Abstract
Introduction: MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a synthetic ring-substituted amphetamine, has become one of the most widely used recreational psychostimulant drugs in the world. Among recreational ecstasy/MDMA users, polydrug use is a phenomenon whose common purpose is to experience the synergistic effect of the combined drugs, moderate MDMA effects, prevent potential toxicity, enhance a high or come down from a high from other drugs, or simply to treat existing medical conditions. Thus, MDMA-drug interactions (MDMA-DIs) lead to a higher risk of acute and life-threatening MDMA toxicity.Areas covered: This article provides an overview of the MDMA-DIs with pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse. In addition, available evidence is summarized along with clinical recommendations. Finally, the increasing importance of MDMA-DIs is highlighted.Expert opinion: There is a reduced number of published MDMA-DIs studies and scarce clinically significant MDMA-DIs documented in the literature. Experimental evidence points out the relevance of MDMA-DI's when MDMA is co-administered with pharmaceuticals that are metabolized by the CYP2D6 due to MDMA inhibitory action and in the case of repeated MDMA administration (MDMA-MDMAIs).
Keywords: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA); acute MDMA toxicity; drug interaction (DI); pharmacodynamics; pharmacokinetics; polydrug use.
Publication types
- Review
MeSH terms
- Animals
- Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 / metabolism
- Drug Interactions
- Drug Synergism
- Hallucinogens / administration & dosage*
- Hallucinogens / toxicity
- Humans
- Illicit Drugs / toxicity*
- N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / administration & dosage*
- N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / toxicity
- Pharmaceutical Preparations / administration & dosage
- Pharmaceutical Preparations / metabolism
- Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology
Substances
- Hallucinogens
- Illicit Drugs
- Pharmaceutical Preparations
- Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6
- N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical