Depression From MDMA Use

A general concern about the use of MDMA, or ecstasy, as the substance is best known, is that it can trigger depression in some users. MDMA information provided by health care specialists shows that temporary episodes of depression can be experienced after using ecstasy, but prolonged periods of depression are less common, and they may be related to other factors that do not have anything in common with drug abuse.

Usual MDMA Effects

MDMA earned its reputation as the ‘love drug’ because of the intense pleasant feelings it can trigger in a user, which happens when the flow of natural antidepressant is intensified by the drug. However, the sudden increase of serotonin levels forces the body to use its entire reserve over a short duration of time. During the few hours of MDMA high, consumers experience extremely pleasant feelings, but it is actually all the work of the natural antidepressant that is running freely through the brain. However, the serotonin receptors inside the brain cannot work in overdrive for too long, and, to put it in human terms, they get exhausted. After a wild night on ecstasy, experiencing depression is something quite common, since MDMA effects include mild depression for the next couple of days after using the drug.

What Is Actually Happening

The human brain is made to function based on receptors that are used to a certain pattern. When serotonin, the natural antidepressant mentioned by MDMA information that is readily available, is released in large quantities, it does not enter in its natural process of feedback and it is not absorbed back. Once the serotonin is released, the brain will not replenish the reserve for a while. During this period, users of MDMA feel depressed, but, it does not take more than a few days for the body to reach its natural balance.

Why Some People Feel More Depressed Than Others After Using MDMA

While it seems that a final answer for this question has not been yet found, researchers offer MDMA information according to which other factors can influence the way someone feels after taking the drug and its pleasant effects have worn off. A healthy diet and lots of sleep seem to correct the temporary depression in occasional users. However, prolonged use of ecstasy seems to make the depression episodes longer, which means that the drug can have an impact on the brain on the long run. What is happening is that the body takes longer to regulate its natural antidepressant receptors to reach their normal levels, and depression is experienced for longer periods of time.

What About People That Already Have Depression

Users that already have experienced episodes of depression can actually be more affected by post use MDMA effects. While during the high, the emotional surge can be very pleasant for people with depression, the come down can be worse than in people without depression. Health care specialists do not recommend the use of MDMA as treatment for depression, as it can actually lead to worsening the condition.