Although research has only shown that ascorbic acid, alpha lipoic acid, l-cysteine, and some obscure free radical scavengers are effective at reducing oxidative stress caused by MDMA, there is every reason to believe that other antioxidants would also be effective. Antioxidants appear to work best in combination, interacting to make each other more effective. Vitamin E and C are some of the best studied and most common antioxidants. When the heavier vitamin E (alpha-tocopheryl-acetate) loses its electrons to a free radical, the lighter and water-soluble ascorbic acid can replace the lost electron and then be carried off as an inert waste product.17,1819
Vitamins C, E, and A are all plentiful in fresh fruits and vegetables, but because MDMA acts as an appetite suppressant, it is impractical to imagine users would consume enough food sources of antioxidants during or directly after their experience. Antioxidant multivitamins include things like vitamins C and E, lipoic acid, selenium, riboflavin, zinc, carotenoids, etc which should all help reduce general oxidative stress in the body. The water soluble vitamins such as C and lipoic acid are quickly excreted from the body, so it is necessary to take them every 3-4 hours to maintain high levels in the bloodstream.
Perhaps the most commonly reported supplement taken with MDMA is 5-HTP, a serotonin precursor. There are numerous anecdotal reports that taking 5-HTP alone or in combination reduces both unwanted side effects and day-after effects. One paper found that very high doses of injected 5- HTP block MDMA neurotoxicity and 5-HTP has been shown to be an antioxidant, but 5- HTP's neuroprotective effect may have nothing to do with its being a mild antioxidant.20,2122 It may be that 5-HTP is particularly suited to the task of reducing MDMA's physical impact by both providing some oxidative protection and supporting the replenishing of serotonin. Unfortunately, it is also possible that 5-HTP could increase the risk of serotonin syndrome and research needs to be done to determine whether this is a practical concern.
There are also an increasing number of recreational-psychoactive specific vitamin products available, with combinations of antioxidants and supplements chosen to reduce side effects and hangovers. Many MDMA users create their own combinations based on the word of friends or comments from web forums. Vitamins and supplements which are frequently mentioned by MDMA users include vitamin C, E, A (beta carotene), alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q-10 ("ubiquinone", an antioxidant involved in intracellular energy systems), selenium, B-6 and other B-vitamins, magnesium (involved in cell-energy and the production of serotonin), and many others. While there are a large number of people selfexperimenting with supplements, so far there isn't much in the way of documentation of successes and failures.
