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 The Lycaeum Forums » Psychedelics & Non Visionary Related » Visionary Chemicals (Moderator: 2a)Topic:
 The harmful health effects of recreational ecstasy: a systematic review of obse

[pylkko]

Executive summary of HTA journal title

Health Technol Assess 2009;13(6):1–338
The harmful health effects of recreational ecstasy: a systematic review of observational evidence

http://www.ncchta.org/execsumm/summ1306.shtml

[spencer wallace]

However, there are substantial shortcomings in the methodological quality of the studies analysed. Because none of the studies was blinded, observer or measurement bias may account for some of the apparent effect. There is a suggestion of publication bias in some analyses, and we saw clear evidence of selective reporting of outcomes.

Well ain't that the story of mainstream non-patented-psychotropic-drug research in general.

[3lbs]

i'd be curious to read the statistics on what drugs they tested for in their blood for the serious damage/death cases. Also, what levels of mdma?

[pylkko]

i'd be curious to read the statistics on what drugs they tested for in their blood for the serious damage/death cases. Also, what levels of mdma?

Who? Which one? What are you talking about? If you're not gonna read it, why comment?!?

EDIT: didn't mean read the entire thing... just take a look.

[fat bunnies]

The neurotoxic effects of MDMA are easily negated with the use of antioxidants, it'd link the article on erowid but I'm feeling a tad lazy right now. Also lets not forgot that alcohol is a neurotoxin and people have been getting shit faced for thousands of years.

[whateveryouwantmetobe]

Yes fat rabbit there is a nice compilation of evidence now showing that toxic MDMA metabolites can be neutralized through antioxidants.  However there are still some bad effects which I believe the majority of the MDMA-using population has yet to fully address in terms of finding ways to prevent them.  It seems a lot of people are caught up in the "toxic metabolite" debate, but I don't see that as being the biggest problem this stuff causes. 

The first is the immediate effect on 5-HT receptors and finding ways to get one's serotonin system back to normal function as fast as possible to prevent depressive episodes.  Obviously using 5-HTP is the primary pharmacological treatment people are looking towards to restore the 5-HT levels themselves, but the receptors also play a role (less at the cell surface) and therein lies a potential opportunity to treat other post-MDMA unwanted effects.  As of right now, unfortunately, I think sleep and a high quality diet are probably the best way to get your receptors back to full expression levels as this is the time your body does most of its repair work.  Who knows though maybe someone will find a novel way to upregulate receptor expression short-term and fix this.

The second is in terms of possible catabolic effects on muscle as well as short-term loss of muscular endurance.  Catecholamines are catabolic (they degrade) muscle and although I don't think any specific science exists to show it, MDMA is likely no exception.  However I'm sure many have noticed that a long night of MDMA use never helps their efforts to exercise in the next few days, and usually makes it harder in general.  Whether this is due to actual muscle deterioration (catabolism) or dysfunction in motor circuits that results from the stress MDMA puts on your CNS in general I have no idea.  But again therein lies the opportunity.  Obviously the best way to negate this is to force yourself into the gym or whatever exercise venue you prefer and just duke it out with a tuff mentality.  However there are other ways you can assist yourself.  One less discussed option would be through the use of muscular endurance-enhancing supplements such as beta-alanine and creatine to help you out in days following MDMA use. 

A third and final one is related to memory.  MDMA abuse and even semi-frequent use can slow you down to a halt.  I debate to myself whether this would be from neurotoxicity or other things such as the sheer stress MDMA puts on your brain by putting it into such an altered, unnatural state.  Does the stress result in loss of synaptic plasticity, and corresponding loss of memories?  Or even loss of your ability to have effective synaptic plastical (I may have just invented a new word, or fucked that up completely) function in days following use because the system components (proteins involved in short/long-term potentiation) are out of whack or have lost the ability to function properly (in the short-term)?  Well I'm not sure exactly, but for the third time therein lies the opportunity to do something to negate these effects.  Piracetam is particularly helpful for this as well as other cognition-boosters, assuming they are effective and actually help memory functions work better.  Vinpocetine for enhanced CNS blood flow (da raz does this too I think). 

[fat bunnies]

You raise some interesting questions. I suppose the most practical solution is to use moderation in all things.

[whateveryouwantmetobe]

Well part of the problem is that moderate use of a powerful substance like MDMA will cause these problems very readily.  My opinion is that one night of moderate-heavy use after a period of abstinence is enough to set you back in the gym (or whatever exercise activity you do most) at least a little, as in, it will be 2 or 3 workouts & days before you are back to 100%.   A problem exists in that a lot of X users don't like to exercise as it is, and to really see its effects you need to be keeping track of your progress for a long enough time such that if you do something one weekend, you can tell if it effects your performance shortly thereafter.  Therefore you also need to be willing to both do X and exercise very frequently (even less do this) to really get a grip on it.

It's quite an interesting subject though due to the breadth of problems MDMA can cause.  And a lot of people are garnering interest in it, both in and out of academia (especially the users who practice "harm reduction").  Bluelight.ru seems to be the most common place for discussion of this, but even there they are a little over-obsessed with antioxidants and most posters probably haven't given thought to much else outside of restoring serotonin levels with 5-HTP.  Exercise is a common suggestion for ways to help yourself recover from MDMA use, but most people probably couldn't tell you why it would truly be helpful.

[pylkko]

Alot of people that work out drink heavily on the weekends, and that will set them back as much or, most likely, more. Naturally a very high level athletic lifestyle is, at least to some extent, incompatible with any substance use.

[3lbs]

i'd be curious to read the statistics on what drugs they tested for in their blood for the serious damage/death cases. Also, what levels of mdma?

Who? Which one? What are you talking about? If you're not gonna read it, why comment?!?

uh, I dunno, I'm retarded? I wanted to clog up this thread? of course I read it. I would be curious to read this further information, that is not presented in the article. I was showing my skepticism. Try this on:

It makes me wonder, "Are these subjects having these adverse reactions to an appropriate dose of MDMA"?

[pylkko]

What subjects?

[2a]

additional to memory problems found after MDMA use, animal studies show a long-term increase in anxiety-behavior after a single administration of MDMA even at low doses.