognitive center in the human brain and the farthest from the brainstem. Increases in serotonin in the PFC cause many of the positive emotional benefits of both MDMA and SSRI anti-depressants.
Serotonin is known as the great moderator of the brain - influencing a wide array of brain functions without being directly responsible for any of them. This includes sleep, appetite, sex/libido, digestion, memory, mood...the list is impressive. Not only this, but it governs the even blood distribution around the brain.
Serotonin has direct and profound influence on cerebral mircovasculature - meaning capillaries respond to increases in serotonin by increasing blood supply to the neurons nearby.
How does the 'brain-gut' circuitry have such influence?
Perhaps this is because serotonin inhibits neuronal function, especially the transmission of dopamine.
Serotonin, which is primarily used to contract the smooth muscle of the intestines, seems to be an interfering force in the brain...pushing dopamine, blood, and glucose around.
This might explain why the entire brain is gifted with a dense innervation pattern.
The brain evolved around the intestines, obviously.
So the 'serum' that 'tones' the intestines has powerful effects upon the brain, more than most people realize.
Some of the most crippling psychiatric disorders include altered intestinal motility, such as IBS.
Even schizophrenia, bipolar disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia, and migraines are linked to serotonin. Or the 'brain-gut' circuitry.
The great moderator.
In the PFC axons in the serotonin network are the thinnest and most fiber-like.
They are the first to be lost and the least likely to recover from a neurotixic dose of MDMA.
And MDMA is a neurotoxin - of this there is no doubt.
You should think about this carefully as you continue to roll and bring your BF into this lifestyle.
As for danger to his heart, you must understand why chest pain and tachycardia even happen in acute cases.
Blame the hypothalamus.
It is a relay station for the serotonin nerves that extend into the frontal lobes.
It sits in front of the brainstem and is the commander of the endocrine and adrenal glands, including the master endocrine gland the pituitary.
The 'endocrine' system is what gives feeling to our sensations, our thoughts, our lives.
It is the chemical cause of all emotions and without it we would be gray, lifeless, and non-human.
And dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis or HPA is seen in severe depression and psychotic disorders. Adjusting the HPA is the goal of all anti-depressants and even ECT.
MDMA has powerful effects upon the HPA.
This is because the relationship between the hypothalamus and frontal lobe serotonin is central to healthy emotional function. When serotonin is increased in the higher brain, it is decreased in the hypothalamus. And this allows for more dopamine in the limbic reward circuitry. In fact the meso-limbic reward pathway is the ONLY dopamine pathway in which serotonin does not directly inhibit dopamine transmission.
There is a special circuit that attaches the PFC to the Nucleus Acumbens, or pleasure center of the brain, and causes a powerful surge of dopamine activity.
At the same time the hypothalamus directs the pituitary to release oxytocin, ADH, and prolactin.
Prolactin is the hallmark sign of 'magic' from serotonin release in the higher brain.
With SSRIs it takes weeks before prolactin levels peak, but MDMA causes this in about two hours!
But remember that before serotonin reaches the higher brain, it must travel through the hypothalamus first.
This is where chest pain and tachycardia come from on MDMA.
The hypothalamus influences many bodily functions, such as digestion, body temperature, and heart-rate.
Serotonin Syndrome is defined as a high level of brainstem serotonin activity that leads to a variety of serious symptoms including a sudden increase in heart-rate.
This definition is vague and it fails to point the finger squarely at the hypothalamus.
If the relationship between the HYP, serotonin, and the frontal lobes were fully understood we might have anti-depressants that actually worked!
The whole point of this lesson in the basics is that MDMA's ability to cause cardiac pains stems from its CNS effects and the serotonin/hypothalamus connection.
While the brain is not really understood, there is a mountain of research on MDMA that will contribute meaningful information.
Perhaps the greatest finding in research is that repeated doses cause more neurotoxicity.
All animal research includes high doses given repeatedly over several days.
And human research clearly demonstrates that heavier users show the greatest emotional and cognitive deficits.
Interestingly, heavy cannabis users actually show the greatest emotional and psychological problems of all MDMA users!
From my considerable experience on BL, which includes counseling about 30 different MDMA 'victims'...
Every single person that suffered as a result of their use, especially those claiming 'brain damage'....were REDOSING.
The overlap of all this information strongly suggests that careful controlled doses that are NOT repeated are unlikely to lead to a dangerous hypothalamic response.
I do NOT recommend a 50mg dose because it will be disappointing and will lead to a redose.
And subsequent doses cause more damage than the first.
If he was known to have a CYP enzyme deficiency then a small initial dose would be warranted, but this is unlikely.
I recommend a 100-125 mg dose.
And only ONE dose.
His 'heart' is much more likely to experience problems if he takes a second dose during the comedown.
Common knowledge on BL is that only a SMALL second dose can be taken and it should be done about 2 hours after the initial dose, as the peak turns the corner.
And from my personal experience I can claim that rolling two days in a row puts a LOT more strain on the heart, body, and mind that redosing on the first night!
If he continues to roll over the next few months and years, there is a greater chance of problems as time passes.
Modifications to the brain may include loss of serotonin innervation in the highest brain regions and the hyperinnervation of the hypothalamus.
This is the finding in several primate studies.
During the recovery period from a high toxic dose, the hypothalamus is slowly innervated by axons that could not resprout and survive in the frontal lobes.
My own recovery from MDMA involved quite a lot of tachycardia.
And digestive problems.
And anxiety.
And strokes.
While my reaction may be rare, the evidence supporting the 'neurotoxicity' of MDMA is solid.
Even those who do not experience psychological problems and bodily symptoms, are likely making life-long changes to their most dense neurotransmitter network.
The 'great moderator'.
There are indeed several BL members that claim hundreds of uses without noticeable consequence.
Rest assured they are ignoring the cognitive alterations.
Research clearly shows a dose-dependent relationship, with the heavy long-term MDMA users showing the greatest cognitive change.
And neuroimaging clearly shows a loss of SERT or serotonin transporter function in the cortex of some MDMA users.
But not all...
Whatever you do, approach the drug with the knowledge - the acceptance - that it is a neurotoxin.
In some ways MDMA is more dangerous than other drugs.
Space rolls by at LEAST 90 days.
Do NOT re-dose.
Take antioxidants like Vit C in high doses, alpha lipoic acid, and acetyl l-carnitine.
Exercise before and after each experience!
BDNF, or brain derived neutrophic factor, is a protein that release STEM CELLS into several regions of the brain.
And it resprouts serotonin axons and increases the plasticity of existing axons!
Exercise releases BNDF, therefore it grows and maintains the serotonin network.
No greater tool for recovery from MDMA exists.
I hope you have learned enough to approach the drug with respect.
Don't allow the online drug users to convince you that MDMA is somehow a 'safe' drug.
Just because it is unique, powerful, and causes impressive emotional response does NOT make it safe.
Even though small changes might be made to the brain with every dose, there is plenty of evidence that moderate and light users of MDMA do not experience significant cognitive or psychological consequences. Tread lightly.
And don't worry about nausea.
Its normal considering the 800% increase in cortisol he will experience during the comeup!
A hard workout the day before and perhaps the morning of the roll will be the best bet for combating this inevitable occurrence.
Besides...without cortisol, nausea, and fast heart rate there is no euphoria.
Just make sure he enjoys the peak while it lasts.
No redosing!
Good luck.
FBC
