Interesting thread...
A quick check on pillreports will reveal that most pills weigh in at 150-300mg, with a few reaching 400-500.
This includes quite a few that do NOT test positive for adulterants.
That does not mean the pills are 100% pure MDMA. There are normally other ingredients that are not psycho-active.
The site intentionally neglects such information - they do not intend to serve as purity testing for various dealers/manufacturers.
However, I remember some old research studies that claimed the average MDMA pill was comprised of 75-100 mg.
I seem to remember this research took place during the incredible surge of MDMA use during the late 90s.
Since use has fallen, at least in the US, it might be assumed that purity has increased.
It is difficult to answer this query.
I think it should be safely assumed that the average tab would contain at least 75mg of MDMA.
In other research I have seen, 100-150 mg is considered the dose required to induce the FULL effects of the drug, with measured pure MDMA.
Patients that were given only 75 mg did not exhibit the full endocrine/behavioral response.
So, it should be assumed that most decent pills contain 100mg of actual MDMA, with 150mg being more likely.
A 25 mg dose would only be a tease, nothing more.
Important math...
68kg is 150lbs.
A little light for an average man, but not for an average woman.
Using this, we find that 136mg of MDMA is equal to 2mg/kg of body weight.
THIS IS CONSIDERED THE CLINICALLY SAFE DOSE OF MDMA.
No, researchers do NOT endorse a specific amount as 'safe'.
Most will staunchly oppose ANY recreational use as harmful, because they KNOW the substance to be a potent neurotoxin.
However....in the FEW research studies that have administered MDMA to human subjects, the doses are normally 150mg.
RARELY the doses may exceed 300-350mg, but this comprises a small minority of the subjects.
This type of research is considered controversial among scientists and is frowned upon.
This should be a guide to readers on BL.
If trained scientists are unwilling to exceed the 400mg mark in human research, WHY SHOULD YOU?
Did I mention that these studies have found both decrease AND (occasionally) increases in blood flow to various brain regions in these human subjects?
Lets go back to the math...
If 136mg is equal to 2mg/kg and the average pill likely contains this amount, perhaps more...
Then it should be concluded that the MAXIMUM dose that is 'SAFE' is TWO tabs.
At 4mg/kg, you would be reaching the boundaries of reason.
PLENTY of research has shown that repeated exposure to 2.5mg/kg or LESS will result in substantial neurotoxicity, in primate models.
So the above suggestion of 2-4mg/kg only holds true if it is a SINGLE dose.
Re-dosing is ALWAYS the greatest risk factor.
It is used in countless studies - by repeatedly administering doses they guarantee the damage.
Yes, many studies use 20mg/kg, which would be equivalent to NINE pills - IF we assume an average of 150mg per pill.
What if your pills are better quality?
If we consider 250mg PER pill...
Then only 5.5 tabs would reach this mark.
What did you say your maximum exposure in one night was Somedud?
11, right?
Shit...mine was 4.
And how the HELL do we know how many mg's we are taking?
We don't, and no one on BL can answer this for us.
SO - the best advice is to keep your dose to 1-2 tabs PER NIGHT.
And forget about rolling for at least 90 days afterwards.
If you roll the next weekend, even in the reasonable dose of 1-2 tabs...you are STILL taking a risk.
Research shows that 20mg/kg is NOT necessary to produce damage - ESPECIALLY IN PRIMATES.
Rats metabolize MDMA much quicker than we do, so the doses are higher.
It is believed that more advanced brains are MORE susceptible to damage at LOWER doses.
In primates, 2.5mg/kg given daily for four days is a common dose used to reliably induce neurotoxicity.
Think about that - the equivalent of ONE good tab, taken FOUR days in a row will produce LONG-TERM alterations to the serotonin network in monkeys.
And our more complex brains may have a LOWER tolerance.
Hmmm....
Ever wonder why my number one warning is DO NOT RE-DOSE ???
Because RE-DOSING has been proven to cause greater and greater damage.
Oh, and did I mention there is less 'roll'? At least this is agreed upon.
It may be that RE-DOSING, even in small quantities, causes more damage than one large dose.
This is NOT an endorsement to increase initial dosing - ALL readers should consider 350mg to be the HIGHEST dose they should EVER consider for a single session. Even if the pills are just 'ok', that limits you to a MAXIMUM of 3 tabs, if your body weight is 150lbs or 68kg.
Remember, this is the maximum for an entire night.
Which should only occur once every 90 days.
Again, do the math.
This results in 12 tabs being the maximum exposure during a YEAR of usage for the average person consuming average tabs.
It should be considered VERY likely that even this 'conservative' formula dose not hold up for the duration of our adult lives.
And many on BL would argue that ONCE A MONTH is enough spacing...
They would also take more than the recommended 1-2 tabs each time.
Then they would prattle on about 'molly' being free of adulterants, and that makes the difference between their choice and that of others...
Allow me to repeat what I have said before...
My TOTAL lifetime exposure was less than 30 tabs.
Most of these were tested as high quality MDMA - NO adulterants.
My pills averaged 200-250 mg each, although the actual content of MDMA is unknown.
Take a look at my username.
What fucked me up SO badly was my first time rolling TWO weekends in a row.
I took 2.5 tabs on TWO nights, six days apart.
Then I took another HALF tab the day after that. Worst decision ever...
I felt FINE for 2 days afterwards....until I took 100mg of benedryl.
The following day was very likely a severe case of serotonin syndrome, something that nearly killed me.
What saved me? Being in excellent physical condition, and lowering my body temperature.
I was a MODERATE user of MDMA who underestimated the power of drug interactions.
I was ignorant of the BASIC findings of research - RE-DOSING is the GREATEST risk factor for most users.
Had I not taken that last half...or the benedryl....BL would never have met First Bad Comedown.
MONTHS of research resulted in my many detailed posts.
I only hope that people reading them take them seriously.
It is foolish to listen to those claiming heavy usage is without consequence.
Research very CLEARLY suggests otherwise.
However, the true function of serotonin is not completely understood.
We cannot definitively conclude permanent loss of function due to permanent loss of innervation.
We CAN conclude that damage DOES occur - especially in higher brain regions.
By looking at HUMAN MDMA users, we find that the majority of 'heavy' users eventually discontinue use ON THEIR OWN.
Usually within the first 100-200 doses.
That says a LOT, if you care to listen.
It is not true of many other drugs.
Those with 'clinically' significant symptoms typically take 12-18 months to recover.
This does NOT mean that serotonin function has returned to previous norms, only that the brain has adapted.
I point this out because too often I see MDMA users falling back on the resilience and adaptability of our brains as the greatest justification for their choice.
Regardless of whether or not the brain 'adapts', and the users retain only 'modest' cognitive deficits...
This is not the point.
Damage DOES happen - certainly with higher or repeated doses.
It has also been established that people who are regular cannabis users are at GREATER risk of emotional/psychological problems with MDMA.
I did not spend months posting here simply to assuage my own 'anxiety'.
What I suggest is backed up by hundreds of brilliant scientists that have spent decades researching this drug.
It is also based upon anecdotal evidence.
1-2 tabs per night...
4 nights per year.
Veer from this path at your own peril.
At least consider it a reasonable base-line.
If you think that rolling on 3-4 tabs once a month is ok...
Come back and report your status in a year or two.
The evidence says that the majority of people will stop on their own by that point.
Those that can cross that threshold are in the minority.
And their proclamations of 'safety' are ridiculous and dangerous to the rest of us.
No one can have hundreds of psychedelic experiences without consequence.
Are we really so deluded to think that we can relive the greatest night of our lives over and over again?
The effects of neurotoxcity may be 'subtle'.
This only means that current tools that are used to assess cognitive function fail to detect the changes present in heavy ex-users.
I strongly suspect that some of the refined and advanced emotions that make us HUMAN are permanently HARMED by repeated use of MDMA.
This includes feelings of empathy, remorse, love, and sexual desire.
Next time you are rolling, examine the heightened 'human' emotions that you are experiencing.
Really think about what makes MDMA so 'magical'.
It isn't the drug - its the fact that it targets your highest emotional capabilities in the prefrontal cortex.
Consider the possibility that some of them are vulnerable to being lost.
The 'subtle' deficits may be 'very' important, once you realize the loss.
Are you really going to trust other users that do hundreds of doses?
How many tabs are you really willing to take?
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")