MDMA Now Even More Risky Due to Rising Impurities

MDMA Ecstasy

In the past, we have written about synthetic drugs, including synthetic cannabis or bath salts, perhaps the two most popular types. Such drugs are most commonly used among young people, the impoverished or people looking to beat a drug test. The news has been good about scaring some people away from trying or using these chemical regularly— being both dangerous and addictive. Overdose death rate stats are difficult to determine in the U.S., as people present in emergency departments with various side-effect symptoms.

While individuals will continue to use such drugs, if they are available, hopefully access will begin to decrease. However, even when people think they are doing one type of drug, they may in fact be doing something altogether different. You may have heard reports about the highly potent opioid fentanyl being stamped into pills resembling OxyContin? If so, then you probably know that many overdose deaths have resulted from disguising one drug as something else.

Fentanyl is not the only drug being mislabeled. It turns out that drugs that are popular among “clubbers” and music festival goers are commonly adulterated with other substances, some of which are potentially lethal. We don’t hear much anymore about Ecstasy. It is still used and abused to be sure, but these days people are more interested in 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA). The psychoactive ingredient used to make Ecstasy. Most people prefer to use MDMA because it is purer than Ecstasy, which is usually mixed with fillers like caffeine or other harmful additives. But is it really more pure? Is it even MDMA that people are doing? Sometimes, not always.

MDMA, Or Something Else?

New research suggests that MDMA, commonly called “Molly,” often contains dangerous additives, notably the chemicals used to make bath salts, according to a press release from The Johns Hopkins University. DanceSafe, a nonprofit, tested samples of pills or powder thought to be MDMA by people at music festivals and such. The service was conducted discreetly and free of charge. Of the 529 total samples collected between July 2010 and July 2015, 318 (roughly 60 percent) actually contained MDMA or the closely related drug MDA. The adulterated Molly contained:

  • Methylone and cathinones used to make synthetic drugs.
  • Methamphetamine
  • PMA, a dangerous form of amphetamine associated with overdoses and death.

The results show that the likelihood of taking something even more dangerous than MDMA is high.

“People who take pills and first responders need to know that no matter how the pills are branded or what name they are sold as, they almost always contain a mix of ingredients,” says Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Our results should discourage a false sense of security about the purity and safety of so-called Molly.”

MDMA Addiction

If you are using drugs like MDMA regularly, there is a good chance that you will be exposed to substances that are both addictive and dangerous. “Club drugs” are far from safe. Pure does not mean that a substance is without risk. Please contact 10 Acre Ranch for help.

MDMA, Trauma and Addiction Recovery

MDMA Ecstasy

There is a common theme among addicts and alcoholics, most of us have experienced some type of trauma in our lives. That is not to say that trauma caused the addiction, but rather that addressing trauma could help treat the disease. However, there is a wide variety of opinions on how to treat such trauma to ensure the best outcomes.

It is no secret that some people living with addiction have a hard time working a program of recovery. There could be a number of reasons for this, but one of the more common factors involves an untreated co-occurring disorder. Conditions which can include: anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research supports the belief that people attempting to recover from addiction fare best when co-occurring disorders are treated simultaneously. Addiction treatment centers that focus on the whole patient typically have the best track-records. But, there are cases when clients do not respond well to practices that work well for others. In turn, researchers are constantly on the lookout for novel approaches.

Alcohol and MDMA

Around the world, people abuse alcohol more than any other mind-altering substance. It makes sense. Think about it, alcohol is legal for adult consumption in the western world. The substance is pervasive and can be found with little effort and be purchased on the cheap. More people die from alcohol-related illnesses than any other drug. The longer one imbibes in unhealthy ways, the greater the risk of health complications. Increasing the effectiveness of accepted treatment methods can go a long way. And addressing trauma may be the answer.

A new clinical study is about to kick off in the United Kingdom involving heavy alcohol users and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, The Guardian reports. The latter of which you may know as MDMA, the main ingredient in the club drug ecstasy. All the study participants have not responded well to the more common form of addiction treatment, being chronic relapsers. The patients will be given nearly pure MDMA in conjunction with psychotherapy.

“We know that MDMA works really well in helping people who have suffered trauma and it helps to build empathy, said Ben Sessa, a clinical psychiatrist on the trial and senior research fellow at Imperial College London. “Many of my patients who are alcoholics have suffered some sort of trauma in their past and this plays a role in their addiction.” Sessa adds: “After 100 years of modern psychiatry our treatments are really poor. The chances of relapse for these patients are really high—90% at three years. No one has ever given MDMA to treat alcoholism before.”

Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

We will continue to follow this important story and the outcomes of the clinical study. There is much that is not understood about drugs with hallucinogenic properties. It’s possible that this study will shed some light on the subject.

At this juncture, however, the best opportunity of achieving long-term addiction recovery is go to a treatment facility that focuses on dual-diagnosis. Treating co-occurring disorders is possible. At 10 Acre Ranch, we are fully equipped to address your addiction and other mental health disorders. Please contact us today.