Suffice it to say that I am one of BLs loudest voices of caution in regards to MDMA.
I have never flat out said MDMA should never be taken, but I make no exception to the reality that MDMA is a neurotoxin.
Some members do not like my strong advice, while plenty have thanked me for my valuable contributions and harm reduction advice.
Others have depended on me for hope in truly desperate periods of recovery.
Their stories, and mine, speak volumes about the risk you are toying with.
Allow me to point out a repeated principle from hundreds of MDMA studies:
Repeated doses cause more neurotoxicity.
The most obvious example comes from rodent and primate studies that administer high doses, from 5-20mg/kg or 4-16 average tabs, daily for up to four consecutive days.
While these studies are often dismissed by drug users as irrelevant due to the unusually high intravenous doses given, they do indeed
firmly establish that ALL users of MDMA will suffer 'brain damage' in just a few short days of very heavy dosing.
And they establish that the alterations made in the brain, especially higher brain regions, is long-lasting and probably
permanent.
Stimulants in general share this property - there is an upper dose that practically guarantees the widespread death of neurons.
MDMA is a rather exceptional case in that it has caused severe depression and psychosis in users much more quickly than the long-term use typically seen with cocaine or meth.
Serotnergic drugs are very unique in their ability to cause a meaningful and emotional experience for the drug user. Their unique effect on the brain also makes the danger unique and
greater than that of other drugs.
Lets bring up your heroin analogy.
The primary danger from heroin comes from high doses or potent product causing paralysis of the diaphragm.
The nervous system is not able to compensate and the user slowly suffocates.
This happens most often among former addicts who miscalculate their dosage - believing that they can handle an amount close to their old habit.
With all drugs, heroin included, long-term use does indeed cause changes in the brain that can be labeled 'damage' or 'toxic'.
Heroin and other opiates will cause a slow down-regulation of the opiate receptors, which are part of the dopamine pleasure network.
But heroin is not a true neurotoxin like MDMA - and this is evident by the fact that some people will live
years on heroin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone, etc. Even decades.
Opiates are a unique class of drugs that do not cause organ damage or outright neurotoxicity.
We are built for this set of molecules, it could be argued.
And as long as dosage isn't excessive, one can go on with a habit for a very long time.
Withdrawal is very shitty, of course.
But this is not the equivalent of 'brain damage' from MDMA.
Opiate down-regulation of dopamine receptors is different from serotonin receptor down-regulation and
axotomy from a 'potent' neurotoxin.
That is what MDMA does.
It destroys axons and receptors in the cortical regions of the brain.
This is known to occur in a lasting and detectable manner when repeated doses are taken, even in human recreational users.
And other drugs that increase serotonin also damage receptors, transporters, and axons - evidence that anything that causes an increase in brain serotonin can be damaging.
The powerful cortisol response to MDMA is a defense mechanism which causes 'toxic' serotonin levels to be more quickly metabolized. This is the 'come-up'.
Only after serotonin and cortisol levels reach their peak, does the 'magic' begin.
When is the last time you heard of a heroin user sustaining 'brain damage' from the first few weeks of use?
Unless they overdose and cause a lack of oxygen to the brain, it does not happen.
But plenty of stories exist involving new MDMA users and the consequences of overdoing it.
Here is someone who described himself as 'seasoned' -
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/612805-post-MDMA-alco-binge-problems-(
The serotonin network is not resilient like the dopamine network.
Other amphetamines and cocaine can be used repeatedly, day after day, due to the quick rebound of the brain's dopamine supply.
But ALL MDMA users will report diminishing returns with repeat days - a clear sign that serotonin is NOT replenished quickly.
Several BL members, such as MasterSplinter, that do not necessarily agree with everything I say will
strongly agree that
rolling on consecutive days is a VERY bad idea.
The euphoria is less and the shitty negative side-effects are amplified. Greatly.
You may not have experienced a 'comedown' yet, but pushing this envelope will practically guarantee one.
At least ONE month is required to regenerate lost serotonin.
This is because tryptophan hydrolase, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of serotonin, is 'permanently' deactivated by MDMA.
That means the body must generate new TPH to replace the lost amount.
Also, neurotoxicity is linked to the DROP in serotonin that occurs about three hours after dosing.
Metabolites of MDMA and dopamine make their way into vacant serotonin transporters and receptors.
If a competitive serotonin agonist like an SSRI is taken at exactly three hours post dose, complete neuroprotection is offered - even against known toxic doses of MDMA.
But this requires halting the euphoric experience before it is over, something few MDMA users are interested in.
It should be clear to you that rolling while your serotonin levels have not recovered causes more damage to the current nerve structure in your higher brain.
If you roll this weekend, you are accepting the damage.
Will you experience severe depression or psychosis?
Probably not - but some damage is assured.
If you are planning to roll no matter what you are told, then you are asking only how to minimize the damage that does occur.
The number one control you have is DOSAGE.
Take as little MDMA to roll as possible in one dose.
150-200mg is sufficient for most people even a week later.
NO REDOSING.
Your choice to redose last time is an important factor in why you didn't roll on your next attempt.
There is no reason to take more if the first dose fails to impress you.
Nothing else will impact the neurotoxicity more than your dosage.
But you can add to this anti-oxidants, especially Vit C in large repeated doses and Acetyl L-Carnitiine.
It redirects some of the dopamine flow to the limbic reward circuitry anyways.
Also, roll in a cool or COLD environment.
Body temperature is a DIRECT moderator of neurotoxicity, proven by countless studies.
Those experiencing acute reactions are always cooled aggressively in medical settings.
Anti-oxidants, cool ambient room temperature, and wise dosing of MDMA are just about ALL you can do.
Your only other tool is physical exercise.
If you work out several hours prior to rolling you will increase the plasticity of your existing serotonin receptors through the release of BDNF.
Working out the day after is also a VERY good idea.
Finally, there is Piracetam, a supplement shown to increase serotonin and dopamine preferentially to the PFC.
Many people who have 'lost the magic' claim that Piracetam restores the full euphoric feeling of MDMA while reducing the negative effects.
Pre loading must be done many hours prior to rolling or even a day, and post loading may help clear the body of nasty metabolites.
This is about the extent of harm reduction.
Of course you could always take the mature stance and NOT ROLL for a while.
The minimum wait time between experiences is 90 days, not 30.
So ONE WEEK is pretty dumb.
Forget about the countless people telling you otherwise - it will have consequences.
Trust me.
Take care of yourself.
.. have fun!
