Created: May 23, 2022
Modified: May 23, 2022

MDMA supplements

This page is from my personal notes, and has not been specifically reviewed for public consumption. It might be incomplete, wrong, outdated, or stupid. Caveat lector.

There are some suggested supplement regiments for taking MDMA safely:

The science behind these is pretty sketchy (a few studies in rats), but anecdotally people who follow some version of these recommendations seem to report a more pleasant comedown with fewer negative aftereffects. Taking everything that everyone suggests is probably overkill, but seems unlikely to be harmful if done occasionally (and no one should be taking MDMA more than occasionally). According to the RollSafe link above, if you're only going to take a couple of supplements then (Na-R-)ALA and ALCAR are probably the most important.

Synthesizing these recommendations, here's what I might hypothetically take if I were ever to try MDMA. Note that I'm not an expert and haven't done any independent literature review, so there's no wisdom here not already present in the above links. The recommended doses and timings are all total guesses, since none of this has been rigorously studied (the rat studies tend to use IV administration which is a whole different ballgame anyway).

6-12 hours before (if dosing in the morning, take these the night before):

one 625mg capsule MicroMag magnesium (containing 200mg elemental magnesium, which may prevent excitotoxicity, and anecdotally reduces jaw clenching)
one 100mg capsule grape seed extract (contains vitamin E, an antioxidant)
one 100mg capsule ubiquinol (coenzyme Q10) (posited to attenuate serotonin depletion)
grapefruit or grapefruit juice (inhibits the enzyme CYP3A4 which breaks down MDMA into more-toxic MDA; by doing so it may also lengthen the MDMA experience)

4 hours before: for a 'candy-flip', take LSD before MDMA so that the MDMA hits around the peak of the LSD experience.

1-2 hours before:

one 625mg capsule MicroMag magnesium
one 100mg capsule grape seed extract
one 500mg capsule ALCAR (antioxidant, synergistic with Na-R-ALA)
2g ginger (e.g., a few pieces of candied ginger) to help prevent nausea
grapefruit or grapefruit juice
fruit smoothie containing orange juice (for vitamin C)

t = 0:

120mg dose of MDMA
one 125mg capsule Na-R-ALA (antioxidant posited to prevent neurotoxicity). This has a short half-life in the body, so will need to be re-dosed regularly.
one capsule ubiquinol/Q10
250-500mL electrolyte water. You want just enough water to prevent dehydration (especially if dancing or in a hot environment) but not too much, and with plenty of electrolytes to prevent MDMA-induced sodium deficiency (hyponatremia).

t = 90min:

40mg MDMA 'booster' dose if things are going well
one 500mg capsule green tea extract (antioxidant + counteracts MDMA's release of the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin so that you can still pee)
one capsule Na-R-ALA
one capsule ALCAR
grapefruit juice
250-500mL electrolyte water

t = 2-3hrs:

one capsule magnesium
one capsule grape seed extract
one capsule Na-R-ALA
oranges / fruit smoothie
250-500mL electrolyte water

t = 4-5hrs:

for a 'nexus flip', take 15-20mg 2C-B when just past the MDMA peak
one capsule Na-R-ALA
one capsule ALCAR
green tea extract
250-500mL electrolyte water

before bedtime:

one capsule Na-R-ALA
one capsule ALCAR
melatonin (antioxidant + sleep aid)

2-3 days later:

one 100mg capsule 5-HTP (serotonin precursor to help replenish serotonin) before bed
- note: to avoid serotonin syndrome, do not ever take this before or during MDMA use
one capsule green tea extract (helps the 5-HTP make it to the brain)
one 500mg capsule N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) (precursor to the antioxidant glutathione, suggested to have some role healing neurotoxicity from amphetamine use, anecdotally some people report that NAC brought back the 'magic' lost after multiple MDMA trips)

MDMA supplements

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