MDMA abuse/ Long term comedown - the Cognitive aspect

[dpd_mnk92]

Hi guys!

Just wanted to start a thread about cognitive deterioration experienced by SOME users, following regular MDMA use/ high dose MDMA binges. This seems to be one of the less prominent symptoms of MD abuse, but in my particular case it is unmistakeable and a serious bummer as it has forced me to withdraw from my university for the rest of the academic year.

I guess what I want to ask is if there are people out there who have suffered from cognitive deficits following MD abuse. If so, have you made a partial or full recovery, and how long did it take you to do so? Any advice related to cognitive recovery (for e.g. use of supplements/ nootropics, diet regimens, helpful activities) or any scientific theories about the nature/ cause of MD-related cognitive problems are also within the scope of this thread. Discussions can also include the regular debates about the extent to which these problems are cause by negative thinking/ anxiety/ hypochondria as opposed to some sort of physiological damage. I personally believe the answer, like with most things, lies somewhere in the middle.

I am fully aware that MOST people do not experience cognitive deficits to a NOTICEABLE extent, but there are clearly some out there who have emerged from their partying days feeling a little "e-tarded"! I'm also aware that some studies have shown no/ a weak link between MD and cognitive problems, but to be perfectly honest, available studies on MDMA come to all sorts of conclusions, and results appear to be as influenced by agendas and methodological faults as they are by MDMA itself. I'm convinced by my own subjective experience that if MDMA is abused hard enough, it has, at the very least, got the potential to do SOME damage to SOME people's ability to think (although, MDMA CAN be used relatively safely by someone with reasonable amount of knowledge about harm reduction).

My Situation:
Used to be an occasional user, but fell into the weekend roller bandwagon for around 3 months. This, along with the fact that I - more or less - unconsciously consumed my entire personal stash of MD in one final session (intended for use over a very long period) was the nail in the coffin for me . 4 months later all symptoms have improved, but remain to a noticeable extent. Aside from my cognitive problems, I'm having trouble with social anxiety, depression, HPPD, sexual dysfunction, intense bruxism, difficulty feeling positive about anything and the list goes on... At least the deafening tinnitus has finally decided to stfu to some extent.. but it's still kinda there, constantly reminding me that i'm a big ol' e-tard

Cognitive Aspect
Only thing I can compare this to is having a really old, slow computer for a brain. Relevant information/ memories take at least 3-4X as long to retrieve, and sometimes they simply refuse to come to light. Problem solving, and all other aspects that characterise intelligence, have been affected. A few examples:
- being asked what my age is and not knowing whether I was 20 or 21 (had to do the maths at the time to figure it out...)
- Forgetting the surname of a very good friend, had to find out via facebook
- English language, or language in general, feeling incredibly foreign. Used to be a flawless when it came to spelling/ grammar. I now have to pay close attention to everything I write. This has improved a lot though. In my first month of recovery, I could BARELY follow simple conversations with friends. Felt like a 4 year old kid trying to keep up with young adults.
- This post has taken around 5x longer to write than it would have before this all happened, no exaggeration at all.

I feel the same frustration felt by people around the world using dying, outdated computers, only a MUCH more profound version. People will throw a fit/ swear/ turn into animals over a file opening in 10 seconds, instead of the standard 2 or 3... In my case, the shitty, old computer IS MY FUCKING HEAD and the file could very well be a memory that I desperately need (to pass an exam, for instance).

So now that you are familiar with my personal experience of e-tardation, feel free to discuss. This can include your personal experience of it, the severity of your symptoms (ranging from mild brain fog to brain death), how much you have recovered and how long it has taken or ANYTHING ELSE related to the topic of MDMA-induced cognitive problems.

THANKS!

 

[Maya]

I never really suffered cognitive function but I had been doing a lot of reading and hours of searching online since I was super paranoid on the first few months and found this http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/the-7-best-brain-boosting-supplements. Although Ginko Biloba is supposed to be helpful I have read this http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/04/ginkgo-biloba-linked-to-cancer/ and it says here that it causes cancer on mices.. Have you gone to the doctor and told him about your cognitive issues? Maybe a doctor can help?? I actually have a neuro appt tomorrow to discuss my symptom wish me luck! I hope you feel better man best of luck

 

[WhatIsWrongWithMe]

I'm at like 4 and 1/2 months into my "long term comedown".

I'm really not sure if it has gotten any better so far. It doesn't feel like it. Some days I'm like... ok I guess, but today I have no joy in anything and I'm all worried.

Hopefully I will get better, so I can comfort people on BL with a recovery story like how I need comfort right now. Unless it's like brain cancer or something, then fuck.

 

[Maya]

I'm at like 4 and 1/2 months into my "long term comedown".

I'm really not sure if it has gotten any better so far. It doesn't feel like it. Some days I'm like... ok I guess, but today I have no joy in anything and I'm all worried.

Hopefully I will get better, so I can comfort people on BL with a recovery story like how I need comfort right now. Unless it's like brain cancer or something, then fuck.

Don't worry I have really bad days too and I am on month 6. I did see improvements on month 4 but it felt like it stopped there.. Again this is probably just in my head and I am probably getting better everyday. I think we should relax and just let the brain do it's job.. I do regret drinking a few weeks ago and it seems that my symptom got worse due to that so I would advice that you should avoid any substances unless you have fully recovered.

 

[dpd_mnk92]

I'm at like 4 and 1/2 months into my "long term comedown".

I'm really not sure if it has gotten any better so far. It doesn't feel like it. Some days I'm like... ok I guess, but today I have no joy in anything and I'm all worried.

Hopefully I will get better, so I can comfort people on BL with a recovery story like how I need comfort right now. Unless it's like brain cancer or something, then fuck.

Hang in there! I too am exactly 4 and a 1/2 months into the comedown, weirdly enough, but it took me around 1 month to notice a difference. This difference coincided, unsurprisingly, with me beginning to exercise (both aerobic and anaerobic cardio training as well as heavy weight training) and cleaning up my diet. Next step for me is to quit smoking...

I can relate in that this experience has been very up and down. Some days I notice a feeling that almost resembles happiness and hope. other days, I am completely hopeless, brain is completely fogged up and emotions are dead. I think it is about improving the little things you do have control over (e.g. diet, drug intake, exercise) and riding out those long days when you feel like absolute donkey balls.

To stay on topic, are your symptoms purely emotional or have you noticed any cognitive symptoms like bad memory, inability to think clearly, trouble solving problems?

 

[thumbellina]

Hi there,

I was a very light user of MDMA, probably only 4-5 times over the last two years, however a little over a month ago I took a pressed pill of MDA and have been suffereing a bad come down ever since. My biggest and most annoying symptoms at the moment are exhaustion and lack of cognitive function. It's hard to say what's causing what or how they are related. When I wake up and through out the day no matter how much sleep I get I feel like I could pass out from exhaustion. It's very likely my lack of cognitive function is coming from this extreme tiredness, or maybe I'm extremely tired because I'm trying so hard to comprehend things going on around me. A lot of times I'll know what I want to say/do but it's like I have to climb through mudd to get there. I'll be talking and literally forget where I was going with something and end up sounding like a bumbling idiot. I do notice that when I'm anxious about this I get even more off track. So I try and remain calm and it happens less, however waaay easier said than done. I remember experiencing this in the past with anxiety but definitely not the extreme exhaustion. I also remember shortly before this incident I was feeling some lethargy/ brain fog in the mornings that was worrysome, thought maybe I had lupus. Be careful with self diagnosis lol. I get anxiety thinking about tasks that I have to do because I'm so scared of not being able to perform, however so far I've maintained, it just feels really taxing. I have been seeing a therapist and plan to see a psychiatrist in a week. I don't know if I need/should be on an SSRI, but I atleast want to see if my doc. has any input in to what may be going on in my brain. I've seen him in the past and he's a very brilliant man. So I hope maybe he's got some ideas for me. I think seeing a general practioner is a good idea too, for blood tests and things like that just to rule anything else out, or see if there are some deficiencies that can be addressed. Hang in there! I feel like you have the potential to get your brain back together, it just takes time. I recently had a friends dad tell me he regrets all of the psychedelic drugs he did when he was younger(his opinion, everyone has different experiences) because he said he felt like he had to relearn everything. He's since been a very successfull scientist/engineer. There's hope for sure

Also, I would like to add: Journaling your small milestones. I think as everyone has stated this recovery seems very up and down. Even when I have good moments I get scared that it will go bad again. My therapist suggested writting down things that I've done that seem positive, i.e., Having fun hanging out with my mom the other day and feeling more clarity than usual, or making it through a really hard day at work even thoug I wanted to cry lol. The little things like that can feel good to re-read and help you move forward.

 

[dpd_mnk92]

Hi there,

I was a very light user of MDMA, probably only 4-5 times over the last two years, however a little over a month ago I took a pressed pill of MDA and have been suffereing a bad come down ever since. My biggest and most annoying symptoms at the moment are exhaustion and lack of cognitive function. It's hard to say what's causing what or how they are related. When I wake up and through out the day no matter how much sleep I get I feel like I could pass out from exhaustion. It's very likely my lack of cognitive function is coming from this extreme tiredness, or maybe I'm extremely tired because I'm trying so hard to comprehend things going on around me. A lot of times I'll know what I want to say/do but it's like I have to climb through mudd to get there. I'll be talking and literally forget where I was going with something and end up sounding like a bumbling idiot. I do notice that when I'm anxious about this I get even more off track. So I try and remain calm and it happens less, however waaay easier said than done. I remember experiencing this in the past with anxiety but definitely not the extreme exhaustion. I also remember shortly before this incident I was feeling some lethargy/ brain fog in the mornings that was worrysome, thought maybe I had lupus. Be careful with self diagnosis lol. I get anxiety thinking about tasks that I have to do because I'm so scared of not being able to perform, however so far I've maintained, it just feels really taxing. I have been seeing a therapist and plan to see a psychiatrist in a week. I don't know if I need/should be on an SSRI, but I atleast want to see if my doc. has any input in to what may be going on in my brain. I've seen him in the past and he's a very brilliant man. So I hope maybe he's got some ideas for me. I think seeing a general practioner is a good idea too, for blood tests and things like that just to rule anything else out, or see if there are some deficiencies that can be addressed. Hang in there! I feel like you have the potential to get your brain back together, it just takes time. I recently had a friends dad tell me he regrets all of the psychedelic drugs he did when he was younger(his opinion, everyone has different experiences) because he said he felt like he had to relearn everything. He's since been a very successfull scientist/engineer. There's hope for sure

Also, I would like to add: Journaling your small milestones. I think as everyone has stated this recovery seems very up and down. Even when I have good moments I get scared that it will go bad again. My therapist suggested writting down things that I've done that seem positive, i.e., Having fun hanging out with my mom the other day and feeling more clarity than usual, or making it through a really hard day at work even thoug I wanted to cry lol. The little things like that can feel good to re-read and help you move forward.

Thanks for the detailed post - there's some great advice in there!

It does seem a lot of these symptoms are interrelated, affecting each other in all sorts of ways. I have no doubt that my anxiety has led to me being a hell of a lot slower, simply as a result of the fact that more of my mental space is now occupied by unnecessary worries and self-analysis. In your case, I'm also sure your exhaustion + brain fog feed off of each other as well.

I am also convinced, however, that the neurotoxic effects of MDMA affect cognition directly in some cases, particularly when stupid dosages are involved. There is simply too much of a before/ after difference to think otherwise. Also, the intense full-time anxiety I had in the first month of recovery eventually gave way to a feeling of emotional numbness, with random bursts of anxiety, yet cognitive problems remained throughout. So I doubt anxiety could be the only cause. Also, I'm not much of a scientist, but I've read that serotonin affects memory in some ways, so I don't see why damage to the serotonin system wouldn't have an affect on cognition.

If both anxiety and neurotoxicity are both legitimate causes of decreased cognition, the key would then be to find ways to speed up neurological recovery and to, i suppose, chill the fuck out. lol

Thanks for the encouragement + I will give the journalling a shot - sounds like a productive, useful way to get better.

PS. I would personally not go down the SSRI route as I've heard bad things! Talk it over with your doctor by all means, but there are plenty of people on bluelight who seem to have worsened their symptoms by doing this. IMO opinion I would only do it as a last resort, go down the natural route as long as possible as this is the only method that will guarantee results. Either way, get as many opinions as possible before committing to anything. Good luck!

 

[WhatIsWrongWithMe]

Yea sure, I have brain fog/dp/derealiwhatever a lot, sleep pattern all effed up, loss of short-term memory, low motivation, all that hoo-blah. I think the bad memory and low motivation is just from anxiety though, even though i don't feel anxious all the time. Not sure.

Oh and a little sexual dysfunction, my boners are not as strong and I don't get as much pleasure and what not.

So yeah, that's my story. Hopefully in a couple months I'll feel better.

 

[Alaska457]

Yea sure, I have brain fog/dp/derealiwhatever a lot, sleep pattern all effed up, loss of short-term memory, low motivation, all that hoo-blah. I think the bad memory and low motivation is just from anxiety though, even though i don't feel anxious all the time. Not sure.

Oh and a little sexual dysfunction, my boners are not as strong and I don't get as much pleasure and what not.

So yeah, that's my story. Hopefully in a couple months I'll feel better.

How much did you take? What was the time spread and amount you took each time?



I'm having some of the same problems, fortunately I only took it a couple times over 3-4 days, with about 8 Vicodin 10/325, but I did like 800mg of 80% total. It'll get better, just get on a schedule, work out, take vitamins, eat healthy, etc. I read a bunch of articles and almost all the symptoms of Mdma come downs have something to do with low amounts of serotonin.

The initial come down was pure hell, lasted about 3 days. I've gotten this weird laid back feeling twice now since then, where I just get into a mode where I can type paragraphs and paragraphs without stopping, and get really focused. The first one was when I came off the extreme come down, and I felt laid back. Second time the same thing except just a lower intensity, and it turned into full fledged anxiety attack lasting about 4-5 hours, then I felt the same laid back feeling. It might have something to do with how I was feeling before I dosed, I had a lot of social anxiety and not much stuff to do. I still am feeling the come down although it's minimal now, I still have a light foggy headed feeling (probably 2/5 of what it use to be) and the anxiety is still lingering, not really any depression anymore.


Here's a couple things that helped me with relaxing

- Green Tea (x2 tea bags in a big glass of hot water) - you can drink this pretty much whenever and it helps

- Taking a walk

- Doing an intense workout, or some kind of physical activity like basketball (I was making almost every shot when I was shooting around, weird haha)

- Confronting the anxiety instead of worrying about it



Some food + vitamins I took as well

- Omega-3 , Vitamin D, lots of B vitamins, Vitamin C

- Apples, Bananas, carrots Whole wheat toast + eggs

- Vitamin Water


I don't know if it was just me but anytime I ate something heavy like meat or a sandwich the come down became worse. I've basically just gone vegan and been taking a lot of vitamins, seems like it's worked pretty well so far. I know I had really bad anxiety before and I was in a bad environment to take Mdma so I'm almost certain my diet had something to do with it.

 

[Maya]

I agree with the exercise!! It made a really big difference when I started exercising. I am currently taking the following supplements: Omega 3 3 times a day, multivitamin, vit c, magnesium and b-complex. I eat bananas, apples everyday and lots of dairy products.

 

[Folley]

Here is a study that says MDMA has little to no effect on cognitive behavior:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...T+(05:00-07:00+EDT)+for+essential+maintenance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.htm

Conclusions - In a study designed to minimize limitations found in many prior investigations, we failed to demonstrate marked residual cognitive effects in ecstasy users. This finding contrasts with many previous findings—including our own—and emphasizes the need for continued caution in interpreting field studies of cognitive function in illicit ecstasy users.

After my MDMA abuse, I was smarter that I ever had been before. Now after a few weeks of abusing MXE, I'm getting a LOT more of those symptoms you mentioned.. forgetting things, the English language seeming off... yet I'm not blaming that on MDMA, or any other drug.

 

[thumbellina]

Here is a study that says MDMA has little to no effect on cognitive behavior:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...T+(05:00-07:00+EDT)+for+essential+maintenance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.htm










After my MDMA abuse, I was smarter that I ever had been before. Now after a few weeks of abusing MXE, I'm getting a LOT more of those symptoms you mentioned.. forgetting things, the English language seeming off... yet I'm not blaming that on MDMA, or any other drug.

Hey Folley,

This is interesting, and thanks for sharing. However how would one explain the drop in cognition directly after/during a bad comedown? Psychological perhaps? Totally interested, not being snarky Maybe this doesn't apply to me since it was MDA that I took.

 

[Folley]

I have noticed no such drop.. are you sure you're not confusing cognition with mood?


and of course, this won't apply to any other drug but MDMA (although MDA is extremely similar. Did you test it, by chance?) unless there is a similar study out.. but I feel the comedown is almostly purely emotional. Instead of becoming actually "stupid" and losing IQ, your lowered mood and lack of rest might make it seem as if you are. Perhaps you just care less about intellectual things, and put less thought into them making it seem as if you are getting things wrong more than before, when in reality you could still do just as well but you don't care enough to try.



Seems a logical hypothesis, at least

 

[Foreigner]

OP, the only real way to recover from MDMA abuse is time and abstinence from mind altering substances. You need to eat well, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. With time, your brain will regenerate. Depending on how your brain recovers, there may or may not be permanent cognitive changes.

Things like memory and language recall can decline if your neurology is in any way exhausted. People with chronic fatigue syndrome who have never done stimulants in their lives have the same cognitive impairments. It takes time and proper self-maintenance to improve.

I never really suffered cognitive function but I had been doing a lot of reading and hours of searching online since I was super paranoid on the first few months and found this http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/the-7-best-brain-boosting-supplements. Although Ginko Biloba is supposed to be helpful I have read this http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/04/ginkgo-biloba-linked-to-cancer/ and it says here that it causes cancer on mices.. Have you gone to the doctor and told him about your cognitive issues? Maybe a doctor can help?? I actually have a neuro appt tomorrow to discuss my symptom wish me luck! I hope you feel better man best of luck

Please refer to this thread where the cancer study on ginkgo was debunked. The study was based on bad science.

 

[thumbellina]

I think for someone who is naturally anxious aside from drug use/abuse it can be really hard to differentiate between what is caused by mood or not. I really like your approach here, and in the past I have worked really hard on changing my thought processes and not letting my anxiety get the best of me. But it is HARD work, and it's easy to get lost in your head even when you're doing all the things you think you should or are being told you should. I would love to attribute this all to mood, but actual chemical imbalances are very hard to think away. For instance I have been sleeping fairly well lately but I feel so tired, it feels taxing to even lift my arm up to put on mascara. While I usually keep this to myself because it's so trivial, it is absolutely noticable. I can't imagine my "mood" making me so aboslutely exhausted. Or maybe it is. Who knows. I haven't given up and will not! Thanks for your insight

 

[Dawglaw]

I fully recovered from the cognitive effects. I believe my cognitive problems were anxiety based rather than neurological.

 

[futura2012]

Most of the studies I have read indicate that MDMA can definitely cause cognotive defects.

I think it is a very hard thing to quantify whether you have or have not suffered from some cognotive defects as in many cases it goes unnoticed.

Its only when you suffer from a long term comedown and life gets unpleasant that things start to get noticed.

All I can do is recall on my own experience and I have without doubt been seriousley disabled by abusing MDMA. I do accept that if you follow harm reduction then the damage is greatly minimised but I am not 100% convinced no damage at all happens.

I definitely dont think it is all anxiety fueled. The anxiety certainly doesnt help and definitely contributes to a slower recovery but the big question is why is anxiety triggered in the first place there has to be some kind of brain imbalance produced.

My opinion is MDMA is not safe particularly when abused. By following test procedures, limiting dose and frequency then the risks are minimised but not removed.

 

[dpd_mnk92]

Here is a study that says MDMA has little to no effect on cognitive behavior:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...T+(05:00-07:00+EDT)+for+essential+maintenance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081736.htm


After my MDMA abuse, I was smarter that I ever had been before. Now after a few weeks of abusing MXE, I'm getting a LOT more of those symptoms you mentioned.. forgetting things, the English language seeming off... yet I'm not blaming that on MDMA, or any other drug.

I've seen that study AND I have also seen a number of other studies which HAVE demonstrated MDMA-induced cognitive decline. In fact, on the exact same webpage of the link you sent me, the titles of related stories are as follows: "Ecstasy Harms Memory With One Year of Recreational Use", Ecstasy Associated With Chronic Change in Brain Function", "Long-Term Users of Ecstasy Risk Structural Brain Damage, Study Suggests". I have seen additional studies demonstrate a correlation between amount of MD taken and difficulty with verbal recall. I wouldn't put too much faith in any one study taken in isolation...

I really don't buy into the idea that this one study, which I've seen you link more than once, is the ONLY study that has tried, and successfully managed, to eliminate all flaws in the study of MDMA related to cognition. Besides, those links don't provide the study itself, just an article covering the newsworthy elements of the study. A bit more research about John Halpern, its author, reveals that he takes quite a pro-drug stance. Just a couple of examples:

- "The Use of Hallucinogens in the Treatment of Addiction" (1996)
- His interest in the use of ergine, psilocybin, and LSD to potentially help relieve cluster headaches led him to recently create the private pharmaceutical company Entheogen Corp
- His study into the effects of an experimental treatment giving MDMA to terminally ill cancer patients was shut down due to enrollment challenges after only two subjects had participated

Looking through his history, he doesn’t seem like the type that would write anything negative about any drug… ever. I wouldn't treat his finding any differently than I would Ricaurte's work ... There's something that can be learned from both, but they represent opposite sides of the spectrum IMHO - MD GOOD vs MD BAD. Even still, the wording of the conclusion does not entirely rule out the possibility of some effect on cognition (I remember someone pointing this out in a long lost post): "we failed to demonstrate marked residual cognitive effects." The word might just be there for a reason. Or it just sounds super smart and scientific...?

So MDMA didn't affect your cognitive abilities that much. Great! Does this mean you can be 100% positive that MDMA, a drug proven to be neurotoxic, which we really don't know THAT much about, taken in regular/ high doses, cannot affect ANYONE's cognitive faculties?

I do not blame MDMA for my cognitive problems any more than you just blamed MXE for yours lol… If anything, I blame myself for going overboard with this drug - I don't believe that any drug is inherently good or bad.
I even mentioned in my original post that:

1. Cognitive deficits are uncommon
2. I accidentally took a ridiculous amount of MDMA
3. MDMA can be used safely by someone with a reasonable amount of HR knowledge.

So there’s really not much to suggest that I’m blaming this drug.

I have seen a few people on this board complain that MDMA has had some sort of negative cognitive effect. In fact, there have been a couple of people on this very thread that have mentioned mild cognitive problems. Why dismiss the idea that this could be possible just because YOU could not subjectively detect any changes? Even if I'm completely wrong, I don't think there's any harm in some discussion.... because chances are we won't have an answer any time soon. Our knowledge is entirely based on biased studies, studies limited by completely UNAVOIDABLE methodological complications, and anecdotal reports such as yours or mine

 

[Folley]

I didn't dismiss anything friend, I simply posted a link and it wasn't me who posted that the first time, I dug it up from an old thread.

So MDMA didn't affect your cognitive abilities that much. Great! Does this mean you can be 100% positive that MDMA, a drug proven to be neurotoxic, which we really don't know THAT much about, taken in regular/ high doses, cannot affect ANYONE's cognitive faculties?

Did I say anything about that..? I don't recall talking out of my ass hehe actually.... nevermind.


In heavy abuse, I'm positive that MDMA can damage some of the regions of the brain associated with memory and task completion and other things associated the frontal cortex. I don't however believe that MDMA abuse alone will make you "stupid" or even lower your IQ by any significant amount.Your brain does a remarkable job at adapting to these kinds of changes and any noticeable "etardation" as it's called will likely correct itself over time.

 

[dpd_mnk92]

I didn't dismiss anything friend, I simply posted a link and it wasn't me who posted that the first time, I dug it up from an old thread.
Did I say anything about that..? I don't recall talking out of my ass hehe actually.... nevermind.

I wrote a post about cognitive difficulties experienced following a period of MDMA abuse... In response, without providing any alternative views/ studies or related comments, you post a link to an article about a SINGLE study which claims to disprove everything I said in my post. You then talk about how you were actually Smarter after MD abuse. Finally, you rather unsubtly suggest that I, unlike you, am blaming my problems on MDMA!

... Sorry if I took your post the wrong way

In heavy abuse, I'm positive that MDMA can damage some of the regions of the brain associated with memory and task completion and other things associated the frontal cortex. I don't however believe that MDMA abuse alone will make you "stupid" or even lower your IQ by any significant amount.

Surely if MDMA can damage some of the regions of the brain associated with memory and task completion and other things, MDMA abuse alone CAN make you stupid/ lower IQ?

Your brain does a remarkable job at adapting to these kinds of changes and any noticeable "etardation" as it's called will likely correct itself over time.

Yes the brain is remarkable and yes you might make a full recovery over time. Then again, you might not! We don't know...