Ecstasy / MDMA

What is ecstasy / MDMA?

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is the chemical name for the active ingredient in ecstasy pills. So when we are talking about XTC or ecstasy, we are talking about MDMA as well and vice versa.

MDMA is a stimulating drug with consciousness changing effects. MDMA is sold as a pill, powder and crystal.


Effects

The effect of a drug depends on the characteristics of the drug itself, but also on the set and setting of the user. Here we describe the general effects of MDMA.

MDMA has  stimulating and consciousness changing effects. The stimulant effect keeps you awake, sharp and give you the feeling you can think fast. The consciousness changing or entactogenic (get into contact with the inner you) effects could be described as a relaxing feeling. You feel open and in connection with others.

Mind you: pills or powders that are sold as MDMA can contain other drugs than MDMA. The effect will then be different.

Positieve effecten (negatieve) Bijwerkingen

Euphoria, feelings of love

This substance can make you feel euphoric, like you are in love. You feel comfortable in your own skin and can experience things as pleasant more quickly.

Decreased ability to concentrate

Decreased ability to concentrate.

Increased empathy

You feel more connected to others. It is easier to connect to others and to empathize with the feelings that someone else experiences.

Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness. Short term, failure to remember events shortly after ingestion.

Entactogenic

Strong sense of connectedness to others or your environment. You can connect more easily with others and notice less inhibitions than you might normally experience in social contact. For example, it may be easier to speak openly about the things that are bothering you.

Confusion

Not fully understanding the environment and situation. Temporarily impaired orientation with respect to time, place, or person.

Need for contact, conversation and intimacy

Having a good conversation with someone, or cuddling, can be very pleasant and interesting.

Paranoia and delusions

Anxiety, paranoia and delusions (e.g. the idea that people are talking about you).

Energetic feeling

You have feelings of being energized. Sitting still is sometimes more difficult and this energetic feeling is often expressed through the urge to dance or move.

Tingling

Tingling sensation in the body or parts of the body.

Alertness

This drug can make you more active than usual. You are feeling sharp, awkae and it is easy to focus your attention on the things that are happening around you.

Decreased appetite

Stimulation of the fight-or-flight response in the body can suppress appetite.

More intense music experiences

Music can be experienced louder or more intense. For example, it can feel as if you are completely ‘absorbed’ in the music or that you feel the low tones from the music go through your body more intensely.

Increase in blood pressure and heart rate

Due to increased cardiac stimulation, heart rate and blood pressure rise.

Increased body temperature

Stimulants cause increased activity in muscles, and increase the “base temperature” of the body. This causes the body temperature to increase.

Difficulty urinating

Your body releases a lot of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) causing you to retain more fluids. There is also more tension in the muscles in your urinary tract, which makes relaxing (and therefore urinating) more difficult.

Dry mouth

Stimulation of sympathetic pathways decrease saliva production, this causes the mouth to feel dry.

Dilated pupils

Due to an increased noradrenaline level in the body after taking certain drugs, the pupils become larger. The pupil size is influenced by many different processes. Increase in noradrenaline plays a role in some of those processes.

Increased muscle tension

Tense muscles and jaws (biting your tongue or cheek)

Jaw clenching

Increased muscle tension can cause the jaws to clench together. As a result, the teeth are firmly pressed together and it is possible to bite your tongue and/or cheeks.

Difficulty sleeping

After using stimulants or psychedelics it can be difficult to sleep. For more information on sleeping check here.

Nystagmus

Fast back and forth moving eyes. This often makes it difficult for you to read.

Nausea/vomiting

An uneasy and tense feeling in the abdomen, which may cause discomfort. Nausea often precedes vomiting.

Increased sweating

In response to the increased stimulation and changes in body temperature, the skin will start to secrete sweat to cool the body temperature back to normal levels.

Hallucinations

In hallucinations you perceive things that are not there. It really is an observation that seems to be real. For example, you may hear sounds (auditory hallucinations) or see something or someone (visual hallucination). This is in contrast to a change in sensory perception where normal perception is distorted. Think of a person’s voice that sounds higher or lower or a face that seems to have a big nose.

Hallucinations can be both desirable effects (with psychedelics) and unwanted side effects (with high doses of MDMA, or with being awake for too long).


Dose and route of administration

MDMA is sold as a pill, powder, crystal and capsules. Sometimes it is also available as a liquid mixture (blue 69).

Ecstasy pill

MDMA is most commonly used as a pill. Some people take a whole pill at once, others break them in halves or quarters. Because the content of a pill differs widely, you never know how much you take when you think in halves or quarters.

From 2011 onward the amount of MDMA in a pill has increased. Before 2009 a pill would contain 80 milligrams of MDMA on average. That average was already doubled in  2013 to 140 mg. High doses like 180 mg or more per pill are no exception any more. More MDMA for the same price sounds good. But with these high doses, the risks also increase. It is more difficult to dose correctly and easy to take more than you intended. Inexperienced users can get the idea that these high doses are normal. They can get into ugly situations if they think one pill is one dose. In 2020 and 2021 the testing service noticed that the amount of MDMA in a pill started to vary widely. One pill can contain 70 mg will another logo can contain 230 mg.
We suspect that the pressure on the First aid at big parties and festivals has to do with the increase in the amount of MDMA in pills. So, have your pills tested!

Also check the infographic ‘strength of ecstasy pills over the years‘ by the Drugsinfoteam.

MDMA powder

In the case of powder or crystals, users usually take small licks and build up their dose slowly. Or they put it in a capsule or roll it in a small piece of paper (bomb) to swallow it. Some users dissolve the powder in a drink. The powder can be snorted or smoked (rarely). MDMA has a negative influence on the enamel of your teeth. By putting it in a drink or by taking licks you increase the chance on damage to your teeth.

MDMA powder can differ in strenght and can be cut. So have your powders tested!

So an ecstasy pill and MDMA powder are essentially the same thing, they just look different.

Rectal use or snorting

MDMA can also be used rectally (through the anus), for instance as a powder in a capsule. This way, the substance can be absorbed in the body faster so the effects come on quicker. You need a smaller dose when you use it rectally, but it is quite an uncommon way to do ecstasy in the Netherlands.

Snorting MDMA is also possible but it is very painful. As with rectal use, the effects come on quicker and you need a smaller dose.

Dose

Ecstasy pills exist in all colours and logo’s. The outside does not tell you anything about what it contains. Which substances it contains and their doses. To learn about the content you have to bring it to a drug testing service.

All drug samples that are handed in at the drug testing services nationwide are sent to the DIMS (Drugs Information Monitoring System). This gives the DIMS good view on the drug markets. In case of a dangerous situation they have the option to set up a warning campagne.
On the website of the DIMS a list with extra risky pills can be found. They are extra risky, because the use of drugs in itself caries risks as well. On this list it is mentioned what the logo is, the colour and the date when the pill was handed in.

The amount of MDMA in a pill can vary widely. Some pills contain no MDMA, while others contain three times a usual dose. And there are pills that look like regular ecstasy but contain something else, like PMMA or mCPP. These are drugs that can be more damaging to your health than MDMA or that can have nasty side effects. MDMA powder and crystals can be tested at the drug testing service. If you test pills you get the result in mg per pill. If you test a powder you get the result in percentage of the powder that is MDMA.

If you ingest it, a recreational dose is between 1 and 1.5 mg MDMA for each kilogram body weight per occasion (or between 0.4 and 0.7 mg MDMA for each pound body weight). This means that when you weigh 60 kg (or 130 pounds), a recreational dose would be between 60 and 90 mg MDMA for the whole evening. Does your tablet contain more than 180 mg MDMA? In that case, a half tablet (or two times a quarter tablet with at least one and a half hour in between) should be enough for the desired effect. If you take more, you will especially experience more unwanted effects like jaw tension, forgetfulness, confusion and nausea. Don’t take it more often than once every 6-8 weeks. Of course the use of MDMA is never without risks, but if you follow this advice you can limit the risks and side effects as much as possible.

Oral dose
Low 0,5- 1 mg per kg bodyweight
Medium 1-1,5 mg per kg
High 1,5+ mg per kg

Duration

After 20-60 minutes you will start to feel the first effects. Tingling through your body, a warm glow and a euphoric feeling as if you are in love. The effects become stronger quickly and that feels as if you are ‘hit’ by the MDMA. That hit usually lasts for about 5 minutes. You might feel nauseous or maybe you have to vomit. After about 2 hours the effects will start to wear off. And after about 4-6 hours most people will feel fairly sober again.

Many users choose to redose to keep the buzz going. But that doesn’t always work. You won’t get the feeling back from the start of the buzz and the unwanted side effects will increase. Expect a dry mouth, forgetfulness, tense muscles and grinding of your teeth. This is often the moment when people think there is speed (amphetamine) in their pill. And people often become more introverted and have difficulty speaking.


Risks

Severe health incidents rarely occur, but when they do they can be fatal. Serious problems or even death are mostly caused by a combination of the pharmacological properties of the MDMA (the interaction between the substances) and the surroundings in which the drug is used (environment temperature, water intake, physical activity and other drug use, including alcohol).

Short-term risks

Overheating

Stimulants increase your body temperature. Additionally, more physical activity also raises your body temperature. If this happens in an environment that is already warm, where you cannot dissipate heat effectively, it can become dangerous.

Because your body loses heat through sweating, this risk mainly occurs in warm and humid environments. If the air is very humid (muggy or clammy), the cooling effect of sweat is reduced. This can cause your body to overheat. Additionally, you lose a lot of body heat through your head. Avoid wearing a hat or cap when it’s warm so that heat can escape.

Some drugs, especially those that cause a significant release of serotonin, can lead to mild overheating with “normal” use.

Symptoms of mild overheating (hyperthermia):

  • Headache
  • Confusion
  • Stiff muscles
  • Dizziness

In this case, seek a cool place and consider wetting your head, neck, and face with water. If you then blow air over these well-vascularized areas of your body with a fan (or ask a friend to do so), you can quickly cool down to a more comfortable temperature.

Symptoms of more severe overheating (hyperthermia):

  • Shivering Rapid heartbeat
  • Pale appearance
  • Reduced consciousness
  • Nausea Vomiting

When experiencing these symptoms, it’s time to seek help from a first aid post or other healthcare provider. If the body temperature rises to 40-41 degrees Celsius, the situation is life-threatening. It’s important to quickly move to a cooler place.

Very severe symptoms:

  • Breakdown of muscle tissue
  • Blood clotting throughout the body
  • Impaired functioning of kidneys and liver
  • Epileptic seizures

Call 112 immediately if you notice or experience these symptoms.

Water intoxication

Because overheating is one of the most serious acute risks of XTC/MDMA, many people who use MDMA know that they need to ‘drink enough water.’ Some people have interpreted this as needing to ‘drink a lot of water’ when using MDMA. Unfortunately, there are cases where MDMA users have died from drinking ‘too much’ water; a condition known as water intoxication.

MDMA causes your kidneys to excrete less water through your urine. So your body retains more fluid when you’re on MDMA. You may find it difficult or impossible to urinate. Drinking a lot of water increases the volume of blood. The concentration of salts (sodium) in your blood decreases. Additionally, due to MDMA, you usually don’t feel hungry, which means you’re not getting any salts (sodium). Because of this low sodium concentration, water flows from the blood into the brain cells, causing them to swell. Women are more affected by this than men. Since your skull cannot move, increased pressure develops in your head. The pressure on the brain becomes too great to function normally. This can lead to coma and eventually death in extreme cases.

The main way to prevent water intoxication is not to drink too much water.

Unity tip: Do not drink too much water when using XTC/MDMA and during the 24 hours afterward. Stick to a maximum of 1 glass of water per hour.

Symptoms of water intoxication include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Headache
  • Anxiety
  • Feeling generally unwell

Later symptoms may include:

  • Epileptic seizures
  • Reduced consciousness
  • Coma

Serotonin syndrome

The serotonin syndrome is caused by an excessive serotonin level in the central nervous system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that works in the brain on emotions, sexual functions, hunger, and thirst.

XTC, amphetamine (speed), cocaine, LSD, some pharmaceutical drugs such as antidepressants, and certain natural dietary supplements affect serotonin levels and are linked to the serotonin syndrome.

The effect of the serotonin syndrome on individuals depends on which substances and the amount of substances they have used. Not everyone experiences severe symptoms, but sometimes the effects can be unpredictable and even life-threatening.

What increases the risk of the serotonin syndrome?

  • The use of large quantities of XTC
  • Combining XTC with amphetamine (speed), cocaine, or other drugs.
  • Combining XTC with AD(H)D medications (dexamphetamine (Elvanse, Vyvanse, Mydayis, Adderall), methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta), or L-tryptophan.
  • Combining XTC with antidepressants, MAO inhibitors, and SSRIs increases the risk of serotonin syndrome and is life-threatening!

The early, mild signs of the serotonin syndrome are similar to the reactions some people have when using substances like XTC or when they have been dancing for a long time. These include sweating, excitement, dilated pupils, trembling, rapid heartbeat, and rapid breathing. For most people, these complaints are not too serious.

If you see someone with the following signs, it is absolutely necessary to seek medical help. These are serious symptoms of the serotonin syndrome:

  • Fever
  • Restlessness/Agitation
  • Anxiety/Confusion
  • Unusual, convulsive muscle cramps in arms and/or legs
  • Stiff muscles

Increased risk of arrhythmia, heart attack, and stroke

Stimulants increase your bodily functions.

Among other things, your heart rate increases and your blood pressure rises.

People with high blood pressure and/or heart problems are advised against experimenting with stimulants.

Cocaine has more negative effects on the heart than other stimulants.

Epileptic seizure

Taking this drug increases the risk of having an epileptic seizure if you are prone to it.

(Excitement) delirium

This is a state of being that is usually caused by excessive alcohol or drug use. Often, it involves stimulants such as cocaine. The acute state of excitement is a life-threatening situation that requires prompt intervention by professional caregivers. You can recognize it because someone behaves very agitated and aggressive motorically. The victim lashes out and cannot be calmed down. The aggression is not directed, but rather random. It is impossible to make contact with the victim. The victim continues to fight, even when subdued by police and security.

Because someone behaves this way, it is understandable that security or caregivers may want to subdue them by pushing them down or restraining them (fixation). However, this is dangerous and can lead to death. When you try to stop someone with an excitement delirium, the person will only resist harder, causing their heart rate/blood pressure to dangerously increase.

Liver damage

Amphetamines (MDMA, speed, meth) can affect liver function in a multitude of ways. These include cell damage because of overheating, toxic metabolites, and increased blood clotting.

(Tuesday) dip

After using this drug, a dip can occur. You feel tired, depressed, sad, listless, oversensitive, and empty. The severity of the dip varies greatly from person to person. However, users often report experiencing fatigue and a bad mood in the days after use. It is unclear what exactly causes the dip with a drug. But a high dose, combined use, dancing combined with little food and little or no sleep certainly play a significant role.

Long term risks

Memory problems

The use of drugs can impair memory. Difficulties can arise in processing information for storage, storage itself, and information retrieval.

Different drugs can cause different memory problems. Some substances can directly cause a (temporary) reduced functioning of the memory. For example alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, MDMA and ketamine. And with some drugs it only comes into play after heavy use. For example with alcohol. This often involves a permanently impaired functioning of the memory. Sometimes there is an improvement after stopping use, for example with cannabis.

Increased risk of arrhythmia, heart attack, and stroke

Stimulants increase your bodily functions.

Among other things, your heart rate increases and your blood pressure rises.

People with high blood pressure and/or heart problems are advised against experimenting with stimulants.

Cocaine has more negative effects on the heart than other stimulants.

Over-fatigue and insomnia

Under the influence of (stimulating) substances, you can exceed your own limits and boundaries, because it suppresses your fatigue and sleep. You then tap into your reserves and can be over-fatigued and downcast days after use. The longer and more you have used, the longer these feelings can persist.

 

Decreased resistance

MDMA can lower your resistance. This means you can get sick more quickly.

Reduced fitness

When taking this substance, the cortisol (stress hormone) level in the blood increases. This affects various processes in the body, including muscle building/breakdown and mental status.

 

Weight decrease

When you use uppers, you usually eat poorly (or not at all), and often you’re also moving a lot on the dance floor. This, together with the higher energy demands of your body during upper use, means that you use more energy than you take in and therefore lose weight.

Psychological issues

Psychological issues can arise, or pre-existing psychological problems can worsen. Feeling down or anxious, feeling out of sorts, and experiencing poor concentration.

Deterioration of teeth and gums

Using this drug has a negative influence on your teeth. Your teeth can discolour, but the risk of inflammation or cavities also increases.

Brain damage

Animal studies show that MDMA can cause damage to certain brain cells. Similar damage can be seen in the brains of heavy MDMA users. Unfortunately, it is not clear what this damage means and whether or not you can fully recover from it. It has been shown, however, that when you use two ecstasy pills every weekend for a couple of years, this will have a negative effect on your memory. It is not certain with which exact dose this is the case. Therefore, it is important to be extra careful.

We advise you not to use MDMA more often than once every six to eight weeks, and not to use more than 1 to 1.5 mg MDMA per kg body weight (or between 0.4 and 0.7 mg MDMA for each pound body weight). These quantities are based on research carried out by Unity. Do you take MDMA every weekend? Then your use is becoming dangerous. With laboratory animals, the brain damage increased as the temperature was higher. Therefore, make sure you cool down sufficiently: rest frequently, don’t wear warm clothes, drink a soda or water regularly.

Depression

Some heavy MDMA users can be left with a depression in the long-term. There is a relationship between how often and how much MDMA you use together with your sensitivity for depression, and how great the chance is that you may feel depressed after MDMA use. If you are prone to depression, don’t use too much MDMA.

Damage to the teeth

If you use MDMA often, this has consequences for your teeth. This is because people often firmly clamp their teeth together during MDMA use, grind their teeth or chew a lot of chewing gum which can cause tooth wear. MDMA also reduces saliva production. This means bacteria have more chance to multiply, causing your gums to become infected more easily. It is therefore advisable to always use sugar free gum and to take good care of your teeth in order to reduce the risks. Also make sure the MDMA does not get in contact with your teeth.

Addiction

It is possible to become psychologically dependent on MDMA. Most often this dependence means that you do not enjoy going to a party any more without using MDMA or that it becomes really hard to say no to it when others are using the drug.

There is no such thing as physical dependence on MDMA. Tolerance to the effects of MDMA does occur, however. This means that your body becomes accustomed to the use of MDMA. When you use it often, the typical MDMA “love” feeling lessens, while the stimulant effect stays. If this is the case for you, you should not use MDMA for two to three months to experience the “love” feeling again.

If you’re wondering whether your MDMA use is becoming a problem, you could ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is it hard to get in a good mood without using MDMA?
  • Am I mentally preoccupied with the drug?
  • Has the use of MDMA changed me as a person?
  • Do I have to use more and more to achieve the same effect?
  • Have I been using more MDMA lately? Do I take a higher dose, in more different places and on various occasions?
  • Do I use more than I planned beforehand?
  • Do I suffer from withdrawal symptoms when I don’t use, such as sleeping poorly, moodiness, shaking, headaches, dizziness, nausea and sweating?
  • Do I sometimes use MDMA to eliminate negative effects from the last use, such as a hangover?
  • Does it take me a long time to recover from using?
  • Do I spend more and more money on it?
  • Do I use it despite the fact that I have important things to do? Do I neglect hobbies and work?
  • Does using lead to more and more problems with people around me, for instance friends and family?
  • Do I use MDMA constantly, even though I know it causes damage to both my body and my social life?

The more times you answer these questions with “yes”, the more dangerous your use of MDMA has become.


Interactions

Combining different types of drugs can be risky and unpredictable. When you combine drugs you can have a higher risk of health problems. In the following paragraphs you can read about the effects and the risks of a number of combinations that occur frequently and also a about few that are extra hazardous. Also check our theme combining drugs.

Ecstasy/MDMA and alcohol

Alcohol lessens the effects of MDMA. Also the desired effects. So you feel less of the MDMA. There is a chance that you will then take more MDMA to get a bit more effect.
You may also be less aware that you have had too much to drink. When your MDMA wears off, you are suddenly very drunk. The hangover will also be much bigger the next day.

Ecstasy/MDMA and cannabis

Some users find it a pleasant combination. Cannabis can soften the ecstasy rush, especially at the end of the experience. However, it can also make the experience a bit more vague, which is not always positive.

GHB and MDMA

Some people say that GHB would prolong the action of MDMA. The combination can make you push your limits even more than the individual drugs. GHB and MDMA alone often cause someone to go further than they would do sober. The combination can enhance this effect. So keep that in mind. Don’t do things that you later regret.

Some people think that the combination of MDMA and/or amphetamine (speed) with GHB can prevent you from passing out. It is true that your mind may feel clearer than if you were taking GHB alone. But you can still pass out. There is some evidence that if you lose consciousness from a GHB overdose, your coma may be deeper and longer if you have also taken speed or MDMA. Therefore, never use uppers to avoid passing out.

Ketamine and ecstasy/MDMA

It changes the XTC/MDMA experience. After using MDMA, many people indicate that they already have some hallucinations (crash barriers, bar tables, sunglasses, etc.). Ketamine increases the risk of hallucinations. This can be fun, but also scary. The experience becomes much more vague. Some take ketamine after the MDMA to take the sharp edges off the end.

With both drugs, people often suffer from memory problems when they are under the influence. You can no longer come up with names, for example. Or you don’t remember what you just did. The combination enhances that effect. Writing down when you took something can prevent you from accidentally overdosing.

There is a chance that the combination will make you more impulsive. Something stupid or dangerous seems like a good idea. A sober tripsitter can keep you from doing risky things.

If you choose to combine, take less of both drugs. Or wait until one of the two has significantly decreased in strength. If you have no experience with MDMA or ketamine, make sure you have experience with both drugs separately.

Both ketamine and MDMA increase heart rate. This can put an extra burden on your heart and blood vessels. If you have heart problems, the combination is not recommended.

Ecstasy/MDMA and laughing gas

Under the influence of XTC/MDMA, laughing gas can intensify the trip. This can be fun, but also scary, if it’s too intense.

It can be tempting to just keep taking balloons. It is best to enjoy this in moderation. See also the risks of nitrous oxide.

Ecstasy/MDMA and other stimulants like speed and cocaine

Combining MDMA with uppers mainly ensures that you notice less of the MDMA. The desired effects, such as euphoria, are smoothed out. So you feel less of the MDMA. There is a chance that you will then take more MDMA to get a bit more effect. The uppers also remove the vagueness of the MDMA. You feel a little brighter.
The more MDMA you take and if you combine it with other uppers, the bigger the hangover. You feel empty and exhausted.
The combination also causes more brain damage. And a greater load on the heart and blood vessels.

Ecstasy/MDMA and antidepressive medication

If you’re depressed, it’s definitely not a good idea to take MDMA. If you’re on modern antidepressants, known as SSRIs, you will probably feel little to nothing from the MDMA. The effect of MDMA on the messenger substance serotonin is blocked in your brain. However, you can experience side effects of the MDMA that works on other messenger substances, such as noradrenaline and dopamine. These are mainly the effects that people do not want to have.

If you take an old type of antidepressant, called MAO inhibitors, it is very dangerous to use various drugs, including MDMA. Your blood pressure can rise to dangerous levels and you have a higher risk of serotonin syndrome.

MDMA also disrupts the balance in your brain. You may feel good for a while, but then you feel worse. This just makes it harder to feel better overall.


Unity tips:

  • Only use drugs when you feel physically and mentally well.
  • Rest well before and after use.
  • Eat healthy before, during and after.  Especially anti-oxidants and vitamines (blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, raisins, oranges, kiwi, broccoli).
    This is perhaps the most important tip! It’s hard to eat during and after MDMA use, but try it anyway. Eating well clearly reduces the hangover! If you don’t get solid foods, think juices, breakfast drinks, smoothies.
  • You can take extra vitamins and antioxidants before and after MDMA use.
  • If you have pills, powder or crystals tested, you will know exactly what and how much is in them.
  • Do not use when you have: diabetes, weak heart, high blood pressure, pregnancy, epilepsy and mental complaints or in combination with medicines (especially not with MAO inhibitors and asthma medicines).
  • Do not use more than once every 6-8 weeks. Do not take more than 1-1.5 mg of MDMA per kg of body weight.
  • Do not drink more than 1 glass of water or soda per hour, otherwise the risk of water intoxication increases.
  • Make sure you don’t get too hot while taking MDMA: rest every now and then, don’t wear warm clothes, no headgear, and drink water or soft drinks every now and then.
  • Do not combine with alcohol and other drugs.
  • Do not participate in traffic.
  • MDMA evokes feelings of intimacy. In combination with a carefree mood, safe sex can sometimes be missed. Be prepared and have a condom with you.
  • There is no real safe use of MDMA, but the risks can be limited.

More info

Check out this short video about the history of ecstasy and MDMA, and why there’s so much confusion about what those two terms mean.

FAQ

How do you dose powder or capsules?

To be able to weigh a certain dose properly, you need a good scale. Have a scale that can weigh milligrams, to 3 decimal places (0.001 mg). A scale that weighs 0.01 (2 decimal places) may be just accurate enough for MDMA, but not for many other substances.

Where can you find such a scale?

On the large international online webshops you can find scales for around 20 euros that can weigh 3 figures after the decimal point. You can buy empty capsules in different sizes at pharmacies, smart shops or drugstores. Some are also suitable for vegetarians. You can write the drug and dosage on the capsule with a waterproof marker or a CD marker.

How is it possible that some ecstasy users see bar tables?

A side effect of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, is that your vision isn’t as good as it normally is. For example, you can’t focus as well because your eyes move quickly back and forth. Your brain likes to understand things. So it will then fill in things so that you can see things that are not there (hallucinate). People see bar tables for example, or fences or sunglasses. If you take a high dose, you will get hallucinations faster.

Are you more talkative on ecstasy?

Ecstasy generally ensures that you have more energy and that you feel more connected to the people around you. You may feel the need to talk a lot and tell your friends how much you love them.

But: those effects are not always the same and they are not the same for everyone. A high dose can make you introverted. You then feel less like communicating with others. If you are not feeling well mentally or if you are not enjoying yourself, you can also become more introverted. So watch your dosage.

How much MDMA does an ecstasy tablet contain?

It is not possible to tell from the outside how much MDMA an ecstasy pill contains. In addition, an ecstasy pill can also contain substances other than MDMA. The only way to know how much MDMA is in your pill is to have it tested. This can be done for free with all test services in the Netherlands.

Here you can find the annual reports of the test service.

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