Contrary data point to encourage caution with MDMA:
MDMA can reset your dopamine baseline much lower. That is, after you come down, you may feel depressed, and it may be hard to climb out of that depression for a while.
I think you mean serotonin. MDMA causes greater release of serotonin and norepinephrine than of dopamine, and dopamine resets to baseline much faster than serotonin.
> MDMA-exposed primates showed reduced numbers of serotonergic neurons 7 years later, indicating that some of MDMA’s effect on the brain can be long lasting.
> Low serotonin is associated with poor memory and depressed mood, thus these findings are consistent with studies in humans that have shown that some people who use MDMA regularly experience confusion, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and impairment of memory and attention processes. In addition, studies have found that the extent of MDMA use in humans correlates with a decrease in serotonin metabolites and other markers of serotonin function and the degree of memory impairment.
While doing MDMA in excess is a bad idea, it's worth noting that these studies have a lot of potential confounders.
One example is that PTSD also causes "confusion, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and impairment of memory and attention processes." And it's likely that some people with PTSD are self-medicating with MDMA.
> While doing MDMA in excess is a bad idea, it's worth noting that these studies have a lot of potential confounders.
>
> One example is that PTSD also causes "confusion, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and impairment of memory and attention processes." And it's likely that some people with PTSD are self-medicating with MDMA.
The longer-term effects of MDMA are actually fairly well-established, in part because the mechanism of action is known and the relevant effects can be directly measured. It's not just a matter of symptomatic evaluation.
While I think parent confused dopamine and serotonin, I'd echo this sentiment. In the rave community terms like "blue Monday" or the grimmer "suicide Tuesday" are there for a reason. Many people have a week or even more of 'depression', which thankfully seems transitory for most (although we all know depression can lead to negative feedback loops).
And while caution is definitely needed, the research is mind-blowing. Veterans who have seen and done horrible things find relief in MDMA therapy (in a proper clinic) when nothing else has worked. Powerful stuff, not just a party drug.
Drug companies said that about ketamine, and then they realised they couldn't make much money from ketamine infusions, so they tweaked ketamine to get eskatamine and turned it into a nasal spray. That's patentable and it gives them more money.
The results are pretty poor though.
SSRIs had mind-blowing research, but that was based on very carefully selected test subjects. As soon as it got rolled out to the general population the efficacy drops pretty alarmingly. Some people don't get much benefit from them (SSRIs are a useful, life-saving medication. I am not saying these meds are useless for everyone). See also SNRIs, exercise, etc etc.
MDMA can reset your dopamine baseline much lower. That is, after you come down, you may feel depressed, and it may be hard to climb out of that depression for a while.
Use caution please.