(New South Wales) Multiple high dose MDMA (ecstasy) tablets and capsules circulating in NSW

[Tronica]

Here's the latest warning from NSW Health - Link to original source

Tablet appearance is not a reliable indicator of drug contents. Dose is reported as MDMA free base.

Multiple capsules of various appearances with >150mg MDMA found.

Know the risks​

• You are at increased risk of harm if you:
  • Take multiple MDMA (ecstasy) tablets or capsules
  • Take a higher-dose MDMA tablet or capsule
  • Use other stimulant drugs (e.g. amphetamines or cocaine) at the same time
  • Take MDMA in a hot environment like a music festival or indoor dance party
• MDMA (ecstasy) is often poorly manufactured and the amount of MDMA in a tablet or capsule can vary a lot, even within the same batch.
• The time from taking the drug to feeling any effect can vary significantly depending on the drug as well as the individual person. If it's not working, don't re-dose.
• High-dose MDMA use has been linked to death and other serious harms.

Effects to look out for​

• Feeling really hot and sweaty
• Racing heart/pulse or light-headedness
• Rigid muscles (e.g. difficulty walking), uncontrolled repetitive movements, seizures
• Confusion or agitation, feeling aggressive, difficult to rouse or unconscious
• Vomiting

If you or others experience these symptoms after taking MDMA, get help immediately.

Getting help​

If you or your friends see the warning signs of overdose:

• Seek help immediately from your nearest emergency department or call Triple Zero (000). You won’t get into trouble for seeking medical care.
• Start CPR if someone is not responsive.

 

[Tronica]

Note that they report purity as freebase MDMA. To convert that to MDMA salt, which is the form it is actually used in, you have to multiple by 1/.84 or 1.19.

So, the punishers have 249 x 1.19 = 296 mg MDMA salt per pill!

These ones are definitely for taking either half or a quarter, depending on your tolerance.

 

[Leprechaun]

MDMA is so cheap and abundant now, makes sense. I remember 25 years ago finding any ecstasy with MDMA was a difficult task. I mean 1g of MDMA is being sold for under $100, given it was $200 back in 2005 (from memory), that's a big discount when counting for inflation.

That drug war sure is working, to make drugs cheaper, purer and more accessible...

 

[Tronica]

Yeah the MDMA market has sure changed over 25 years, in big ways!

 

[tryptakid]

Yeah the MDMA market has sure changed over 25 years, in big ways!

Which is interesting given how people have been speculating that the 'quality' of the MDMA available isn't as good as it once was - there's a whole thread about this. Some suspect it's isomeric in nature - that OG MDMA was produced using precursors which resulted in MDMA whose isomeric profile was different, and superior, to that which is produced today. This would be supported by the fact that MDMA today is available in what appears to be very pure high dose offerings at a low price.

I also suspect that there are two non-chemical factors at play:

1) The 90s were a happier time for many people using MDMA - raves were geared towards using E - the internet was in its infancy - and the global order was relatively stable. The mindset of the user-base was relatively optimistic about the future. Today's MDMA user may be trying to escape from stress, or may find their roll distracted by phones and technology. They may be using in small groups or even by themselves (something I honestly cannot understand why people do this).

2) SSRIs and amphetamines were very rarely prescribed to young people in the early to mid 90s - thus our dopaminergic and serotonergic systems were relatively naive to modulation. Fast forward to nowadays, there's widespread use of these drugs which impact sensitivity to drugs like MDMA. Even if one takes a break from SSRIs, there's still a chance that their system does not respond to MDMA in a way that a completely naive brain might. Further, these substances are in the water supply in small doses - it's possible that urinary excretion of our pharmacopoeia has an impact on our water and food supplies, and thus, on us through passive environmental exposures.

Just some things I think about when considering the availability of highly dosed MDMA and high purity samples, while people feel it 'just isn't the same'. I do wonder if young people who are first trying MDMA feel like it's underwhelming compared to the stories they hear. I know MDMA impacts me differently as a man in my 40s than it did as a boy in his late teens. There are a host of variables that likely impact this, but it also stands to reason that simply having taken it before changes the experience.

 

[Huba]

"1) The 90s were a happier time for many people using MDMA - raves were geared towards using E - the internet was in its infancy - and the global order was relatively stable. The mindset of the user-base was relatively optimistic about the future. Today's MDMA user may be trying to escape from stress, or may find their roll distracted by phones and technology. They may be using in small groups or even by themselves (something I honestly cannot understand why people do this)."

The 90's where amazing. I miss doing gorilla grows and having people enjoy my bush weed. I miss brick ses with stems and seeds. Most of all I miss making money from PF-Tek BRW cakes. People would go outside and look for each other to party with. There where spots in the forest people would meet up and smoke weed. Now everyone is just looks at posts. Now its a narcissistic society fueled by social media and posers. Its very sad what has happened.