Rather than making blanket statements about how much it would be worth the experience...or about how the risk is too great...
It looks like you have already decided you want to do this.
Now you are looking for advice about the risks and the approach you might use to minimize them.
Am I right?
Some good ideas...
Lets test your serotonergic function in advance.
There are two ways to do this that are simple and cheap.
One is to increase serotonin levels, the other is to decrease them.
By increasing them you will assess your risk for serotonin syndrome and acute reactions to MDMA.
By decreasing them you will assess your risk of having a hard comedown.
Buy some tryptophan.
5-HTP would also work as it is a form of tryptophan, but the b-vitamin content can be quite high, which speeds up the conversion to serotonin.
Stick with regular tryptophan and start with a single dose.
You should simply get a little sleepy within a few hours. Should be very relaxing.
Try a larger dose, such as two or three pills.
What you are looking for is more than just anxiety.
Racing heart, sweaty palms, restlessness, agitation, jerking, intestinal cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever are all physical signs of a sensitivity.
Dizziness, lack of coordination, and panic/anxiety are also on the list.
Typically an increase in heart rate along with agitation and sweaty palms are the first signs.
While this is expected with very high doses of tryptophan, a well functioning serotonin system should be able to handle 1-3 doses in a healthy person.
If you experience some of these symptoms, you may have a lower serotonin threshold than you think.
If you simply get sleepy, try repeating the experiment the next day. But be careful - tryptophan and serotonin both build up in the intestines...so subsequent doses are more and more likely to produce problems.
If you are taking ANY other serotonin active substance, do NOT take the chance with the above suggestion.
SSRIs, MAOIs, tryciclics, tramadol, and St. John's Wort are all very bad ideas. If you have taken any of these recently do NOT do this experiment on yourself.
By combining serotonin agents, you are much more likely to experience ALL of the symptoms I described, sometimes severely.
We are testing to see if your threshold for Serotonin Syndrome is low...we are not trying to force it to happen no matter what!
If symptoms DO appear and are severe you need to control your reaction.
Body temperature is the MOST important factor, this is true for MDMA toxicity as well as Serotonin toxicity induced by other substances.
You need to cool yourself rapidly and aggressively. Remove all clothing and repeatedly apply a rag soaked in ICE water to your neck, face, head, back...etc.
Serotonin Syndrome is considered severe if a fever of 101.4 is reached. Other symptoms are normally quite serious before a real fever develops.
At 104, organ damage begins and seizures become much more likely.
The agitation and tremors that accompany serotonin syndrome are the effects of smooth muscle being stimulated out of control. This because serotonin controls smooth muscles, most notably the intestines. These smooth muscles may begin to break down, releasing toxic myoglobin into the bloodstream. This can damage the kidneys and lead to acidosis of the blood. And retention of fluids, resulting in swelling around the brain in severe cases. The best treatment for these problems are the slow intake of salt and baking soda. This will adjust the electrolyte imbalance and reduce the acidity of the blood. Moderate intake is important, quick alterations are dangerous.
Lowering body temperature is ALWAYS the first line of defense, whether Serotonin Syndrome or an acute reaction to MDMA is occurring. Keep this in mind if you do decide to roll. Aggressive measures, even if you haven't developed a fever yet. Don't forget the electrolytes and sodium bicarbonate.
If you are twitchy or having tremors, a benzodiazapene will normally stop the process of muscle breakdown.
That means valium, xanax, or klonopin. Beyond controlling your fever, controlling the destruction of smooth or skeletal muscle tissue is important as this can lead to a few very serious complications.
So, whether you are doing the tryptophan test, or actually taking MDMA...make sure you have everything listed above prepared.
Ice water, A/C on high, gatorade, baking soda, xanax...AND a friend to watch you.
Now, for the opposite tryptophan test - reduction.
By depleting your tryptophan levels we can see how sensitive you will be to the reduction you will see in the days/weeks following MDMA use.
In order to lower serotonin levels, we need only to increase another amino acid than tryptophan.
Doing this will dilute tryptophan, and therefore serotonin levels, relative to their counterparts.
The best and safest amino acid to do this with is Lysine.
Taking 3-4 pills at a time is within reason.
It is NOT recommended to do EITHER the increase or decrease test with a really full stomach.
Remember, intestinal motility is the primary function of serotonin. It is important that your intestines not be called upon to digest several large meals, so eat reasonably and small portions for a day or two leading up to these experiments.
Anxiety and panic may still ensue if you have a predisposition to problems.
The other symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome will not occur, but strong psychological consequences definitely suggest that you lack the robust serotonin system that most people have.
If either the sudden increase or decrease of serotonin causes significant panic, consider it a clear sign that you should NOT proceed with MDMA.
The increase in serotonin is quite severe with MDMA, and sudden. Do NOT forget all the coping measures I mentioned...have them handy if you decide to go through with it.
Another great suggestion - Piracetam.
It is known to increase serotonin and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex.
Some research demonstrates that it protects neurons from a hypoxic state, if administered in large doses beforehand.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that it not only potentiates the euphoria of MDMA, but it also modulates the negative effects.
Many people say it decreases the comedown by a great deal - post-loading may even decrease toxicity.
Pre-loading is definitely advised, just make sure to space it by several hours.
Some have claimed Piracetam ruined their roll when taken at the same time.
Most agree that taking it at least 3-4 hours prior is ideal, while others think it should be taken in small doses for 2-3 DAYS before the roll.
It would likely be a great companion, especially if you are taking a risk with your mental health.
It increases the permeability of cellular membranes in the brain, as well as neurotransmitter activity in the PFC.
Fish oil, in high doses, is definitely recommended.
Waiting 2 years sounds like a decent time frame, but if you had experienced a longer recovery than just a few weeks, such as a year, you would want to wait a little longer.
Do NOT listen to everyone's opinion about 5-HTP being a good pre and post load.
In fact, it can increase the risk of Serotonin Syndrome....even if a drug other than MDMA is being used.
Besides, MDMA inhibits the enzyme that synthesizes more serotonin - for up to 3 months!
If you ARE going to take it, make sure you stop taking it for SEVERAL days prior to your roll. And do NOT post-load the next day - the metabolites of MDMA remain in the body for 3-5 days. Wait at least 2-3 days if you want to post-load.
And besides ALL the advice I have given, the absolute best plan is to take pure verified product in a dosage that you KNOW.
Stay under 200mg and do NOT redose, no matter how tempting it may be.
ReDosing has been proven to increase toxicity while delivering diminishing returns. Just isn't worth it.
I hope this helped!
