Quitting SSRIs and might try MDMA

[No Consequence]

One of my best friends from my previous hometown is moving where I live now to be closer to me
She is really excited to try MDMA with me, as i have hyped it up quite a bit because of the amazing experiences I've had with it.

The thing is she said she's been taking citalopram (SSRI) for about a year. And before that she took Zoloft for awhile.

Quoted from another page:
"SSRIs 'block' the part of your brain where the MDMA needs to go in order to get you high; and since MDMA can't get in there, you won't be able to get high. You might experience some weak 'speedy' effects from high doses of MDMA, but you will not be able to truly 'roll'."

We'll she said she almost out and is going to stop taking them before she moves here because she doesn't really feel like she needs to continue her use.
She also said she takes a low dose.

So if she was going to completely stop her use and wants to try MDMA sometime in her future... how long should she wait till she would be able to feel the full effects of the MDMA?

I know if people are using anti-depressants they probably shouldn't be using MDMA, but i know she isn't really dependent on her SSRI (as in, she's most likely a mild case of).

I just wanted to fully understand all of this BEFORE she fully decides to try it possibly someday! Thanks Bluelighters. Sorry for the longish post hah.

 

[RGB]

It's hard to say exactly, but the longer she waits the better. I trust that she's talked with her doctor about gradually stepping down her dose, right?

(Here comes one of my oft-recited speeches about MDMA and SSRIs, but it's good to refresh my own memory about it every once in a while...)

The problems with taking an SSRI are twofold: first, there's the immediate problem of SSRIs blocking MDMA's method of action, as you mentioned. Many SSRIs have extremely long half-lives in the body (on the order of months in the case of Prozac), so you first need to be sure that you're clear of them before you attempt to roll. Fortunately for her, Citalopram has a relatively short half-life (35 hours), so she should be pretty much clear of it within ten days. Again, Citalopram is especially sensitive to abrupt discontinuation (due to its short half-life), so she should definitely talk with her doctor about safely discontinuing treatment if she hasn't already.

Secondly, there's the problem of chronic SSRI use leading to desensitization of one's serotonin receptors. This one can vary greatly depending on one's individual reaction to a chronically high level of serotonin. If you wait long enough your receptors will eventually normalize, but there's no telling how long that can take.

Just to give you something to go on, I think it'd be conservative for her to wait about a month after her last antidepressant dose before she tries it. If she doesn't feel anything, wait another month and try again. Also, this may be obvious, but make sure she takes tested and reputable MDMA -- you can't roll if you're not actually taking MDMA.

Good luck to both of you.

 

[K-Dazed]

RGB has it spot-on, as usual. Most SSRIs have long half-life, the most being usually around 1 month. So, if she is going to stop taking the SRRI (with her doctor permission, obviously) it would probably be advised she only take MDMA AFTER 1 month of not being on the SSRI.

The main point here though, is to make sure she lets her doctor no she no longer feels the need to take SSRIs. Doing MDMA may be fun, but it's not worth it if you're risking your mental health for 6 hours of a high.

 

[No Consequence]

It's hard to say exactly, but the longer she waits the better. I trust that she's talked with her doctor about gradually stepping down her dose, right?

(Here comes one of my oft-recited speeches about MDMA and SSRIs, but it's good to refresh my own memory about it every once in a while...)

The problems with taking an SSRI are twofold: first, there's the immediate problem of SSRIs blocking MDMA's method of action, as you mentioned. Many SSRIs have extremely long half-lives in the body (on the order of months in the case of Prozac), so you first need to be sure that you're clear of them before you attempt to roll. Fortunately for her, Citalopram has a relatively short half-life (35 hours), so she should be pretty much clear of it within ten days. Again, Citalopram is especially sensitive to abrupt discontinuation (due to its short half-life), so she should definitely talk with her doctor about safely discontinuing treatment if she hasn't already.

Secondly, there's the problem of chronic SSRI use leading to desensitization of one's serotonin receptors. This one can vary greatly depending on one's individual reaction to a chronically high level of serotonin. If you wait long enough your receptors will eventually normalize, but there's no telling how long that can take.

Just to give you something to go on, I think it'd be conservative for her to wait about a month after her last antidepressant dose before she tries it. If she doesn't feel anything, wait another month and try again. Also, this may be obvious, but make sure she takes tested and reputable MDMA -- you can't roll if you're not actually taking MDMA.

Good luck to both of you.

Thanks for such an in depth reply. I really appreciate it and this will help tons
I will definitely make sure she waits the needed time. I wasn't sure about any of this though before your reply, so you definitely helped out.
I will keep all this in mind and i will probably show her all of this so we know what were getting her into!

Thanks so much

 

[No Consequence]

RGB has it spot-on, as usual. Most SSRIs have long half-life, the most being usually around 1 month. So, if she is going to stop taking the SRRI (with her doctor permission, obviously) it would probably be advised she only take MDMA AFTER 1 month of not being on the SSRI.

The main point here though, is to make sure she lets her doctor no she no longer feels the need to take SSRIs. Doing MDMA may be fun, but it's not worth it if you're risking your mental health for 6 hours of a high.

Thank you also for the reply.
We're not in a rush to use it, so we will make sure she is totally ready for it, if she ends up trying it.

Regarding your main point, that's exactly what has been going through my head. I'll only be doing it with her if we know she can handle it. Thanks for the concern also.