Can microdosing MDMA be effective?

Microdosing with psychedelics like magic mushrooms, DMT and LSD is popular. But what about micro-dosing MDMA? 

And It’s certainly not as popular as microdosing LSD or shrooms, but there is a growing number of people who are giving it a go.

That being said, the effects of microdosing MDMA are much less understood than the effects of microdosing other psychedelics.

This article is going to talk about whether or not microdosing MDMA is a good idea for you (probably not) and what you should do if you choose to microdose MDMA. 

Quick Summary

Microdosing is when you take doses of substances that are much smaller than regular doses. Microdosing classic psychedelic like LSD and shrooms has been found to be mostly safe,  and might even be useful in improving mental health.

However, more studies need to be done on MDMA when it comes to microdosing. MDMA is not like classic psychedelics; it’s an amphetamine, a stimulant, and will be doing very different things to your body than a tab of LSD.

No in-depth studies have been done on microdosing MDMA.

While there are studies out there that research the effects of microdosing psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, there are none that look at the effects of microdosing MDMA. 

A microdose of is typically considered to be one-tenth to one-twentieth of a recreational dose of a substance.

A recreational dose of MDMA is typically around ~100mg which means a microdose of MDMA would be around ~10mg. 

There haven’t been studies done on the effects of doses of MDMA at this level. Previous studies have looked at the effects of low doses of MDMA, such as doses of 50mg or 40mg of MDMA. However, while these amounts are lower than typical dosages, they are not considered microdoses.

Has there been research done on MDMA? 

While there hasn’t been much, if any, research done on microdosing MDMA, there has been a lot of research conducted on MDMA itself. Specifically, research and studies done with larger doses of MDMA. 

These studies with larger doses might not be able to tell us exactly what happens if you microdose MDMA but they can help us make an educated guess.

Is MDMA safe for use in humans?

To put it simply, in controlled and supervised settings, MDMA has been found to be a safe as well as effective therapeutic tool to help treat certain mental illnesses in combination with therapy. 

Because of its entactogenic properties, MDMA is particularly helpful for treating patients who are experiencing psychological trauma such as PTSD. It can create a safe and supportive environment in which people can work through difficult emotions. It allows patients to openly address trauma and talk about it with a therapist, without feeling the trauma.

However, this is all done in controlled and supervised settings, which is different compared to recreational use of MDMA.  

The effects of MDMA on the brain are still not well understood. Some studies have suggested that it can have potentially harmful effects on the brain while others have found that it can be safe and effective. More research is needed to fully understand the potential risks and benefits of MDMA.

MDMA is a monoamine releaser and uptake inhibitor affecting serotonin, potentially increasing the risk of serotonin syndrome. However, no instances of serotonin syndrome have occurred in clinical trials. 

It’s worth noting that many of the studies done that show the neurotoxic effects of MDMA were on mice, not humans. Human studies on the neurotoxicity of MDMA are very limited for safety and liability issues. 

Can you treat mental health issues by microdosing MDMA?

Several studies have shown that taking moderate amounts of MDMA in a therapeutic setting may improve mental health and personal relationships. The Food and Drug Administration has approved clinical trials for this use.

However, these trials and studies were not done with microdoses which means it’s not clear if microdosing MDMA would have the same benefits. 

It’s worth noting that MDMA’s potential use in therapy and treating mental health issues has been shown to be promising. It can potentially help those suffering from social anxiety, alcohol addiction, relationship problems and even PTSD. 

Can you abuse MDMA?

There is potential for MDMA to be abused and many people do abuse it. While psychedelics are known to have less potential for abuse than other drugs, this isn’t the case with MDMA.

The reason for this is that taking MDMA affects serotonin,  norepinephrine and dopamine, the reward chemical of your brain. Taking MDMA, even microdosing it, might cause users to eventually abuse it because of the dopamine response you get when you take it. 

Microdosing MDMA Experiences 

Reports from Reddit and Erowid are mixed at best: 

“I microdose very successfully on MDMA. I do it about once a week, sometimes a bit more, every four to five days. I take very, very tiny eyeballed doses, maybe milligrams, if I were to guess. It’s extraordinary; I’ve been doing it for years.”

“I tried microdosing with MDMA twice a week at 25mg for two-and-a-half weeks, wouldn’t recommend it at all. Even with vitamin supplements you will struggle to feel “normal,” sleep gets disrupted, mood disorders can be badly affected.”

"I have allot of mental health problems, and started microdsoing mushrooms a few months ago, with no positive effects really. I'm at a point where I'm at my lowest ever, nothing feels real and just functioning feels impossible. I'm never present. I took a really low dose of MDMA last week for the first time, I wasn't tripping or anything, it just made me feel like myself if I wasn't mentally ill. I was able to go out, meet people, socialise."

"The small dose may have helped clear an emotional block. Or maybe it was just time. I never felt perception particularly enhanced, or any cuddly or energetic desires, just a bit of light focus. I began feeling tired in the early evening, had a few more drinks and slept through the night, so it seems the stimulant effect did not last long."

Is Microdosing MDMA safe?

There isn't enough data to say definitely, but it's probably not a great idea. 

First, research indicates that MDMA can cause tolerance to develop in regular users, meaning that higher doses must be ingested overtime. Frequent use can lead to diminishing effects. 

Second, sustained / frequent use seems to be damaging to the body. 

One study looked at 29 recreational users of ecstasy / molly, who took high doses more than twice a week. The study found that 28% of people suffered from defects in their heart valves, which could lead to serious heart problems. None of the control subjects had similar defects.

MDMA seems to be toxic at frequent high doses because of its effects on a specific receptor in the heart. The heart has high concentrations of the 5HT2B receptor, and when these are activated by MDMA, it sets in motion a signaling pathway that can cause defects in the heart valves if kept activated for too long. 

Although studies of MDMA’s toxicity have only looked at frequent, high-dose use of the drug, we still can’t be sure if microdosing MDMA is safe. 

It’s best to assume that any sustained / frequent long-term activation of the 5HT2B receptors on the heart can have health risks. MDMA is one of the strongest activators of the 5HT2B receptor, so it could still be having a big effect at low doses.

Infrequent usage is generally advised for MDMA

3 months is generally cited as the suggested time for allowing your brain to recover after MDMA. MDMA seems to be relatively safe when used in reasonable doses (under 200 mgs in a night) and at reasonable frequency (3-4 times per year). Using less than monthly gives your brain (especially serotonin levels) and body time to recover and return to baseline.

The origin of the three month rule is a quote from Ann Shulgin, widow of chemist Alexander Shulgin: “Now I would advise anyone who wants to use MDMA not to take it more than 4 times a year if you want to continue to get the best effects from it, otherwise you risk losing its effects entirely and permanently.”

In MDMA-assisted therapy, MDMA is only administered a few times, unlike most medications for mental illnesses which are often taken daily for years, and sometimes forever.

How can you reduce the risks of microdosing MDMA?

If you are going to try with microdosing MDMA, you should be cautious and try your best to minimise the risk when you take MDMA.

Remmember it's still unclear if microdosing MDMA regularly is safe in the long-term.

Reduce the risk when microdosing MDMA, by doing the following: 

• Start off with very low doses of MDMA.  

Since you’re microdosing, this should be the case to begin with. Start off with something like a twentieth of the regular dosage of MDMA and see if you benefit from it or not. If not, then only then should you slowly increase your dosage.

• Regulate your MDMA dosages.  

You need to be strict with yourself and regulate how much MDMA you’re taking. This is because you can build up a tolerance if you use it too frequently. That means you’ll need higher and higher doses of it the more you use it. 

• Stay in control while you’re taking MDMA. 

This is one of the benefits of microdosing MDMA; It’s much easier for you to be aware and control yourself when you microdose MDMA. If you feel any negative effects, change your dosage or regime and if the negative effects persist, stop taking MDMA altogether.

• Remember to test your batch of MDMA. 

A big problem with MDMA (and any synthetic street drug) is that sellers often sell bad or contaminated batches of MDMA,  or just try to scam you by giving you other drugs that aren’t MDMA. There are MDMA testing kits available for sale out there and are definitely worth the investment.

• Take neuroprotective supplements

Be mindful that supplements help, but they are not a license to be careless. 

For more information on how to be more safe with MDMA usage, check out Roll Safe, an invaluable free resource. 

FAQs

• Are MDMA and MDA the same thing?

No, MDMA and MDA are not the same thing. 

• Is MDMA illegal? 

Yes. In most places around the world, MDMA is an illegal substance.

Final Thoughts

MDMA can be well tolerated with infrequent use, and therapeutic for people facing mental health issues but for now, there isn't any data on microdosing MDMA.

Despite some reports of beneficial effects from microdosing MDMA, we don’t recommend it.  The threshold dose for MDMA is around 50mg, and under that there's no real effect. In fact, regular sustained dosing is probably not a great idea. There are just too many unknowns and question marks around neurotoxicity and dangers to the heart.

A therapeutic dose in a comfortable surrounding and with appropriate support, is still the safest and most effective way of benefiting from MDMA / ecstasy. 

If you do decide to try it for yourself, follow the safety tips above.