A few words of advice...
Threads like these almost always involve people speculating that something other than MDMA caused the problem.
Pipes, speed, or some unknown adulterant is blamed....when MDMA is considered a 'potent' neurotoxin by researchers.
Yes, MDMA could have caused this reaction.
No, it is not common for a moderate user only taking 150mg.
If her 'friends' enjoyed the experience and they had experience with MDMA, then it was probably MDMA.
Aside from testing, which she should have done, this is the greatest indicator.
Experienced rollers, or even amatuers, can usually tell a big difference between 'molly' and pipes.
Lets assume it was MDMA based on this.
Just because she felt different when rolling, doesnt mean speed was involved.
Serotonin actually supresses dopamine, which can cause a very unpleasant type of 'speediness'.
I know several people that wanted desperately to stop their roll, and could not.
It doesn't have to be pipes for this to happen.
Knowing that she took a REASONABLE dose is very important information.
So is the statement that it was at least four months since her last dose.
Very good.
A relevant question....how many lifetime doses has she consumed?
This is relevant as well.
While there are a few people on BL that claim hundreds of doses without consequence...
Research suggests that most 'heavy' users feel negative effects before 100 doses.
And they discontinue before 250.
I only took 30 doses total!
And I know quite a few people like me that never got to the impressive totals that others brag about.
It appears that there are indeed people more susceptible to the 'toxicity' of MDMA.
If she were within her first 10 doses, she would be quite rare indeed.
Most bad stories involve totals like mine, or higher.
Redosing in a single night is known to be a big factor as well.
If she ever went through a 'binge' on MDMA, taking it multiple days in a row...this is very big risk factor.
Lots of animal research suggests that 4 days of consecutive use causes definitive brain damage.
Does she have 'brain damage'?
We can't know for sure.
But I can tell you something that will help her.
Even those who do, with severe anxiety that last over a year....they tend to recover.
This is an incredible fact about MDMA, and other drugs.
Long-term abstinence does spell meaninfull releif.
In my experience, she is likely to emerge from this hell within a few days/weeks.
Yes, it can take several weeks for the moodiness and lack of sleep to be fixed.
In general most light users who are not prone to re-dosing, recover within weeks.
If she does not within 2-3 months...
Then she is in for the long ride.
Which appears to be 12-18 months.
The data supporting this schedule of recovery is solid, with only rare exepctions making it past the two year mark with significant psychopathology.
Her light dosing and your description do NOT lead me to believe she belongs to this group.
The first week of my 'comedown' was more intense than i could possibly describe on BL.
It began with a near-death experience that involved what I thought to be a severe heart-attack.
I found myself CRIPPLED with anxiety, especially after eating.
Major changes in appetite are common among MDMA users with 'toxicity'.
I have read many reports of people becoming health nuts all of a sudden.
And things like anxiety, fevers, swelling can occur after eating.
Serotonin exists to contract the smooth muscle around the intestines.
The vast majority of it exists in our guts, not our brains.
But in the brain, it comprises the most dense and intricate neurotransmitter system of all!
It innervates ALL regions of the brain with impressive density.
It also modulates dopamine, increasing it in a few spots and supressing it in most.
It is this powerful supression of dopamine that gives mdma is effects.
Only after the PEAK, when serotonin begins to fall, does dopamine surge forth.
It is a very unique drug.
If she is indeed suffering from real 'toxicity' to her serotonin system, then eating and digesting would cause a worsening of symptoms.
And physical pain/discomfort.
If she is able to eat solid food without deteriorating, this is a VERY good sign for her.
Tell her this.
If her condition does worsen, this is evidence of dopamine supression.
An imbalance of dopamine, with limbic structures receiving too much and cortical regions not getting enough...
This is seen with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.
The deep emotional centers of the brain, such as the amygdala, are hyper stimulated.
And her higher 'thinking' brain is unable to cope, and may even be denied normal levels of activity.
She literally cannot comprehend the unreal suffering she feels.
What I am describing is more intense than being 'irratable'.
And I cannot diagnose her over the internet.
But what you are describinbg sounds more like 'impulse control' problems or a heightened STARTLE response.
People suffering from dopamine imbalance, and glutamtate toxicity, can be VERY sensitive to ANY stimuli.
Light, sounds, even a modest touch can be TORTURE for them.
In clinical settings such people are removed to quiet, dark environments.
Reducing the stimuli, including not talking to them, can be very helpful.
Lowering body temperature is extremely important if an acute reaction to MDMA should occur.
Even if fever is not evident, lowering body temperature anyways likely offers neuroprotection.
If she is suffering an increase in anxiety, removing clothing and applying ice water to her FACE and neck can be quite contenting.
Acute reactions to MDMA have occured days after use.
This was the case for me, so ANY increase in body temperature should be treated aggressively.
It can't hurt her, but it could really help.
Insomnia is quite common with MDMA toxicity.
It can perists for months in some people, but for me the WORST was the first few weeks.
Absolute torture.
I was EXHAUSTED but my head was RINGING like a tuning fork.
Non stop.
Valerian is a decent option, as are benzos.
Short term, benzos are a miracle for her.
I recommend them, because they directly lower GLUTAMATE which can be toxic.
This is normally given to acute MDMA reactions in an ER.
They are safe and provide incredible relief from the agitation.
But using it more than a few days in a row is NOT wise.
this is because they will slowly INCREASE glutamate over time.
Withdrawal from benzos can cause 'toxicity' on their own!
But right now, it may be the best medical option for her.
Cannabis should be avoided for a LONG time.
Myself and many other mdma users with stories like hers have had SEVERE panic/anxiety just from a single hit!
More than just anxiety, it feels like EGO death.
I have no doubt at all that I had a stroke at 7 months recovery from smoking!
She has no business trying to get stoned.
and by the way, long-term cannabis use is associated with a greatly increased risk of pyschological problems among MDMA users!
That's right - several researchers have concluded that cananbis is not just a confounding factor, but that it plays a critical role in the psychosis that results from 'MDMA toxicity'.
Visiting a doctor is usually dissapointing.
Despite the popularity of MDMA, the number of ER visits has fallen since the end of the 90s.
Most medical personel at hospitals are only familiar with the features of acute reactions, such as tachycardia, myoclonus, diaphoresis, liver, and renal failure, etc.
Actual neurological consequences and recovery is beyond even most neurologists.
MDMA users and even SSRI users suffering severe withdrawal syndromes often come up normal on brain scans and blood tests.
Even if damage were found through extensive PET tests or fMRI, there is no treatment yet.
Other than absintence, time, and exercise.
And ECT.
If she continues to suffer greatly, ECT is a novel treatment that shows promise where antipsychotics and antidepressants do not.
It release massive amounts of nerve growth factors, such as BDNF, and causes stem cell proliferation.
BDNF can also be released, although modestly, from EXERCISE.
Brain derived nerve growth factor specifically enhances serotonin axonal plasticity and regrowth!
Even though she is suffering a lot right now, even if she cannot eat...she needs to be active at SOME level.
I was not even capable for many weeks, but my story was more intense than hers.
I literally felt like a ninety year old man!
My body hurt, and my limbs did NOT want to obey me.
It was a VERY surreal experience forcing my arms to work.
And i was not new to exercise when this happened!
I started very slowly, only doing five minutes of light lifting at a time.
Get her a very small weight, like five pounds.
Tell her to do ten curls each arm.
If she can do more, she should.
Go as slowly as she wants to, there is no hurry.
But forcing it to happen, even if it is modest, can have surprising benefits.
Only five to ten minutes per day, four days in a row made a HUGE difference for me.
And my suffering was immense.
It literally restored my soul.
Whatever 'dopamine imbalance' was being caused by serotonin toxicity, the slightest amount of BDNF seemed to lift my spirit in the most powerful way.
If she can jog or walk this is good too, but I recommend light weight lifting first.
Tearing muscle fibers seems to be the most effective.
She should not be taking large amounts of sleeping medication.
A high dose of benedryl will inhibit the uptake of serotonin.
This led to serotonin syndrome for me!
Valerian or benzos are her best options.
If she cannot eat, she will survive just fine for a few days.
I didn't eat solid food for a month!
Other than exercise, there was one miracle I discovered.
I alleviated digestive problems and anxiety, and provided a euphoric rush of releif from the greatest suffering of my life.
Piracetam.
It is legal to purchase online, its cheap, and it is VERY safe.
It is given to children with TBI or elderly with strokes.
Even in high doses it is quite safe.
And it literally transformed me.
More than exercise.
There is an initial rush of anxiety for some people, but not too bad.
Most people describe feeling argumentative. I agree.
Then there is a breakthrough and increased verbal acuity is common.
It is quite stimulating, but not in a dirty way that true stims provide.
Piracetam increases serotonin and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, an area thought to be starved after MDMA toxicity.
It may fix the 'dopamine imbalance' as well.
Temporarily.
After over a year, with almost half of it spent on Piracetam, I can honestly say it is NOT a cure.
It is a PAUSE button.
But it is the most profound and incredible relief I could have imagined from any 'pause' button.
Old roller who cannot feel any euphoria describe piracetam as restoring the 'magic' of rolling.
I would even equate some of the positive effects of it felt during recovery, as similar to those felt during MDMA use.
Warm pleasant sensations across the entire body combined with feelings of wholeness, restoration, resurrection!
But i must admit that each time I tapered off the piracetam, the emptiness was awaiting me.
It was never a cure, but it is a damned fine treatment.
This concludes my advice.
Piracetam is the best answer if she is really suffering.
In the end, she is probably going to recover within days/weeks.
I have read too many stories of people emerging from this within 2 weeks.
But past 2 months, it doesn't look like a quick process.
Those that belong to this unfortunate group usually describe SEVERE anxiety...crippling changes in brain fucntion.
They obsess over what has happened and often insist on going to the hospital.
Even the worst-case stories tend to end up FINE after a year. The human brain is quite resilient, but not always fast at recovery.
So far, she sounds like she is not in this group.
Good for her.
Make her work out, just a little bit.
See if she can eat food.
Watch her body temperature.
And let me know if you have any questions.
She is going to be FINE.
I promise.
FBC
