ECSTASY FACTS * General * Effects * Short Term Risks * Long Term Risks
HARM REDUCTION
STAY HYDRATED -
Avoiding extreme physical exertion and having the right amount of fluids shall help prevent dehydration if you are on MDMA. Drink no more than 1/2 liter of water or isotonic beverages per hour. If you’re engaging in a physically rigorous activity such as dancing, 1/2 liter should be just right. Remember, ecstasy users have died from not drinking enough water. But a few rare deaths have occurred from drinking too much as well.
PARTY SMART -
Staying hydrated is only one of the many ways to prevent harm while on MDMA. If you want to minimize your chances of heatstroke or hearing damage while at a rave or club, be sure to take breaks from dancing, do not stand close to the speakers all night, and avoid wearing too much clothes. Also consider some of the health and safety services at parties before deciding to attend – free water, coat check, good ventilation, cooling fans, chill rooms, fresh outdoor areas, onsite first aid. Remember to thank the promoters who offer these measures at their events. For the promoters who don’t, send them suggestions and remind them that you’re a paying patron.
LESS IS MORE -
The truth is that it is impossible to know the exact dosage one is taking with an illicit substance circulating in the blackmarket. Still, moderating your usage reduces a wide variety of dangers associated with MDMA, including dependence/addiction, depression, neurotoxicity, overdose, and serotonin syndrome. There is currently little data and few case studies on most of these risks. The easiest way to prevent uncertain long-term harm without abstaining is simply to take less pills and extend your intervals of use. Also, tolerance builds easily with regular MDMA use. Maximizing your dosages and taking more frequently will often decrease the quality of each individual experience.
LIVE HEALTHILY -
Many of the negative side effects of any drug can be reduced not just by moderating usage, but also by eating and resting properly. If you use MDMA, try not to let it interfere with your diet or sleep pattern. Refraining from food before, during, and/or after MDMA use means putting your body through long periods of hunger, and it will be up to you to decide whether a strong ecstasy experience is more important than proper nutrition. Planning your usage around open time frames can also allow you to have a fun night without missing out on hours or days of rest. Remember, if the rave ends late Saturday night and you have to go to school or work Monday morning, putting your mind and body through a Sunday schedule of all-day plans would probably not be a good idea. Obviously, this can be said even if you don’t take ecstasy.
© 2005
Feel free to email me at lesliu@gmail.com for questions or feedback.
Harm Reduction * Debunking Myths
Speaking to young activists from across the country on harm reduction drug education
At a national conference held by Students for Sensible Drug Policy
November 20, 2004, University of Maryland, College Park.
JUST SAY KNOW
- If a friend or dealer offers you a pill, and you intend to say yes, the least you should do is maximize your knowledge of what the pill contains. DanceSafe offers a variety of adulterant screening services to help you. The first is onsite testing at events where patrons have amnesty to approach a DanceSafe booth and have their pills screened. This field test only requires a small scraping of the tablet, and the testing chemicals can be purchased online if you want to be able to screen your own pills at home. Furthermore, you can send in a tablet anonymously to a DEA-licensed lab in Sacramento for a full screening of every known drug. The results are posted on EcstasyData.org, and you do not get the pill back. None of these services detect purity, strength, or specific dosage. They only guarantee the presence of certain chemicals. Having your pills tested while simultaneously checking updated results from EcstasyData.org is an extremely effective way of minimizing your chances of taking an adulterated tablet.
AVOID COMBINATIONS WITH MEDICATION -
As mentioned, some pharmaceutical drugs may produce unwanted interactions with MDMA. Either abstain from ecstasy entirely, or wait until you have been off your medication for weeks to months. At the very least, taking MDMA too close to your intake of other drugs may block the effects of ecstasy, thus wasting your money, spoiling your anticipation, and ruining a good time. At the worst, you could experience dangerous reactions to your drug combos and have a heart attack, go into a seizure, and die.
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