A learning night talk by Lucie Li on the positives and negatives of MDMA

1. Basic knowledge on MDMA
Because no one wants to learn
about prescription drugs

2. Learning objectives
• What is MDMA? How do you take it?
• What positive effects does MDMA have on the
user?
• What are MDMA’s side effects?
▪ Acute effects
▪ Hangover effect
▪ Side effects due to prolonged use
• How addictive is this drug?

3. What is MDMA?
• Ecstasy; E; X; XTC; Adam; Molly
• One of the most popular recreational drugs used
in today’s society
• Known for it’s euphoric
effect on the user

4. How to take MDMA?
• Can be administrated through oral route, nasal
route or needle injections
• Onset of action: 30 minutes after oral ingestion
• Total duration: 3-5 hours, vary greatly from
person to person

5. Positive Effects of MDMA
• Anyone here taken this drug before?
• How did you feel during the “high”?

6. Positive Effects of MDMA
• Increased energy
• General sense of happiness
• Promotes emotional attachment for users to the
events
• Decrease in fear, anxiety, and insecurities
• Feelings of love and empathy
• Analgesic effect, decreased pain perception
• Increases awareness and appreciation for music,
the environment, and those around them

7. Negative effects of MDMA
• Acute side effects
▪ Minor acute effects
▪ Major acute effects
• Hangover effect
• Complications with prolonged use

8. Acute minor negative effects of MDMA
• Tachycardia (Fast heart rate)
• Pupil dilation
• Trismus (lockjaw)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Small increase in body temperature
• Muscle tensions
• Confusion
• Dry mouth
• Bruxism (Teeth grinding)

9. Major negative effects of MDMA
• Hyperpyrexia
▫ Severely high body temperature which can lead to
multi-organ failure and death
• Cerebral haemorrhage
▫ Bleeding of the brain
• Serotonin syndrome
▫ Continuum of symptoms ranging from confusion
to seizure to death, caused by excessive amount of
serotonin

10. Major negative effects of MDMA
• Arrhythmia
▫ Irregular heart contraction, with potential lead to
stroke
• Cardiac arrest
These events rarely happen with low doses of
MDMA and proper ingestion of MDMA!

11. Hangover Effect
• Much like alcohol or any other substances that
act on the nervous system, MDMA has a
hangover effect as well
• Usually start 24 hours after intake of drug, and
can last up to 5 days
• Symptoms of
▪ Lack of energy
▪ Depressed mood
▪ Irritability

12. Effects from prolonged use of MDMA
• Case reports have shown Long term
neurotoxicity
▪ Major depression
▪ Anxiety disorder
▪ Aggression
• Studies have demonstrated negative impact on
▪ Hippocampus (memory center of the brain)
▪ Frontal cortex (executive functioning)

13. Addiction Profile of MDMA
• No it is not physically addictive
• People tend to be “addicted” because of its
positive effects it gives them
• When one feels the need to quit, quitting is easy

14. Take home messages
• MDMA is a popular street drug used by people
today, it is mainly taken as a tablet
• It provides the users with an euphoric effect, making
them feel energetic and open to their surroundings
• It also induces many negative side effects as well,
both during acute and delayed phases
• Prolonged use causes negative impact on the brain,
especially towards memory and executive
functioning
• It is not an addictive drug!

15. Thank you for listening! ☺
Any questions?