Ecstasy Withdrawal Symptoms: What to Expect and How to Cope

If you use ecstasy, you might experience physical and mental symptoms when you attempt to cut down on the amount you use or stop altogether. This is known as ecstasy withdrawal. The symptoms range from mild to severe. Ecstasy withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and can be dangerous in some cases. That’s why trusting your recovery to the professionals at a treatment center is a great idea.

What Is Ecstasy?

Ecstasy is a street name for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). It also goes by many other street names, including Molly. MDMA is a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs in the U.S. are substances that pose a high potential for abuse and for which there is currently no accepted medical use.

By the 1980s, ecstasy had emerged as one of the most widely used recreational drugs in the United States. That popularity continues today not only in the U.S. but throughout the world. How dangerous ecstasy is remains a heated debate, with some experts asserting that just a single dose can cause irreparable damage.

Ecstasy acts both as a stimulant and a psychedelic. Stimulants speed up the rate at which messages travel between the body and the brain. This can make a person feel more energetic, awake, alert, and confident. Psychedelics, also called hallucinogens, alter a person’s cognitive processes and sense of time. Many who use this drug do so for greater energy, enhanced tactile experiences, and reduced inhibitions.

Risks of Ecstasy Use

The use of ecstasy increases heart rate and blood pressure. While these are ancillary to the desired effects, they can lead to serious problems in people with preexisting conditions and those who take too much. There can also be unwanted physical effects, the severity of which can range from one person to the next. These include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Tremors
• Blurred vision
• Lightheadedness
• Chills and sweating
• Muscle tension and cramps
• Involuntary teeth clenching

Ecstasy is potentially addictive. While not everyone who uses ecstasy will develop a substance use disorder, such disorders can be severe. There is also mounting evidence that chronic MDMA use can damage the serotonin system. The irony here is that people taking ecstasy to enhance pleasure may actually hamper their long-term ability to experience pleasure.

Another significant risk with ecstasy use is that ecstasy is not necessarily pure MDMA. Researchers have found caffeine, cathinone, cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine, and other drugs mixed into street supplies of ecstasy. There are also more dangerous drugs, such as MDA and PMA, which are sold on the street as ecstasy.

MDMA Addiction

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) recognizes that ecstasy is potentially addictive but that more research will be required to understand the addictive qualities fully. The NIH does state that in animal testing, subjects will self-administer the drug, which is a notable indicator of addictive potential.

Some people who use MDMA report symptoms associated with substance use disorders. That includes tolerance, which is the need to take an increasingly larger dose to experience the same desired effects. Another is continued use despite negative consequences. People who take MDMA may crave it after not having it for a while, and that period may continue to shorten. Cravings often develop into more serious withdrawal side effects with time.

Ecstasy Withdrawal

The effects of ecstasy typically last between four and six hours. A person may experience withdrawal-like symptoms directly or sometime after that period, and those can last upward of a week in some people. As tolerance grows, a person can experience a wider array of symptoms; some or all symptoms may become more severe, and the time between the use of the drug and the onset of withdrawal-like symptoms may decrease.

What Is Withdrawal?

Withdrawal occurs when a person who has developed a substance use disorder suddenly ceases taking the substance. A person can also experience withdrawal if they continue to take the substance but abruptly lower their dosage below what their body is accustomed to.

Withdrawal consists of a combination of mental and physical symptoms. The symptoms that a person experiences will generally broaden and intensify as the withdrawal peaks. Withdrawal varies between individuals. Other significant factors that influence withdrawal include the substance used, the dosages taken, and how long the person has been using the drug. Withdrawal is unpleasant. Those who do it without professional medical supervision are risking potentially deadly side effects.

Symptoms of Withdrawal

The core symptoms of MDMA withdrawal can vary in severity and may include the following:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Trouble concentrating

Those in withdrawal may also experience symptoms associated with short-term use. These include:

• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Muscle aches
• Sleep disturbances