Cerebral oedema after MDMA ("ecstasy") and unrestricted water intake. Drug workers emphasise that water is not an antidote to drug.
BMJ September 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.313.7058.690 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key points | Argues that severe hyponatraemia should be corrected very slowly with low water input, even in dehydrated patients, and that unrestricted oral or intravenous water intake is inappropriate. The author agrees with modern intensive care principles and with other reports favouring this approach over the use of hypertonic saline. |
Abstract
The management of severe hyponatraemia remains controversial,4 5 especially the use of hypertonic saline as advocated in one of the other previous reports.'Modern intensive care principles advocate very slow correction of hyponatraemia with a low water input (even if the patient is dehydrated), so I agree with this and other reports' that it is unrestricted intake of oral or intravenous water that is inappropriate.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- A Comprehensive Review of MDMA and GHB: Two Common Club Drugs Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy December 1, 2001
- The harmful health effects of recreational ecstasy: a systematic review of observational evidence. Health technology assessment January 2009
- Altered states: the clinical effects of Ecstasy. Pharmacology & Therapeutics April 2003