3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine dosing

Ongoing experiments with methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) show a systematic dose-dependent decrease in attack and threat behavior in mice confronting an intruder into their homecage (Miczek et al., unpublished observations). The decrement in aggressive behavior appears to be behaviorally specific it is obtained at MDMA doses (0.3, 1, 3 mg/kg) that are lower than those necessary to decrease measures of conditioned performance under the control of schedules of positive reinforcement. Because of species-dependent neurotoxicity, MDMA s effects on aggressive behavior need to be explored in other species, including primates. 

When 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or MDA was administered to rats in a single dose, TPH activity was markedly depressed. 

A fatal interaction between ritonavir and MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy) has been reported in an HIV-positive man (see Henry et ah, 1998). The patient had allegedly taken MDMA on several occasions without untoward effects. However, several weeks after ritonavir was added to his regular medication with zidovudine and lamivudine, he took some MDMA for recreational purposes and died of a cardiorespiratory arrest within hours. Toxicology showed that the plasma MDMA concentration was about ten times that expected from the ingested dose. Inhibition of CYP2D6, the principal pathway for MDMA metabolism, by ritonavir was thought to be the most likely cause. 

Few studies have examined the effects of delta opioids on abuse-related effects of other psychostimulants. Naltrindole and naltriben, but not BNTX, attenuated both methamphetamine-induced place preferences and the discriminative stimulus effects of low methamphetamine doses in rats however, naltrindole did not alter the discriminative stimulus effects of a higher dose of methamphetamine [140,142], A single dose of 3 mg/kg naltrindole was also reported to block facilitation of electrical brain stimulation by a single dose of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) [143]. Finally, a recent study found that both morphine and TAN-67 prevented mecamylamine-induced place aversions in rats chronically-treated with nicotine. These results were interpreted to suggest that both mu and delta agonists may attenuate some aversive effects associated with nicotine withdrawal [144]. 

Windhaber J, Maierhofer D, Dantendorfer K. Panic disorder induced by large doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine resolved by paroxetine. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1998 18(l) 95-6. 

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (street names ecstasy, XTC, X, Adam, clarity, lover s speed). MDMA is chemically similar to the stimulant amphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. MDMA can produce both stimulant and psychedelic effects and can be extremely dangerous when taken in large doses. 

The chemical name for Ecstasy is methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA for short. Ecstasy is a synthetic substance It is man-made and does not occur naturally. Depending on the way it is made, Ecstasy can be classified as either a stimulant or a hallucinogen. In low doses, Ecstasy stimulates the central nervous system, but in larger doses, it can cause hallucinations. 

---