Mixing MDMA and Alcohol: Side Effects
MDMA is a popular party drug (a Schedule I drug) that has been around for decades and is still popular today. It is most commonly used by people aged between 18 and 25.
Combination of MDMA and Alcohol
MDMA is often taken along with alcohol to keep the effects going on for a longer time. But the two substances can interact in dangerous ways in your body. MDMA starts to stimulate the brain within an hour and this effect typically lasts around 6 hours.
Alcohol can slow the removal of MDMA from the body. This keeps the sense of pleasure and peace stay in the system for more time. You might also end up drinking more alcohol if you’re taking MDMA. This puts you at a risk for alcohol poisoning, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate.
Mixing alcohol with MDMA means you might have an undesired reaction. Liver and kidneys play an important role in removing MDMA and alcohol from your body. When both of them are taken together, it only means that the organs get stressed out and must work harder to eliminate the chemicals from the body. The fact that both the substances stay longer in your system, can increase your chances of a bad reaction or overdose.
Using them together can cause liver and nervous system toxicity too. Both can cause toxicity to some of the major organs in the body. These include the heart and the brain. Combining these two stacks leads to serious adverse reactions and chances of organ damage, stroke, and also sudden death.
Symptoms of bad reaction after using MDMA and Alcohol together
- Sweating Profusely
- Cold or clammy skin
- Fainting
- Seizures
- High body temperature
- High blood pressure
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dehydration
- Disorientation
- Elevated heartbeat
Effects of MDMA
MDMA stimulates three important brain chemicals: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. This causes people to have feelings of euphoria, energy, psychedelic effects including feelings of emotional closeness, peacefulness, feelings of empathy, lowered inhibitions, acceptance along with other side effects.
Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant and effects the brain oppositely as compared to MDMA. Consumption of alcohol impairs thinking and judgement. Alcohol in large amounts is capable of increasing blood pressure and creating heart issues. These side effects worsen when alcohol is consumed along with MDMA.
Taking MDMA with alcohol can increase the risk of side effects, like elevated
- Heart rate
- Blood pressure
- Body temperature
- Dehydration (worsened by alcohol)
Taking both together can cause problems with movement and coordination. Doing normal and easy things like driving can therefore become difficult and unsafe for you. You may fail to accurately judge distances, for example.
Is this combination addictive?
Unfortunately, this combination is highly addictive because of the prolonged high and pleasure that the users experience with it. However, MDMA is always laced with other drugs, reactions of which are unknown to the users. Combination of alcohol with MDMA is especially dangerous as it could sometimes cause fatalities.
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