UNLABELLED: MDMA induces positive mood and increases impulse control during intoxication, but only a few studies on the neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying these processes have been conducted. It was hypothesized that pretreatment with 5-HT(1) and 5-HT(2) receptor blockers would prevent MDMA effects on mood and impulsivity. Subjects (N = 17) participated in a double-blind, placebo...
3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) induces both acute adverse effects and long‐term neurotoxic loss of brain 5‐HT neurones in laboratory animals. However, when choosing doses, most preclinical studies have paid little attention to the pharmacokinetics of the drug in humans or animals. The recreational use of MDMA and current clinical investigations of the drug for therapeutic purposes...
The past decade has seen the development of an array of emerging psychoactive substances (EPS), however, there is minimal information on the extent of their use outside Europe. This study aimed to determine the extent of use of EPS from stimulant (such as mephedrone) and psychedelic classes (such as 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine [5-MeO-DMT]) among an Australian sample of regular ecstasy users...
INTRODUCTION: Functional imaging studies of addiction following protracted abstinence have not been systematically conducted to look at the associations between severity of use of different drugs and brain dysfunction. Findings from such studies may be relevant to implement specific interventions for treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the association between resting-state regional...
Objective To describe patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) among Danish 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (“Ecstasy”) and hallucinogen users. Methods A cross‐sectional survey of 98 active MDMA and/or hallucinogen users recruited through homepage advertisements, flyers, and word of mouth in Denmark. Lifetime and recent substance use and SPU at last recalled use was described...
BACKGROUND Reports from US, UK and European drug policy entities, and ongoing media accounts, show increasing recreational use of 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC, mephedrone) and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Severe sympathomimetic symptoms, hallucinations, psychoses, and even deaths have been reported, yet little scientific information is available on the effects of these compounds in...
Ecstasy, or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), is a drug of abuse with a wide range of toxicity affecting the brain, heart, and liver. Renal toxicity of MDMA is due either to acute kidney injury (e.g., non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis) or to water and electrolyte imbalance (i.e., hyponatremia). Although syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone has been recognized as a...
Ecstasy is a popular drug among young adults. It is often thought to be safe. The dose of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in a tablet of Ecstasy varies greatly, and there is also a difference in individual response to a dose of MDMA. To increase the awareness of potential mortality in MDMA use. We report the case of a patient with a lethal intoxication after pure MDMA intoxication. The...
Concomitant consumption of caffeine with recreational psychostimulant drugs of abuse can provoke severe acute adverse reactions in addition to longer term consequences. The mechanisms by which caffeine increases the toxicity of psychostimulants include changes in body temperature regulation, cardiotoxicity and lowering of the seizure threshold. Caffeine also influences the stimulatory,...
Twelve patients with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) toxicity from a single rave event presented to multiple San Francisco Bay area hospitals with various life-threatening complications including seizures and hyperthermia. Eight required emergent endotracheal intubation and six had hypotension. Hyperkalemia, acute kidney injury, and rhabdomyolysis were present in most of the patients....
Abstract Introduction and Aims. Simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) is a common phenomenon, yet little is known about its role in substance use initiation. Design and Methods. In the present study, 226 cannabis users completed structured interviews about their substance use history. For each substance ever used, participants provided details of their age of first use, their use in the...
UNLABELLED: This study assessed the effects of the serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) transporter inhibitor duloxetine on the effects of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) in vitro and in 16 healthy subjects. The clinical study used a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, four-session, crossover design. In vitro, duloxetine blocked the release of both 5-HT and NE...
Background Research has raised significant concern regarding the affective consequences of synthetic drug use. However, little evidence from well-controlled longitudinal studies exists on these consequences. The aim of this study was to determine whether use of meth/amphetamine (speed) and ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is independently predictive of subsequent depressive...
Most studies on the subjective effects of ecstasy are based on the assumption that the substance that was taken is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). However, many tablets sold as ecstasy contain other substances and MDMA in varying doses. So far, few attempts have been made to take this into account while assessing subjective effects. This study aims to link the pharmacological content...
A recent DEA report and ongoing media accounts show increasing recreational use of 4‐methylmethcathinone (4‐MMC, mephedrone) and 3,4‐methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Some severe sympathomimetic symptoms, hallucinations, psychoses, and even deaths have been reported. Recent studies showed that 4‐MMC and MDPV enhanced DA neurotransmission, while 4‐MMC also increased 5‐HT neurotransmission, much...
The abuse of MDMA (Ecstasy) peaked in the early 2000s, yet reports of MDMA use from emergency room admission data continue to increase. The potential for cardiovascular effects of MDMA to contribute to its acute toxicity has long been recognized. However, the role of MDMA metabolites in mediating the drug's cardiovascular actions has not been studied. Here we employed radiotelemetry to evaluate...
The drug 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) has been shown to increase feelings of closeness and empathy in humans. Despite evidence of MDMA‐induced neurotoxicity, these unusual pro‐social effects have continued to generate interest in the drug's therapeutic potential. Therefore, determining the mechanisms by which MDMA engenders these effects may allow for the development of...
The neuropharmacology of the sleep and arousal systems involves a complex interplay between multiple neurotransmitter systems. Previous work has downplayed the role of dopamine in sleep and wakefulness, at least in part, because dopamine neurons do not appear to change their firing rates across arousal states. In the present study, we examined the wake promoting effects of amphetamine and...
In this issue of the BJP , Green et al . suggest that animal data could not be used to predict the adverse effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in humans and that MDMA did not produce 5‐HT neurotoxicity in the human brain. This proposal was, however, not accompanied by a review of the empirical evidence in humans. The neuroimaging data on 5‐HT markers in abstinent recreational...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The use of ±3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) is associated with cardiovascular complications and hyperthermia. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We assessed the effects of the α 1 ‐ and β‐adrenoceptor antagonist carvedilol on the cardiostimulant, thermogenic and subjective responses to MDMA in 16 healthy subjects. Carvedilol (50 mg) or placebo was administered 1 h...