MDMA Recovery (Stories & Support - 7) [ALL LTC posts go here]

[Norway]

Back in April/June there was no euphoria from the drinking, just anxiety. Now I can feel relatively good drinking (still not as good as it used to be) but then almost immediately afterwards the tinnitus and anxiety attacks begin leading to a plunge down that ranges anywhere from 3 days to 4 weeks.

These plunge downs where I go into a deep anxious and depressed state happen randomly too and not always triggered by alcohol use.

It’s really puzzling. Especially the tinnitus. I don’t know why alcohol is causing this reaction and why the brain has failed to recover after ~10 months.

I’ve integrated and adapted, so I’m pretty much resigned to feeling this way forever now but it feels quite tragic at times.

7+ months in here now.

The last time I had alcohol was 2 weeks ago, a small glass of sparkling wine which lead to an instant anxiety/brain-fog attack that persisted for 1-2 days. Strange, isn't it?

I hope we can recover from this too. But we may have to wait longer for the alcohol-tolerance to return. I've not been drunk since before this started. Even smoking a cigarette will cause some negative symptoms (although less than at month 1-4).

 

[Norway]

After some thought and contemplation I’ve realised that a lot of these lingering symptoms are rooted in anxiety. The brain seems to be less effective at handling stress so every little negative thought or tension seems to spiral out of control.

What it certainly looks like to me is that the brain’s fight or flight system is malfunctioning. Negative thoughts, stress, intoxication is firing off the central nervous system in ways it’s not supposed to. The brain is just extremely sensitive for some reason - I suppose this explains why nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and other drugs in general are causing the symptoms to resurface.

The psychological side can be managed by realising this and breaking out of the negative thought loops.

There is undoubtedly a neurological aspect to it as well… otherwise very real symptoms like floaters and tinnitus wouldn’t exist. (It’s very reductionist to pin it all on anxiety). Random, untriggered anxiety is usually a serotonin issue. I don’t think the level of serotonin is the problem as this usually replenishes in ~6 months, it’s more complex, and out of my understanding…

It’s not all doom & gloom though. Plenty of people have recovered and there’s thousands of people that take MDMA in ludicrous amounts and don’t go through this at all, so the evidence really doesn’t suggest that we’re fucked indefinitely.

I’m going to give antidepressants a go as a lot of recovered people state that they used some SSRI to get over the last hurdles of their LTC. This might also resolve my tinnitus issue.

Keep me posted man, the others in my Reddit support group are MIA so it’d be nice to talk to someone in my position weekly if not regularly

Good luck with SSRIs. Not something I would try but definitely good luck brother!

 

[Mystery10]

Hey, I’ve had tension headaches, chronic fatigue and brain fog for 12 years. Before that I took mcat and mdma on weekends for about 3 years. I eat well, sleep well, exercise and minimise stress. I’ve basically completed the NHS and im no better. Brain fog is the worst! I feel like an idiot 24/7.

I did develop ibs at the same time so I have noticed a link between poor gut health and brain fog. Have you had any gut issues?

I felt like Kombucha and probiotics helped for a bit. After initial usage, I didn't feel any improvements.

 

[pmz]

Avoid coke at all costs man. I remember making the mistake of having some and I relapsed hard. I’ve read elsewhere of someone relapsing for 8 months after doing coke. There seems to be some relationship with coke and LTC, im sure of it..

It's weird, I had no issue with coke 2 years prior to this one experience. Suddenly after getting covid. I do one small line and boom, severe relapse. I don't get it.


Also what I find out is that I have high mold mycotoxins in my system. Potentially drugs might not even have to do with it. I was tested high for mold toxicity. I wonder if there is more of a relationship between that than anything else.

I highly reccomend people struggling get tested for mold. They can create the exact symptoms as a long term comedown. It's possible that doing drugs can trigger this.

 

[Norway]

There seems to be an assosication with long-covid and brain chemistry. I'm very certain.

Surprisingly long-covid physical and mental symptoms, are very very identical to the MDMA comedown symptoms. Fatigue, depression, anxiety and brain fog are all present in both conditions. The good news though, is that people also recover from their long covid symtons eventually just like the MDMA comedown.

There are also reports of people DPDRing after covid, crazy isnt it?

 

[MysterMe]

Has anyone here ever got their thyroid checked in detail?
Not only TSH but also T3/T4 and antibodies?
My GP has diagnosed me with Hashimoto's disease due to antibodies.

My TSH is low (hyperthyroidism) which is odd, with hashimoto's it is usually high (hypothyroidism).
But this would at least explain some symptoms (high heart rate, shortness of breath, irritability/restlessness).

I don't know if this is related to my LTC.
Link thyroid <-> MDMA?!
So far my TSH was normal, that is why my thyroid was not further investigated until now.
I have had all symptoms since the beginning of my LTC and I'm in year 4.
With my luck this is probably just some new and unrelated shit on top of everything else going on.

I'm waiting for an appointment with an endocrinologist for further examination and hopefully some ways to improve my situation

Hey , How is you thyroid atm ?

 

[Smikkeldoedelwoedel]

Hi al, long story short, have severe MDMA(trauma)-induced dpdr.

However my DPDR symptoms are worsening with the day, I feel like my cognitive functions are getting worse each day. I mainly feel like my perception of things is worsening each day, like my brain isnt regristering what im doing.

Is this normal? Have had many appointments with the doctor and he assures me not to worry

 

[Deep_Fried]

This is normal I guess. Try to stay calm. Eat some Antioxidants (Apples, Vitamin C, NAC).

 

[Benzammi]

Hello everyone I don’t know if im allowed to post links to other sites but here I go.

I found this message board some time ago and it is almost a straight copy of our thread here.

Welcome

Tapering psychiatric drugs

www.survivingantidepressants.org

People who used anti depressants and have the some reaction to them as we have with mdma.

Sadly there is no solution anywhere but it made me feel less alone.

 

[Veebonacci]

Hey everyone, I’m not suffering from LTC but I had a very dear friend of mine who did. It took me close to a year to even find out there was such a thing as long term come down from mdma. When I did, I began to read every single post until I came across the user G_chem. He had a theory it was possibly magnesium related so i began to do my own research. Turns out magnesium deficiency can really cause a lot of mental problems. I believe during the mdma use, you exhaust your electrolytes and if you don’t replace them, your body will have trouble functioning properly. If anyone wants to give it a go, try taking magnesium glycinate. It should kick in about 2-4 weeks. Continue taking the magnesium as I have seen people slip back into LTC after a couple of months of stopping. If you’re taking too much, the mag will act as a diarrhetic. This can be uncomfortable in the bathroom so if this happens lower the dose. If this post helps you, please send me a message. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hey everyone, I’m not suffering from LTC but I had a very dear friend of mine who did. It took me close to a year to even find out there was such a thing as long term come down from mdma. When I did, I began to read every single post until I came across the user G_chem. He had a theory it was possibly magnesium related so i began to do my own research. Turns out magnesium deficiency can really cause a lot of mental problems. I believe during the mdma use, you exhaust your electrolytes and if you don’t replace them, your body will have trouble functioning properly. If anyone wants to give it a go, try taking magnesium glycinate. It should kick in about 2-4 weeks. Continue taking the magnesium as I have seen people slip back into LTC after a couple of months of stopping. If you’re taking too much, the mag will act as a diarrhetic. This can be uncomfortable in the bathroom so if this happens lower the dose. If this post helps you, please send me a message. I wish you the best of luck.

A quick and easy way to bring your magnesium levels up to what they should be is milk of magnesia.

It literally works in a few days. Doctors prescribe it or tell their patients to buy it to resolve low magnesium.

Take maximum dose, back off a little bit. If you get stools that are too loose, finish out the bottle.

Two bottles of milk of magnesia is enough to cure, even significant magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium deficiency more than that would have you with weak muscles and heart conditions.

 

[AutoTripper]

Hey everyone, I’m not suffering from LTC but I had a very dear friend of mine who did. It took me close to a year to even find out there was such a thing as long term come down from mdma. When I did, I began to read every single post until I came across the user G_chem. He had a theory it was possibly magnesium related so i began to do my own research. Turns out magnesium deficiency can really cause a lot of mental problems. I believe during the mdma use, you exhaust your electrolytes and if you don’t replace them, your body will have trouble functioning properly. If anyone wants to give it a go, try taking magnesium glycinate. It should kick in about 2-4 weeks. Continue taking the magnesium as I have seen people slip back into LTC after a couple of months of stopping. If you’re taking too much, the mag will act as a diarrhetic. This can be uncomfortable in the bathroom so if this happens lower the dose. If this post helps you, please send me a message. I wish you the best of luck.

Topical trandsdermal magnesium oil though with right application and commitment, as well as supplements best ones only, is the only way to really properly saturate the whole body with magnesium.

Not allaying your poiht/report at all. Because right on, could it really be this simple?

Say, take 30 LTC sufferees.

30 days correct use topical magnesium oil as well as quality supplementation.


I would like to see the study results on that one.

Magnesium is a miracle for nerves too. I need to get some again damn. Allergic to all supplements myself but even topical oil alone is probably enough and way more penetrating than orally too.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hey everyone, I’m not suffering from LTC but I had a very dear friend of mine who did. It took me close to a year to even find out there was such a thing as long term come down from mdma. When I did, I began to read every single post until I came across the user G_chem. He had a theory it was possibly magnesium related so i began to do my own research. Turns out magnesium deficiency can really cause a lot of mental problems. I believe during the mdma use, you exhaust your electrolytes and if you don’t replace them, your body will have trouble functioning properly. If anyone wants to give it a go, try taking magnesium glycinate. It should kick in about 2-4 weeks. Continue taking the magnesium as I have seen people slip back into LTC after a couple of months of stopping. If you’re taking too much, the mag will act as a diarrhetic. This can be uncomfortable in the bathroom so if this happens lower the dose. If this post helps you, please send me a message. I wish you the best of luck.

Also low magnesium causes low potassium.

To remedy low potassium drink several glasses of orange juice a day, until you add enough potassium rich foods into your diet.

One 8 Ounce glass of orange juice contains approximately 450 mg. Four glasses is half your daily recommended intake.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Topical trandsdermal magnesium oil though with right application and commitment, as well as supplements best ones only, is the only way to really properly saturate the whole body with magnesium.

That's so not true.

Oral magnesium will completely saturate your body if taken in large enough doses. Otherwise we would never be able to get enough magnesium from our food which we can.

Oral milk of magnesia is prescribed to raise magnesium levels in patients with mild to moderate magnesium deficiency.

Intravenous magnesium sulfate is one of the best ways to raise magnesium levels in the body quickly, and is used in severe cases of magnesium deficiency.

Transdermal magnesium oil is not the only way to saturate the body with magnesium.

Bodies don't work that way.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hello everyone I don’t know if im allowed to post links to other sites but here I go.

I found this message board some time ago and it is almost a straight copy of our thread here.

Welcome

Tapering psychiatric drugs

www.survivingantidepressants.org

People who used anti depressants and have the some reaction to them as we have with mdma.

Sadly there is no solution anywhere but it made me feel less alone.

I am firmly of the belief that what people call LTC is HPA axis dysregulation.

MDMA causes a huge release of norepinephrine that lasts for hours. This can easily shock susceptible people into an extended fight or flight response.

MDMA also drastically raises cortisol. Cortisol and norepinephrine combine to create a hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal shit storm.

This is exacerbated by norepinephrine reuptake inhibition.

It is further compounded by anxiety regarding the belief that they've ruined their brain. This anxiety releases more norepinephrine and cortisol compounding the HPA axis dysregulation.

I expect a large percentage of people with MDMA LTC are anxiety prone or obsessive compulsive separate from any MDMA involvement.

Resolving the HPA axis dysregulation will cure MDMA LTC.

Regarding SSRI discontinuation syndrome, or antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.

The majority of antidepressant discontinuation resolves within a few weeks.

Long term discontinuation syndrome is also likely HPA axis dysregulation.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Its been years, but I'm back here and can't tell what is going on with me. I was good for years. DP and depression were pretty much gone mainly situational and low-level. Took about 5-7 years, but my brain fog cleared up!

Sadly I am back. I was able to party, drink, and do light drugs and stay out late. I tried MDMA in incredibly small doses a few times over the past few years with zero consequences. Nothing seemed like it was impacting me. I have been smoking weed daily for the past 4 years. I was all good, as so I thought. I felt very resilient in my system and rarely had a hangover from even drinking.

Then I caught covid and got a really bad brain fog 4 months ago. I recovered from the covid, felt ok. Then 3 weeks later, did a small line of blow. A month prior, that amount would have been absolutely no big deal. I've done coke the month before. It was fine! Drugs did not seem to create any sort of relapse from LTC. I thought I was out of the woods.

I felt like the line I did just didn't sit right with me. I was ok for the weekend but felt like that line just threw my energy off. I went to work Monday and had a massive panic attack since I was quitting my job and transitioning to working for myself. That panic attack triggered all my LTC to come back. It's insane. 4 months now, I've been plagued with insomnia, depersonalization, no emotions except anxiety, and terrible brain fog. I'm so upset, I really thought my LTC stuff was gone. I wonder if covid allowed things to happen again. Why would a month before the covid, I could do coke and be fine then now a small line and all hell breaks loose? This makes me wonder if this is really a LTC or Long Covid as symptoms are incredibly overlapping and nearly identical.

Either way Shit. dont do drugs again guys!

It's the COVID reactivating your anxiety and your HPA axis dysregulation.

Focus on treatment for your HPA axis dysregulation and you'll cure what you call MDMA LTC.

It's actually HPA axis dysregulation, complicated by anxiety.

 

[Veebonacci]

Topical trandsdermal magnesium oil though with right application and commitment, as well as supplements best ones only, is the only way to really properly saturate the whole body with magnesium.

Not allaying your poiht/report at all. Because right on, could it really be this simple?

Say, take 30 LTC sufferees.

30 days correct use topical magnesium oil as well as quality supplementation.


I would like to see the study results on that one.

Magnesium is a miracle for nerves too. I need to get some again damn. Allergic to all supplements myself but even topical oil alone is probably enough and way more penetrating than orally too.

I really do think it’s that simple. I would love to see the study results on this one as well but I have yet to come across one. So that’s why im posting it here to see if it really is effective in helping LTC or I was wrong. If I am wrong, there is very little risk as magnesium is pretty safe compared to the other methods mentioned on this board.

Magnesium is a miracle for a lot of things. I’m way happier in general, its helped me sleep better, I’m less anxious, etc. I even pride myself with eating very nutrient dense foods yet I still supplement. With current food production methods if you’re not conscience of the food you’re eating, I suspect a lot of people are deficient.

Which leads me to my next theory: how many people who have mental health issues are actually just magnesium deficient? (I’m not saying there aren’t real mental health issues. I’m just curious if it can help people)

 

[Jabberwocky]

I posted before about my situation. Basically I'm going through a LTC. Three months now. I've resigned to the fact that I have to wait this nightmare out. I'm doing my best to stay healthy as per advice given here.

Research HPA axis dysregulation. You don't have to wait anything out.

There's nothing wrong with your serotonin system. It's actually an issue with your norepinephrine, cortisol, and downstream steroids that have created a continuous feedback loop of fight or flight anxiety.

 

[Veebonacci]

Also low magnesium causes low potassium.

To remedy low potassium drink several glasses of orange juice a day, until you add enough potassium rich foods into your diet.

One 8 Ounce glass of orange juice contains approximately 450 mg. Four glasses is half your daily recommended intake.

Yeah low magnesium causes a host of problems. Even vitamin D deficiency. The way it was explained to me was that mag acts as a gatekeeper for other nutrients. Low mag probably means you’re low on other things as well. So the first step imo should be to make sure you have all your vitamins and minerals in check.

I’ve also heard some people say it’s difficult to test for magnesium deficiencies because your body tightly regulates it. Unless you’re really low, you’ll need a special test.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Yeah low magnesium causes a host of problems. Even vitamin D deficiency. The way it was explained to me was that mag acts as a gatekeeper for other nutrients. Low mag probably means you’re low on other things as well. So the first step imo should be to make sure you have all your vitamins and minerals in check.

I’ve also heard some people say it’s difficult to test for magnesium deficiencies because your body tightly regulates it. Unless you’re really low, you’ll need a special test.

Everything I've read says the hospital could do a blood test and it's not a big deal.

That said, I don't necessarily think magnesium deficiency is the cause. I believe it is a symptom.

Chronically elevated cortisol, adrenaline/ norepinephrine, and other hormones drastically deplete the body of magnesium. Magnesium. When the body is depleted of magnesium, it leaks potassium from the kidneys.

The proximal cause is HPA axis dysregulation, downstream effects include hormonal issues as well as magnesium and potassium deficiency.