Is single dose Ecstasy detrimental to cognitive abilities?! My experience

[Lucius II]

HI everybody,
I'm 32 old male. Six months ago, it was the first and only time I tried Ecstasy. I’m not going to describe my sensations, since they were completely in line with the web description, however stronger than I expected. No negative side effects first time, no depression, etc. On the contrary, I felt really fine the first two months after trying it: stunning working ability, no brain-fog, good mood etc. Problems (although, this word is too strong) began later, 3 months thereafter. I started noticing problems with memory and concentration. Could not remember some things I always remembered: titles of movies, books, names of actors; my ability to learn new information got worse than usual. Also, it must be said that prior to trying E, I underwent a minor course (2 months) of Escitalopram (SSRI) and stopped about a 10 days before E.
A nuisance is also that I'm not sure if it was exactly the "original" exctasy (MDMA+speed)? It was a purple color pill about 4 mm diameter and a star was embossed thereon. By the look of things it could be MDA or... whatever.
Please give me answers:
Is my situation unique?
How to make sure the cognitive ability to recover faster, how long after E does it usually take to happen?
What is the safest E, in your opinion, I heard that a number of new kinds have emerged (4-EMC, 4-MEC, 5-APB, 5-IT and many others)?

P.S. I excuse for my English, it's not native for me.

 

[JWills20]

Ecstasy should be MDMA. But that's not always the case and we have no idea what you actually took. In today's unpredictable black market - it could be anything. Regardless, I wouldn't attribute any of your problems to MDMA and here's why. Firstly, as mentioned, you have no idea what you actually took. Secondly, studies on MDMA impairing cognition are usually quite weak, with no convincing evidence to suggest that it does. These studies usually examine more than just one-time MDMA-use, or they are examining cognitive function immediately post MDMA. Either way, there is no evidence to support one-time use of MDMA causing cognitive deficiencies months later. It looks like your creating a paranoid fear probably founded from the awfully over-the-top Government propaganda. It's more likely that the SSRI's caused the cognitive effects, from perhaps the withdrawal effects of abstinence. SSRI's, while relatively safe, are not void of adverse effects. Either way, the best way to improve cognition is to practice what you find difficult. I'd also recommend exercise, as there is growing support for it improving both cognition and emotion well-being.

Welcome to BL & Good luck!

 

[no_id]

Hello, the link beetween suspected reactions to a drugs and a psy/mental problem is always hard to make when there is a delay like that... You can't be sure what exactly led to your condition.

There is at least 3 hypotesis :
- direct result of MDMA consumption (you should be a rare case or the problem would be far better known)
- your psychological difficulties you treated with SSRI come back to the surface, perhaps with new symptomatology
- SSRI withdrawal/problem (I experienced this myself : ending SSRI gave me a phase close to mania for 2/3 month, then I got 6 month of pure hell after that where my brain seemed wasted)

Can't help atm, you should perhaps wait for a month or two and if the situation don't improve just go to a physician (90% chance it will not help thought)...

 

[I AM i.e]

If 'ecstasy' affected cognitive ability in any significant way myself and many others on this forum would be full retard by now.

 

[Clocktower]

A single dose of MDMA is rarely the cause of any cognitive impairment, especially two months after the fact. It might be wise to look for an alternative explanation, for example, why were you prescribed a SSRI in the first place?

As of now, the "safest" policy regarding serotonin-releasing drugs is to stick to responsible MDMA use (in my opinion.) There is simply not as much data available on the newer research chemicals.