Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy)-related hyperthermia.
Manish M Patel, Martin G Belson, Adam B Longwater, Kent R Olson, Michael A Miller
Journal of Emergency Medicine November 2005 DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2005.05.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Patients suffering fatal or life-threatening hyperthermia after MDMA use |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Hyperthermia associated with MDMA use occurred in six patients and could not be solely attributed to rave conditions, drug contaminants, or co-ingestants, indicating a direct drug effect. |
Abstract
MDMA (or 3, 4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) was first manufactured in the 1920s and found to have structural similarities to both mescaline and amphetamines. Used briefly by some therapists in the 1970s and early 1980s as an adjunct to psychotherapy, it is now primarily abused by teenagers and young adults as an illicit recreational drug known as "ecstasy." As its popularity has increased, so have the number of fatalities and adverse events related to its use. We report six patients suffering fatal or life-threatening hyperthermia after MDMA use. These cases illustrate that hyperthermia associated with MDMA use cannot be solely attributed to rave parties (high ambient temperatures, excessive dancing, dehydration, and overcrowded conditions), drug contaminants, or co-ingestants. A better understanding of the etiology of hyperthermia after MDMA use is needed so that appropriate harm-reduction measures can be developed and instituted.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy'. A report of five deaths associated with the use of MDEA and MDMA Individuals whose deaths were associated with MDMA or MDEA use | 1987 | Case series | n = 5 |
| Pathology of deaths associated with "ecstasy" and "eve" misuse. Young white men aged 20 to 25 who died after using ring-substituted amphetamines (MDMA... | 1996 | Case series | n = 7 |
| 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy' Individuals who died after using MDMA or MDEA | 1987 | Case series | n = 5 |
| A Method of Conducting Therapeutic Sessions with MDMA Clients with clear therapeutic purpose, excluding those with serious functional... | 1998 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Diversity of Psychopathology Associated with use of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’) Psychiatric patients presenting between 1990 and 1992 whose symptoms developed in the... | 1994 | Case series | n = 13 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Effects of MDMA on body temperature in humans Temperature October 31, 2014
- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in Psychiatry Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology October 10, 2018
- Deaths related to MDMA (ecstasy/molly): Prevalence, root causes, and harm reduction interventions Journal of Substance Use February 20, 2018
- Use characteristics and harm potential of ecstasy in The Netherlands Drugs Education Prevention and Policy September 10, 2020
- Caffeine and MDMA (ecstasy) exacerbate ER stress triggered by hyperthermia bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
and 8 more in the library
Cites 8
- The hyperthermic and neurotoxic effects of ‘Ecstasy’ (MDMA) and 3,4 methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) in the Dark Agouti (DA) rat, a model of the CYP2D6 poor metabolizer phenotype British Journal of Pharmacology August 1, 1995
- Cytochrome P450 2D6.1 and cytochrome P450 2D6.10 differ in catalytic activity for multiple substrates Pharmacogenetics August 1, 2001
- MDMA induced hyperthermia: a survivor with an initial body temperature of 42.9 degrees C. Emergency Medicine Journal September 1, 1997
- A Fatal Trip with Ecstasy: A Case of 3,4-Methylene-Dioxymethamphetamine/ 3,4-Methylenedioxy-Amphetamine Toxicity Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 1996
- Hyperthermia associated with 3,4‐methylenedioxyethamphetamine (‘Eve’) Anaesthesia June 1, 1993
and 3 more in the library