MDMA

Breaking the Chains of Dependency

MDMA

MDMA is a lab-made drug that people consume for its euphoric effects. MDMA can also alter an individual’s mood and time and sensory perception, which can make people feel disassociated from the events happening around them. This is why MDMA treatment might be the right choice for you.

What Is MDMA?

MDMA, which is short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a laboratory-made drug that produces a “high” that has stimulating and hallucinogenic effects. Many people say MDMA’s effects mimic amphetamines, mescaline, and LSD. Even though the drug, also known as “Ecstasy” or “Molly,” was initially used to help treat PTSD due to its calming effects and ability to change sensory perception, MDMA became a popular club drug in the late 1980s to early 2000s. During that time, the drug was mostly used at all-night dance parties called raves, as well as music festivals and concerts. Today, people use MDMA inside and outside of nightclubs.

What Does MDMA Do?

Since MDMA is both a stimulant and a hallucinogenic drug, the substance affects the body in two different ways. As a stimulant, MDMA affects dopamine levels in the brain, causing sensations such as increased alertness, attention, and energy. Once these stimulating effects go away, however, dopamine levels drop, causing people to experience a crash that’s known as a drug “comedown.”

As a hallucinogenic drug, MDMA activates certain serotonin receptors in the brain involved in emotions and sensory perception. When consumed, the substance primarily affects the cerebral cortex which helps regulate mood, cognition, and perception, as well as the locus coeruleus, which receives sensory signals. MDMA’s stimulating and hallucinogenic effects typically last anywhere from 3 to 6 hours.

These stimulating and hallucinogenic effects can also cause:

Chills
Dry mouth
Clenched teeth
Blurred vision
Excessive sweating
Anxiety
Confusion
Paranoia
Seizures
An elevated heart rate

MDMA can also cause the body to overheat, which can lead to muscle breakdown, kidney, liver, and heart damage, and sometimes, death.

How Does MDMA Affect The Brain?

MDMA primarily affects the brain by increasing the activity of the body’s chemical messengers, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. At first, this reaction signals the brain to produce euphoric feelings. But ultimately, this interaction causes the brain to identify MDMA as a primary source of these essential brain chemicals. When this happens, the brain stops producing serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. This shutdown can cause neurotransmitter deficiencies. Even though the brain is arguably the body’s most complex organ, it relies on neurotransmitters and other chemicals to function properly.

Serotonin is a key player in regulating mood and behavior, but it also has an effect on many other bodily functions such as sleep, digestion, blood clotting, bone health, and sexual function. Low levels of serotonin can cause:

Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
Fatigue
Osteoporosis
Cognitive decline
Impulsive behavior
Obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD)
Cardiovascular problems

Dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical, helps regulate body movement, learning, memory, concentration, and mood. Dopamine also helps shape motivation. Low levels of the chemical messenger can cause:

Muscle cramps, tremors, and spasms
Hallucinations and delusions
Low energy
An inability to focus
Mood swings
Anxious feelings
Fatigue
Disturbed sleep
Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

Norepinephrine provides the body with energy and helps enhance focus levels. When the brain doesn’t produce enough norepinephrine, individuals can experience:

Anxiety
Fatigue
Depression
Brain fog
Hypoglycemia
Memory problems
Difficulty sleeping
Lack of motivation

In addition to that, MDMA can:

Weaken parts of the brain that regulate cognitive thinking and self-control. Certain parts of the brain determine how well people control their impulses. MDMA affects these regions in a negative way and weakens them. People who use MDMA have high neuron activation in the prefrontal cortex, which manages cognitive functioning and impulse control. This high activation means that the MDMA users’ brains have to work harder than non-MDMA users’ brains to exhibit self-control and cognitive functioning.
Increase the risk of memory problems. MDMA also negatively affects the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for creating and storing memories. A landmark study showed that individuals who took 10 or more MDMA pills in a year had substantial memory problems. The study also showed that consuming MDMA recreationally for a short period of time can also cause memory impairments and short-term memory loss.
Change how the brain responds to emotions and processes information. Individuals who consistently use MDMA have decreased activity in brain areas that regulate emotions and process information. These areas, which include the amygdala, cingulate, and hippocampus, can affect how individuals perceive emotional situations. Since MDMA lessens activity in these brain regions, prolonged MDMA use can lead to anxiety, depression, or paranoia.

How Is MDMA Commonly Used?

A large number of people who use MDMA take the substance as a pill, tablet, or capsule. Usually, the pills are different colors and have cartoon-like images on them. Most people take one tablet at a time, but some people consume more than one pill at a time, a behavior that’s known as “bumping.”

Typically, most individuals who take two MDMA tablets or capsules take the second dose of the drug as the effects of the first dose begin to fade, increasing the risk of adverse side effects. People also consume “Molly,” the pure crystalline powder form of MDMA, as a capsule. Usually, the effects of MDMA can be felt around 30-45 minutes after consumption.

Snorting the substance causes MDMA’s effects to occur more quickly and intensely. Additionally, snorting MDMA can cause damage to individuals’ nasal passages, sinuses, airways, mouth, and throat. On average, MDMA’s effects last about three hours, but individuals can experience the side effects days later.

Signs of MDMA Use and Addiction

Even though MDMA impacts everyone differently, some of the most common signs of MDMA use include:

Dilated pupils
Heightened sensory perception
Increased capacity for empathy
Unnatural, long-last energy
Reduced or inability to feel pain
An increased desire to touch or be touched
Staying awake for days at a time
Impulsive or paranoid behavior
Promiscuous behavior
Excessive sweating
Mild confusion
Heightened emotions
Increased thirst
An overwhelming sense of euphoria

Signs and symptoms of MDMA addiction include:

Unusual chills and sweating
Heightened sensitivity
Unnatural bursts of energy
Staying awake for days at a time
Unexplained, sudden impulsive behavior
Paranoia immediately following a sense of euphoria
Dry mouth and constant, unusual, but intense thirst
Problems sleeping or sudden insomnia
Fatigue after large bouts of energy
Loss of interest in anything other than MDMA

People exhibiting these signs may have an addiction to MDMA. If left untreated, an addiction to MDMA can cause:

Psychosis
Convulsions
Kidney failure
Heart disease
Brain damage
Depression and an increased risk of other mental health challenges

All of these signs and symptoms point to an addiction to MDMA.

Treatment For MDMA Addiction

Here at Meta, we know how harmful and dangerous MDMA addiction can be. We also know that individuals who receive professional treatment can experience freedom from addiction. But we also know that not everyone can quit their job and stop their lives for weeks or months at a time to attend residential treatment. That’s why we offer outpatient addiction treatment services.

Outpatient treatment is a type of addiction rehabilitation program that provides counseling, behavioral therapy, and support groups at various times throughout the week. Unlike inpatient treatment, outpatient programs don’t require individuals to live at the treatment center where they are receiving treatment.