mda - 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine mdma - 3,4-methylenedioxy-n-methylamphetamine mdea - 3,4-methylenedioxy-n-ethylamphetamine mbdb - 3,4-methylenedioxy-alpha-ethyl-n-methylphenethylamine typical dose: 80-150 mg mdma hcl ecstasy should probably be considered a psychedelic as well. it lacks many psychedelic characteristics like obvious visual and audio alterations, but it changes emotions so much, and its chemical structure is so similar to other psychedelics, that it is most likely appropriate to consider it a psychedelic too. mdma produces a profound sense of emotional well-being. you feel like you're having the best time of your life, that you love the people around you, and that life is something worth living. however, this feeling is distinctly different from the confidence and energy produced by other drugs like amphetamines and cocaine, because mdma's feeling is entirely in the emotional realm. you understand why your friends are your friends, and you understand why and how your life is special to you and everyone else. basically, it's a powerful and instant antidepressant - it's the ultimate antidepressant, because it shows you to your face what it's like for you to live a life of true happiness. ecstasy also has a stimulant effect, and it induces a desire to touch other people and to move around. thus, ecstasy is widely used at raves and dance clubs, where it provides a lot of energy and a strong desire to dance. this also leads to ecstasy's primary danger: dehydration and overheating. if you're going to be active and sweating, you must make sure to drink enough water. don't overdo it, though - at least a pint an hour should be fine. almost all of the deaths that have been attributed to ecstasy were actually due to dehydration, not the drug itself. mdma acts by inducing a massive release of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) and also a release of dopamine (3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine). the level of serotonin in the brain is directly related to mood; virtually all antidepressants on the market act by increasing serotonin levels. mdma causes serotonin levels in the synapses to shoot way above normal levels, producing a sense of complete emotional well-being. because mdma causes the neurons to dump all their serotonin, there is very little left for them to use, and so after a few hours, serotonin levels in the brain plummet. low serotonin levels relate to a depressed mood, and so the day after an mdma trip, and often continuing more mildly for several days after, you may feel depressed and lethargic. remember that this is a chemically induced depression that will soon pass, and don't let it really get you down. sometimes this depression can be alleviated, and in some cases the intensity of the trip may be increased, by taking the dietary supplement 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-htp. this is available in virtually every drugstore in the vitamin section. 5-htp is enzymatically decarboxylated directly to serotonin, so the theory goes that taking 5-htp may make more serotonin available for when mdma causes it to be released, and it may make it easier for the neuron to synthesize more serotonin when it's needed after the trip. some people report great improvements, others report none. there is no evidence that taking 5-htp, wik or wikout mdma, is dangerous in any way. there have been a number of studies that seem to show that mdma causes brain damage. this is a hotly contested point, since the evidence is inconclusive at the dosage levels humans usually use, but it is fairly certain that mdma does cause brain damage at elevated dosages. however, recent studies have shown that taking a single dose of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (ssri) like prozac during the comedown of mdma may completely block all potential brain damage, as well as alleviate some of the post-trip depression. there is an excellent explanation of why this works at http://www.harmreduction.net/dancesafe/slideshow/intro.html one final thing to be aware of is that a lot of the commercial ecstasy you might find on the street may not be ecstasy at all. e is one of the most adulterated and faked drugs out there. try to find a reliable source.