Ask Erowid

Ask a Question


Find an answer:

View By Category

Search Ask Erowid
Search Vaults


Enter a keyword in the search field above to look up a question or answer on a specific topic.

Off-Site Psychoactive Question Resources
  Ask Dr Shulgin

Resources at Erowid
  Plants & Drugs
  Freedom & Law
  Mind & Spirit
  Arts & Sciences
  Library / Bookstore
  What's New
  About Erowid
  .
I do E a lot. How can I get the same effects as I used to?
Q: I do E a lot. How can I get the same effects as I used to?

A: The only way is to take it less often. If you take ecstasy often, you will build up a strong tolerance and not be able to get the same effects from it. Eventually, if you keep taking it too often, you will not get any good effects from it at all. Taking it any more often than once a month will seriously reduce your ability to get the full effects. If you have developed a strong tolerance to it, the only thing you can do is to stop taking it for about 6 months, and then only take it less than once a month when you start using it again. With drugs, less is more.



-- Murple






There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence which suggests that there may be a lifetime total number of 'really good' experiences available to each person. The number varies from person to person, with many people reporting very positive experiences for hundreds of ingestions, but from the reports we've received it appears that most users experience the dropoff somewhere in the range of 10-40 sessions.



After the initial 'wow' experience(s), most people report that as their lifetime total number of uses increase, the side effects and hangover increase and the positive effects decrease. Many people who do not experience this long-term dropoff regard it as a myth, until it happens to them. One prominent pro-ecstasy figure said for many years that he thought the issue was entirely one of 'experiential accustomization', where one merely gets used to the effects and they aren't as novel anymore. Sometime in the last couple years they changed their mind, when they realized ecstasy was no longer working for them.



As you certainly know, when it stops working, its not a subtle effect at all. Little of the euphoria, empathy, and joy that characterized the early experiences is present and most of whats left are the stimulation, side effects, and hangover. Some speculate that the reduction in 'sparkle' is related to the neurotoxicity issue, but there is little evidence to support this connection. It is certainly a cause for concern for most MDMA users who experience it, however. We have a very small section on this: MDMA Loss of Magic.



There are a few techniques that people report using to help renew their experiences with MDMA:


  1. First & foremost, reduce frequency. Most users report that increasing the time between experiences increases the intensity of each experience and increases their overall satisfaction with their use.

  2. Health. Eat well, take vitamins, and only take MDMA when you're in good health.

  3. Context. Make sure you're in a context that will be supportive and conducive to your letting go of your every-day defenses. In the rush of the first few experiences, its easier to let go and flow with the experience, as users become more accustomed to the effects, its much easier to let mind-chatter stop emotions & communication from flowing.

  4. Intention. Know why you're going into the experience and choose the time and the Why for the experience carefully. Only take ecstasy if you're in the right emotional, spiritual, and psychological state for the end your trying to reach. Actively try to bring back the feelings you are seeking by concentrating on them and breathing them into your body as you come up.

  5. Riding someone's wake / contact high. If you're in the right mindset, being with someone who is rolling can put everyone in a good mood. In a negative sense, this is sometimes called "MDMA Vampirism", where experienced users bolster their flagging rolls by hanging around newer users. One cynical description of this is spent-users warming themselves by the psychic-bonfires of newbies' serotonin systems burning away.

  6. Preloading 5HTP / Tryptophan. Some users report that taking tryptophan before taking ecstasy boosts the positive effects of the ecstasy, although some users report this has no effect.



I know I've read other lists of suggestions, but a quick search didn't turn them up. If anyone has techniques they use to refresh their effects from MDMA, let us know.



-- earth

Asked By : V
Answered By : murple / earth
Published Date : 3 / 20 / 2001
Last Edited Date : 6 / 16 / 2001
Question ID : 2287

Categories: [ MDMA (Ecstasy) ]



Ask Erowid v1.7 - Jul, 2005

(content and html © the Vaults of Erowid. Please ask permission before publicly reproducing.)