That shit is gorgeous man. Genuinely, when the euphoria hit me, I broke down crying. Like TEARS. I expected to be like...MANIC. I expected to be jumping off the walls and screaming that I could do anything. Nope. It's gentle.
MDMA
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 6 corroborating sources
- 3 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 29 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki)
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 6 corroborating sources
- 3 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 29 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki)
Aliases: E, X, Md, Xtc, Emma, molly, ecstasy, adam, mandy
Summary
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (also known as ecstasy, E, XTC, emma, molly, mandy, pingers, and MDMA) is a classical entactogen substance of the amphetamine class. It is the most well-known and widely-used member of the entactogens, a diverse group that includes MDA, methylone, 4-MMC, and 6-APB. It produces its effects by promoting the release of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the brain, particularly serotonin.
Perspectives
“Empathogens are alright. I can see immense therapeutic value, but as far as recreation goes, I think they make me too sappy to do well with other people around.”
“MDMA intrigued me because everyone I asked, who had used it, answered the question, ‘What’s it like?’ in the same way: ‘I don’t know.’ ‘What happened?’ ‘Nothing.’ And now I understand those answers. I too think nothing happened. But something seemed changed. Before the ‘window’ opened completely, I had some somatic effects, a tingling sensation in the fingers and temples—a pleasant sensation, not distracting. However, just after that there was a slight nausea and dizziness similar to a little too much alcohol. All these details disappeared as I walked outside. My mood was light, happy, but with an underlying conviction that something significant was about to happen. There was a change in perspective both in the near visual field and in the distance. My usually poor vision was sharpened. I saw details in the distance that I could not normally see. After the peak experience had passed, my major state was one of deep relaxation. I felt that I could talk about deep or personal subjects with special clarity, and I experienced some of the feeling one has after the second martini, that one is discoursing brilliantly and with particularly acute analytical powers.”
“MDMA is not a drug to trifle with, and requires sensible consideration, including with respect to aftercare.”
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral BA ~70% | 20-80mg | 80-120mg | 120-150mg | 150mg+ |
| Insufflated | 30-70mg | 70-120mg | 120-165mg | 165mg+ |
| Rectal | 30-70mg | 70-120mg | 120-165mg | 165mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Sources
Oral
Dose ladder — PsychonautWikiOnset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 30-45 min | 15-30 min | 1.5-2.5 hrs | 60-90 min | 3-5 hrs |
| Insufflated | 4-15 min | 10-19 min | 1-2 hrs | 60-90 min | 3-5 hrs |
| Rectal | 5-20 min | 10-20 min | 1.5-2.5 hrs | 45-60 min | 2.5-4 hrs |
Effect Profile
1,861 reportsScores (0–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Validated against 1,227 Erowid trip reports
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Psychedelic
3.6
Moderate
4/10
Mild auditory effects and headspace with mild body load, low visuals
Visual Intensity
×3
2
“During meditation, visual distortions manifested themselves as visual drifting (breathing) of the walls, color shifting, and the symmetrical texture repetition of abstract imagery (eyes and shrooms...”
“Touching things feels so great, lying on soft surfaces like his bed or on the couches feels like being hugged by pulsing rainbow clouds.”
Headspace Depth
×3
4
emotion enhancement
time distortion
“As I smoked, I was able to experience conceptual thinking about the cigarette in my hand.”
“I dont know if I experienced an ego death or not, I've never heard of someone experiencing ego death while rolling however the state I was in was nothing like I'd been in before, the spiritual and...”
Auditory Effects
×1
5
“I'm a musician, and this is the first time I've had any kind of auditory hallucination, so it was a sort of mind-blowing experience to hear a noticeable difference in all of the sounds I was...”
“I listen to music and its sounds burrow deep into my ears and dance.”
Body Load / Somatic Effects
×1
4
temperature regulation suppression
nausea
teeth grinding
increased heart rate
“It seems to coalesce with a warm buzzing queasiness in the pit of my stomach.”
“I was hit by a sudden wave of nausea at T+1:00.”
User Experience
auditory effects
“I'm a musician, and this is the first time I've had any kind of auditory hallucination, so it was a sort of mind-blowing experience to hear a noticeable difference in all of the sounds I was...”
Empathogen
8.6
Intense+
9/10
Strong empathy, euphoria, and sensory enhancement with moderate stimulation
Empathy / Social Openness
×3
9
empathy enhancement
affection enhancement
sociability enhancement
“Submitted by - Anonymous Stimulation - "the usual fast-paced conversation" Empathy, love, and sociability enhancement - "The experience has now changed from a rushed frenzy of aimlessly chatting...”
“I enjoyed the empathogenic properties of increased empathy and sociability.”
Euphoria / Mood Elevation
×2
9
physical euphoria
cognitive euphoria
emotion enhancement
“Rubbing my legs and beard felt amazing and my headspace was pure euphoria.”
“I help him out and find it wonderful to be in the company of another person.”
Stimulation
×1
7
stimulation
teeth grinding
increased heart rate
“I still felt the MDMA in my system, I felt stimulated and warm, I felt friendly and better at making conversation, I felt that restlessness in my limbs and still had that pulsing, burnt feeling in my...”
“Nothing really much else, other than the feeling of a small stimulation of happiness.”
Sensory Enhancement
×1
8
tactile enhancement
increased libido
“The purpose of this trip was to reduce my current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms from a sexual assault that occurred a year ago.”
“I feel as though I have a better sense of depth perception, and like I can pick up on the minutae of every texture, every surface.”
User Experience
empathy
“Submitted by - Anonymous
Stimulation - "the usual fast-paced conversation"
Empathy, love, and sociability enhancement - "The experience has now changed from a rushed frenzy of aimlessly chatting...”
Stimulant
5.2
Moderate+
5/10
Moderate euphoria and stimulation with mild anxiety/jitters, low focus
Stimulation / Energy
×3
6
stimulation
“Nothing really much else, other than the feeling of a small stimulation of happiness.”
“I still felt the MDMA in my system, I felt stimulated and warm, I felt friendly and better at making conversation, I felt that restlessness in my limbs and still had that pulsing, burnt feeling in my...”
Euphoria / Mood Lift
×2
7
physical euphoria
cognitive euphoria
motivation enhancement
“Rubbing my legs and beard felt amazing and my headspace was pure euphoria.”
“Submitted by - Tealdear Motor control loss - "The next minute I was having trouble standing up straight" Drifting - "everything I could see was exhibiting light drifting and the fragmented look that...”
Focus / Productivity
×2
2
motivation enhancement
“At first I sank into my bed and the complete darkness of my room engulfed me, I closed my eyes and focused on the music.”
Anxiety / Jitters
×1
4
anxiety
teeth grinding
increased heart rate
“There is a bit of restlessness in my muscles that makes lying still feel uncomfortable.”
“I had originally planned to take the MDMA an hour prior, but trip anxiety delayed it.”
User Experience
euphoria
“Rubbing my legs and beard felt amazing and my headspace was pure euphoria.”
Tolerance
No tolerance chart. Tolerance to MDMA has only been measured over hours to a day, so this page shows what is known instead of a curve.
Within a session, a redose raises blood levels without a matching rise in effect, while blood pressure keeps climbing. A dose the next day gives about 77% more total exposure to MDMA (peak levels about 29% higher) for effects only slightly stronger than the first, because MDMA blocks the liver enzyme that clears it, which takes about 10 days to recover. How long the tolerance from one dose lasts has never been measured. In one unreplicated account in PiHKAL, the complete tolerance left by a week of daily doses was gone after 6 drug-free days, and users report weaker effects for up to 2-3 weeks. The common advice to wait 1-3 months, or to take it no more than four times a year, is a rule of thumb (from Ann Shulgin, to keep the effects, and from caution about toxicity), not a measured tolerance time.
Sources: Peiró et al. 2013 · Farré et al. 2015 · Farré et al. 2004 · O'Mathúna et al. 2008 · Yubero-Lahoz et al. 2011 · Shulgin, PiHKAL #109 · Erowid: MDMA basics · Ann Shulgin interview, 2001 · Saunders, E for Ecstasy (1993), ch. 9
Effects
Aggregated from 1,227 single-substance Erowid and 634 Bluelight experience reports (the Bluelight figures come from the 50 of them read for effects); 985 Erowid reports where another drug was taken too are left out
Each bar shows the share of analyzed reports whose text mentions that effect — a mention is not always a first-hand experience (fear of an effect or something witnessed can count). Mentions saying the effect did not happen are left out; that check reads keywords, so it can miss some. The shaded band on a bar, and the small range after its number, is the 95% interval: where the share could plausibly be with other reports of the same kind. Fewer reports, wider band. Tap or hover any number for details. The second value is the Bluelight extractor's per-effect confidence; a dash means the row is Erowid-derived, which has no confidence measurement.
Effect glossary — · full glossary
Positive Effects 60
57.2% (95% interval 54 to 60 percent)
90%
46.4% (95% interval 44 to 49 percent)
83%
41.5% (95% interval 39 to 44 percent)
86%
40.0% (95% interval 28 to 54 percent)
84%
36.0% (95% interval 24 to 50 percent)
88%
28.5% (95% interval 26 to 31 percent)
85%
28.0% (95% interval 18 to 42 percent)
85%
28.0% (95% interval 18 to 42 percent)
89%
26.0% (95% interval 16 to 40 percent)
82%
18.7% (95% interval 17 to 21 percent)
79%
18.0% (95% interval 10 to 31 percent)
83%
17.0% (95% interval 15 to 19 percent)
70%
15.4% (95% interval 14 to 18 percent)
87%
Auditory Effects
12.8% (95% interval 11 to 15 percent)
82%
12.0% (95% interval 6 to 24 percent)
88%
12.0% (95% interval 6 to 24 percent)
84%
10.4% (95% interval 9 to 12 percent)
84%
10.3% (95% interval 9 to 12 percent)
79%
10.0% (95% interval 4 to 21 percent)
84%
10.0% (95% interval 4 to 21 percent)
85%
Show 40 more positive effects
10.0% (95% interval 4 to 21 percent)
85%
8.0% (95% interval 3 to 19 percent)
80%
8.0% (95% interval 3 to 19 percent)
76%
8.0% (95% interval 3 to 19 percent)
81%
7.5% (95% interval 6 to 9 percent)
80%
6.0% (95% interval 2 to 16 percent)
82%
4.5% (95% interval 4 to 6 percent)
70%
4.1% (95% interval 3 to 5 percent)
–
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
78%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
82%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
78%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
82%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
88%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
78%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
82%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
75%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
80%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
75%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
80%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
75%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
80%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
85%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
85%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
85%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
95%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
90%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
85%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
80%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
80%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
75%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
85%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
85%
Adverse Effects 29
44.6% (95% interval 42 to 47 percent)
80%
21.9% (95% interval 20 to 24 percent)
72%
14.3% (95% interval 12 to 16 percent)
79%
13.5% (95% interval 12 to 16 percent)
82%
8.2% (95% interval 7 to 10 percent)
83%
6.6% (95% interval 5 to 8 percent)
–
6.0% (95% interval 2 to 16 percent)
87%
6.0% (95% interval 2 to 16 percent)
80%
6.0% (95% interval 2 to 16 percent)
75%
5.1% (95% interval 4 to 6 percent)
–
4.7% (95% interval 4 to 6 percent)
–
4.1% (95% interval 3 to 5 percent)
–
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
78%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
82%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 14 percent)
78%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
65%
1.9% (95% interval 1 to 3 percent)
–
1.8% (95% interval 1 to 3 percent)
–
Show 7 more adverse effects
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
75%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
90%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
80%
2.0% (95% interval 0 to 10 percent)
70%
Also reported in combinations. In the 985 MDMA reports where another drug was taken too, 93 (9.4%) mention hospital, emergency services or an overdose, 28 (2.8%) a seizure and 30 (3.0%) psychosis. In the 1,227 single-substance reports: 6.8%, 1.9% and 1.8%. One or more of the three comes up more often in the combination reports (12.6% against 9.0%), by more than chance would explain; that does not show the combination caused it. These are not in the figures above: they cannot be put down to MDMA alone, and a mention is not always something that happened to the writer.
Combinations
Cross-Check MDMA with another substanceTrip Reports
Community Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, Bluelight, and Dose.wiki. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance. Tags summarise each author's own verdict — how reports are classified.
Reddit 8 reports 4 positive 4 neutral visit
So Saturday was my last roll. My girl went out of town for a family trip. So I took that time to enjoy a roll. The roll was amazing nothing but bliss, put on lights, enjoyed a trance show on tv, overall had a good night.
Finally got ahold of some good stuff after several years lowkey asking around. It's hard where I live, and I don't want to risk it. Last time was in 2021. I took less than 100mg last Saturday, on a cold afternoon with some friends, beachside house, warm fire. Wow it was so nice.
To start with: this post has nothing to do with any sort of racism! Lately I've been browsing r/mdmamollygonewild as well as I started thinking about a vacation trip to Thailand (where xtc is heavily banned btw) and it just struck me that I haven't seen a single photo from Asian...
Hello there I’m from America and have done mdma numerous times there, which atleast where I’m at it’s hard harder to get pure drugs. (I test for fent ofc) When I take mdma it all feels the same that is from plug to plug and to Europe some batches more tweaky then others.
Substance taken: MDMA (Crystals) Amount taken: 120mg Rout of administration: Oral (Parachute) Come up: 30 minutes Peak: 1 hour 30 minutes Come down: 2 hours Total Duration: 3 hours Writing this 9 hours since ingestion.
For fuck sake guys - can we apply a bit of bloody intelligence when taking MDMA. This is supposed to be a harm reduction thread. What’s the point of posting a dumbass story like “oh I went for a walk and I took half a pill, then I was chatting to my mate and I took the other half...
You know I’m currently 2 doses in and just not feeling shit it’s been 90 min. Back in the early 2000’s you could get one dose and spend the next 8 to 9 hours having a blast. Peaking after about 90 min and stay there for a few hours.
Erowid 8 reports 4 positive 3 neutral 1 cautionary visit
I am a Freshman in college. I have done ecstasy 4 times before, all in a quiet setting with one other friend. To me, it is not a drug to go to if you just want to have fun. This is the precious drug you should do rarely to keep its magic, keep the experiences their own.
I wish to share my own story with MDMA. This is a drug that stands alone in my mind and in my life for the profound impact it had, far more so than any other. Its quite a long and detailed story, so apologies in advance if it drags on at times, but I really do feel that everything I have written is purposeful and nece...
This is the story of the mind-blowing night that was my first MDMA experience. I was travelling through Thailand with my friend. We had known each other since he was born since our families are good friends, and we have an incredible connection that not many people have, despite being very different in our ways and beh...
Die Tiefen des Erwachens - Eine einzigartige mdma-Erfahrung - Manche Momente im Leben fordern eine schnelle Entscheidung. Steht diese Entscheidung in Zusammenhang mit spontanen Gedanken, nennt man so was Intuition. Intuition hatte ich häufig in letzter zeit.
This report is about my experience with taking an extremely high dose of MDMA. The Cannabis was minor, but still important. And the alcohol was only used on the comedown. I pre-apologize for the length, but I believe its all important. Before I begin I would like to say a little about me and my experience with MDMA.
I am writing this report in July 2016, about eight years since I first took ecstasy in June 2008. Although many minor details have been lost to time, I have replayed this night countless times in my head over the years and the key moments have remained.
[Erowid Note: The doses described in this report are potentially life threatening. The amount taken is beyond a heavy dose and could pose serious health risks or result in unwanted, extreme effects. Doses such as this have been known to cause hospitalizations and/or deaths.
[Trigger warning for frank, but hopefully empowering, discussions of body image, food, and weight.] I am moved to write this report because the experience I'll describe has profoundly improved my life.
Bluelight 8 threads 7 positive 1 neutral visit
Last trip report from me for a bit, mostly because I have now caught you all up to the most recent fun (as this was just a pair of weekends ago). As more occurs I will share it with "the group." Excited by the prospects created by our discovery of some absolutely wonderful E in Amsterdam, (See: http://www.bluelight.ru/...
Yesterday was one of the most glorious rolls I have ever had the fortune to be a part of. Four close friends and I (I'll refer to them as P, H, and C) shared a fantastic experience rolling to the depths of our hearts out on the lake. My day began by waking up to the good 'ole Midwestern heat.
MDMA Trip Report (Just FYI: I might post this on several sites where I'm a member) It's Monday, 3 days out from my first MDMA experience, and I think I'm finally ready write this report. Background: I'm an experienced opiate user, various pharmaceuticals as well as poppy pod tea.
Mods, please post this in Trip Reports . *** The drugs : Two pink elephants The duration : Approximately 12 hours *** The kids were picked up Saturday afternoon. It had been raining all weekend which meant there were no qualms with attacking the house in a cleaning frenzy.
Hello! I've lurked for a long while here, BL has been a great source of information- especially these trip reports, since they gave me some confidence about knowing what was to come. I felt I should contribute with my own report as well. I bought some capsules from a friend some time ago, in preparation for a rave.
SOLUTIO , or, an insanely thorough MDMA trip report, of such a great length that the author hopes any readers are not annoyed and apologises in advance, by Rewired. Name of subject: rewired. Date of Experience: 11/23/01. Drug: MDMA (tested). Names: changed. Time: mostly measured in cigarettes, like breaktime at work.
Disclaimer: These are not my normal dosages and I would never recommend this amount to anyone, especially to someone of my size. Dosages 6:24pm 160mg Cap 7:29pm 140mg Drink 9:29pm 120mg Drink 12:00am 120mg Drink I decided to Journal another roll in real-time. I was in my home and on my own.
Tired of the "iffy" E we keep running into in Zurich (sometimes it's Good(tm): http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=183655&r=11 sometimes not so much: http://www.saferparty.ch/de/testing/warning/ ) and convinced that we need [edit] unadulterated MDMA, the Girlfriend and I decide on a jaunt to Amsterdam...
Dose.wiki 1 report 1 neutral visit
Empathogens are alright. I can see immense therapeutic value, but as far as recreation goes, I think they make me too sappy to do well with other people around.
Bluelight Reference Guide
MDMA: Essential Guide v1.00
MDMA: Essential Guide by Orlando and PuristLove with additional writing by Simon and masheadatronic Special thanks to babydoc_vic, fairnymph, forgotten, johnboy, MezZedUp and Negro-kitty Bluelight has operated continuously since October 1999.
Read full thread on Bluelight →PiHKAL / TiHKAL
PiHKAL #109: MDMA
“MDMA intrigued me because everyone I asked, who had used it, answered the question, ‘What’s it like?’ in the same way: ‘I don’t know.’ ‘What happened?’ ‘Nothing.’ And now I understand those answers. I too think nothing happened. But something seemed changed. Before the ‘window’ opened completely, I had some somatic effects, a tingling sensation in the fingers and temples—a pleasant sensation, not distracting. However, just after that there was a slight nausea and dizziness similar to a little too much alcohol. All these details disappeared as I walked outside. My mood was light, happy, but with an underlying conviction that something significant was about to happen. There was a change in perspective both in the near visual field and in the distance. My usually poor vision was sharpened. I saw details in the distance that I could not normally see. After the peak experience had passed, my major state was one of deep relaxation. I felt that I could talk about deep or personal subjects with special clarity, and I experienced some of the feeling one has after the second martini, that one is discoursing brilliantly and with particularly acute analytical powers.”
MDMA's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
→
Helpful Links
Add missing routes to PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal app already has MDMA, but its built-in entry only covers Oral. Here are the other routes we have data for. You can't edit a built-in substance, but you can add a Custom Unit for any of these routes to log it.
⬇ Download import file
Import this file as custom substances
and you get "MDMA (Substance Search)" with every
route's full dose ladder and timeline, no typing. Works on iOS and
Android (v15+); the format is confirmed by the app's
developer. The manual values below work for older
versions.
Custom Unit doses
- Insufflatedcommon ~ 95 mg
- Rectalcommon ~ 95 mg
Dose & duration (reference)
MDMA: routes the PsychonautWiki Journal app is missing Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com) Insufflated dose (mg): light 30-70 · common 70-120 · strong 120-165 · heavy 165+ Rectal dose (mg): light 30-70 · common 70-120 · strong 120-165 · heavy 165+ Insufflated duration: onset 4-15m · come-up 10-19m · peak 1-2h · offset 1-1.5h · total 3-5h · after-effects 12-48h Rectal duration: onset 5-20m · come-up 10-20m · peak 1.5-2.5h · offset 0.75-1h · total 2.5-4h · after-effects 12-48h Note: ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription. Start low, go slow, and test your substances.
Custom Units carry a single dose per route, so the full ranges live in the reference above. A route's suggested dose is the midpoint of its common range. Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Report an issue or suggest an edit
Spotted incorrect or dangerous information, have a correction, a new study, or a useful addition for MDMA? Let us know. Reports are reviewed by moderators — this is not posted publicly.