Author: John Carter

Ecstasy Withdrawal and Detox: Symptoms and Timeline

Recovering from ecstasy addiction can be challenging, but there are ways to make this process easier. Along with treatment, lifestyle adjustments and self-care can ease the symptoms while transitioning to a new life. Dialectical-behavior therapy is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on mindfulness, how to live in the moment, how to cope with stress, and how to improve relationships. DBT also helps clients identify negative influences in their lives and learn how to develop healthy coping skills. Standard outpatient programs are suited to individuals who have just completed an inpatient program and want to continue some form of therapy. Standard outpatient is also ideal for people who may be juggling other responsibilities such as work or school.

For ecstasy, this extended period can be due to underlying mental health conditions, especially if the individual has anxiety and/or depression. Short-term inpatient centers typically start with medical detox and are followed by a program of addiction treatment such as therapy or counseling for 30 to 90 days. These programs range from basic inpatient to luxury options, all varying in terms of their amenities and types of therapy.

Short-Term Inpatient (Residential)

While there are no specific treatments for ecstasy addiction, the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective option. This type of intervention helps change how people think and behave in order to support addiction recovery. CBT also teaches people coping skills so people can better manage the stress that contributes to substance use. During rehab, centers and clinics will provide a range of treatments such as medications, counseling, and behavioral therapies.

1. When MDMA is actually in the mixture, there are often other drugs mixed in as well.
2. The half-life of MDMA is about 6-10 hours, meaning half of a dose is broken down by the body in that amount of time.
3. Entering medical detox will ensure that a team of clinicians can monitor for and prevent permanent damage to the kidneys, heart and liver.
4. Ecstasy directly affects your brain’s levels of serotonin (mood), dopamine (energy), and norepinephrine (heart rate).
5. Educate yourself and your friends about the safety tips for ecstasy use to reduce unwanted health problems.

This will stop you from getting dehydrated and possibly fainting or feeling lightheaded. When you take ecstasy, the drug increases the way your brain chemicals work. For street use, ecstasy is made illegally in labs with many ingredients, including isosafrole, amphetamine, and caffeine. Note that if a drug is sold as “ecstasy,” it still may not have any MDMA at all. It was first made by German scientists in 1912, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that it became widely available on the streets. It can be used by people to increase a feeling of alertness and experience longer periods of happiness and may also enhance emotional and sexual relationships.

How Does Ecstasy Affect the Brain?

The safest way to detox from Molly is to get in touch with addiction medicine professionals and enter a medical detox program. While withdrawal from MDMA is generally not life-threatening, it can affect many organ systems and cause potential harm. Entering medical detox will ensure that a team of clinicians can monitor for and prevent permanent damage to the kidneys, heart and liver. Ecstasy, also known as Molly, MDMA, E, X and Adam, can cause unpredictable withdrawal symptoms because it is often mixed with other addictive drugs. People who become addicted to Ecstasy will experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop using the drug. These facilities usually provide 24-hour medical support and are often led by a team of counselors, clinicians, and doctors.

In most cases, the therapist provides incentives to the patient in exchange for ongoing abstinence and acceptance of treatment. This requires an individual to stop taking ecstasy, and this is best done through medically supervised detox. The half-life of MDMA is about 6-10 hours, meaning half of a dose is broken down by the body in that amount of time. Because it takes five half-lives to completely remove MDMA from the system, most people need about hours or around two days. Dosage plays a small role in the severity of withdrawal symptoms because, generally, if someone is addicted to MDMA, they are not taking small doses. People with heart problems can be at risk when using ecstasy and especially when taken in high doses.

An earlier version of ecstasy, MDMA became popular as a recreational drug during the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, MDMA became fashionable as a party drug in the nightclub and rave scene and its use grew among college students, “yuppies,” and in the gay community. It is important to note, however, that this research is still in the early stages. More research is needed to fully understand the effectiveness of medical MDMA. The medical use of MDMA is highly regulated and only administered by healthcare professionals in regulated settings.

Ecstasy Therapy Options

It’s important to know that the effects of ecstasy will be different from person to person. Your health, weight, the amount you’ve taken, and other drugs used with ecstasy can all play a role. These differences can cause a person to react differently to the effects of ecstasy when on the drug and coming down from it.

People have reported experiencing withdrawal symptoms like fatigue and loss of concentration. After a week following moderate use of ecstasy, people can experience depression, irritability, anxiety, and problems with sleeping. Ecstasy should not be taken with other substances like alcohol, cocaine, or marijuana due to its raised risk of health effects. Melatonin is a natural hormone that is produced in the brain and is responsible for setting the body’s sleep-wake cycle. As ecstasy withdrawal causes sleep disruption, this supplement can help ensure that clients are able to get adequate and sustained sleep. There are currently no specific medications for treating ecstasy addiction.

Ecstasy causes intense euphoria followed by a crash for several days because it depletes neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Uncomfortable symptoms of a crash then fuel craving because a person wants to stop the negative symptoms. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts while using ecstasy, call or text 988 (the national suicide hotline). Do your research, educate yourself, and reach out to local or virtual organizations that can provide support with addiction. This could mean cutting a tablet into quarters and only taking one at a time. Before and during your time on ecstasy, drink one 16-ounce bottle of water for every hour that passes while on the drug.

Below are some of the more effective therapy options for ecstasy addiction. Drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine may be mixed into Ecstasy and have a higher potential for addiction and harm than MDMA alone. Mixtures of multiple stimulants will cause more damage to the heart, kidneys, liver and other organs than the stimulants by themselves. Someone addicted to multiple drugs will also experience longer and more severe withdrawal symptoms, depending on the combination. For individuals who are seeking intensive treatment but still prefer to live at home, partial hospitalization (PHP) or day treatment programs are also available. PHP typically consists of hospital treatment 5 to 7 days a week for 4 to 8 hours per day.

Depending on the level of addiction, withdrawal symptoms may begin immediately after stopping Ecstasy or a few days later. People with very severe addictions need to keep using the drug just to prevent withdrawal. More frequent usage will prolong withdrawal symptoms, sometimes from just a few days to up to a week. When it comes to the amount of MDMA in a tablet of ecstasy, you never know how much or how little of the drug there is and how you will react to it. If you do use it, take precautions to avoid any accidents such as an overdose. Elevated levels of serotonin and dopamine also play a role in a drug being addictive due to an increase in impulsivity.

As the effects begin to fade, people often take another dose of ecstasy to double the time it lasts. Gay, lesbian, or bisexual people are more likely to have used ecstasy within the last 30 days. Meditation can also stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain and improve cognitive function. Additionally, research has shown that meditation can be useful for easing tension and calming the nervous system.

Participants who continue to abstain receive rewards such as prize draws for money or in-demand objects. Through guided therapy, patients learn about issues connected to addiction and relapse. These sessions are designed to promote self-esteem and self-worth while the patient and therapist work together to reinforce positive behavioral changes. PHP also involves counseling and group therapy as well as specialized services that focus on skill-building, relapse prevention, and employment assistance. For a few years, in an attempt to circumvent the law, different versions of ecstasy were synthesized, which was the basis of the designer drugs movement. This production was eventually outlawed but re-emerged as a problem around the year 2000 with the popularity of homemade crystal meth.