3 ms·

MDMA is an amphetamine, like many ADHD medication, so it is not that much of a stretch to think that it can work. And to answer the "but you can't patent an ol

by GuB-42 4y ago

MDMA is an amphetamine, like many ADHD medication, so it is not that much of a stretch to think that it can work. And to answer the "but you can't patent an old molecule", in fact, yes you can. Adderall is plain old amphetamine, but with a specific ratio of the D and L type, so it could be patented. The pharmaceutical industry is adept at making small tweaks to existing drugs, a supposed improvement according to their own studies, but most importantly, a way to get a patent.

hammyhavoc 4y ago
I think you misunderstood something in the comment I replied to, which stated: > Not only that, but if people can improve their condition with three treatments to the point that they no longer need their daily dose of anti-depressant or ADHD medication (or alcohol / opiates / etc. for the self-medicating cohort) then overall drug consumption will drop steeply. The key thing here is the claim being made that three doses of MDMA will eliminate the need to take an existing ADHD medication. How would that work? It wouldn't. It's not possible.
- photochemsyn 4y ago
  How would you know if you didn't at least try? The claim that the only way that ADHD symptoms can be managed successfully is with daily use of a fairly powerful stimulant-class drug seems equally implausible.
  - astrange 4y ago
    Stimulants aren't the only ADHD medication, but all the others are also daily use.
opportune 4y ago
We don’t have to stretch, plenty of people have ADHD and have taken MDMA, I can tell you personally that MDMA is in no way a substitute for regular adhd medication. Like, not even close. MDMA is basically a social/lovey high that mildly distorts your vision and senses, it is not something you would take regularly to help focus on work. And taking it once isn’t going to help you focus better after taking it
- chimeracoder 4y ago
  > We don’t have to stretch, plenty of people have ADHD and have taken MDMA, I can tell you personally that MDMA is in no way a substitute for regular adhd medication. Like, not even close. MDMA is basically a social/lovey high that mildly distorts your vision and senses, it is not something you would take regularly to help focus on work. And taking it once isn’t going to help you focus better after taking it Your end point - that MDMA is not a substitute for ADHD medication - is correct, but the reasoning you're providing is faulty. Even assuming you were taking a pure and unadulterated substance - which I'm willing to bet you weren't[0] - this personal anecdote doesn't really refute the original point. Set, setting, and dosing make a huge difference. MDMA is much closer to methamphetamine - both biochemically and in its effect - than most people realize. And methamphetamine is itself a prescribed ADHD medication, fairly similar in effect (when dosed appropriately) to Dexedrine, which itself largely interchangeable with the medication everyone knows and associates with ADHD: Adderall. MDMA can actually be taken to improve focus, in the right dose and setting. However, the reason that it shouldn't be used for this purpose is because MDMA is more selective for serotonin than most other amphetamines, and serotonin depletion and downregulation means that it can't be used this way regularly (ie, on the order of weeks-to-months to restore baseline levels). [0] Virtually all MDMA outside of clinical settings is contaminated to some degree, usually with another amphetamine.
  - opportune 4y ago
    Have you taken mdma (let’s say, the brown powder which is typically considered less likely to be adulterated) and adderall? I’m sorry but I just can’t believe anybody who has experienced the two would say that mdma would help focus as well as a regular adhd medication. You can’t just look at the structures or names and assume that fully explains the effects. Yes, it’s an amphetamine. Imagine there was some form of alcohol that both got you drunk but also gave you a strong cannabis high - if you went a bar serving that you’d notice entirely different behavior compared to regular alcohol. That’s like MDMA compared to a regular amphetamine - not in that it’s like cannabis but it stacks a completely different and overpowering effect on top of the base it gets from being a phenethylamine. Yes, regular MDMA usage is harmful to the brain much more than other amphetamines, that’s just another reason it would not be a suitable replacement.

by GuB-42 4y ago

hammyhavoc 4y ago

I think you misunderstood something in the comment I replied to, which stated: > Not only that, but if people can improve their condition with three treatments to the point that they no longer need their daily dose of anti-depressant or ADHD medication (or alcohol / opiates / etc. for the self-medicating cohort) then overall drug consumption will drop steeply. The key thing here is the claim being made that three doses of MDMA will eliminate the need to take an existing ADHD medication. How would that work? It wouldn't. It's not possible.

photochemsyn 4y ago
How would you know if you didn't at least try? The claim that the only way that ADHD symptoms can be managed successfully is with daily use of a fairly powerful stimulant-class drug seems equally implausible.
- astrange 4y ago
  Stimulants aren't the only ADHD medication, but all the others are also daily use.

opportune 4y ago

We don’t have to stretch, plenty of people have ADHD and have taken MDMA, I can tell you personally that MDMA is in no way a substitute for regular adhd medication. Like, not even close. MDMA is basically a social/lovey high that mildly distorts your vision and senses, it is not something you would take regularly to help focus on work. And taking it once isn’t going to help you focus better after taking it

chimeracoder 4y ago
> We don’t have to stretch, plenty of people have ADHD and have taken MDMA, I can tell you personally that MDMA is in no way a substitute for regular adhd medication. Like, not even close. MDMA is basically a social/lovey high that mildly distorts your vision and senses, it is not something you would take regularly to help focus on work. And taking it once isn’t going to help you focus better after taking it Your end point - that MDMA is not a substitute for ADHD medication - is correct, but the reasoning you're providing is faulty. Even assuming you were taking a pure and unadulterated substance - which I'm willing to bet you weren't[0] - this personal anecdote doesn't really refute the original point. Set, setting, and dosing make a huge difference. MDMA is much closer to methamphetamine - both biochemically and in its effect - than most people realize. And methamphetamine is itself a prescribed ADHD medication, fairly similar in effect (when dosed appropriately) to Dexedrine, which itself largely interchangeable with the medication everyone knows and associates with ADHD: Adderall. MDMA can actually be taken to improve focus, in the right dose and setting. However, the reason that it shouldn't be used for this purpose is because MDMA is more selective for serotonin than most other amphetamines, and serotonin depletion and downregulation means that it can't be used this way regularly (ie, on the order of weeks-to-months to restore baseline levels). [0] Virtually all MDMA outside of clinical settings is contaminated to some degree, usually with another amphetamine.
- opportune 4y ago
  Have you taken mdma (let’s say, the brown powder which is typically considered less likely to be adulterated) and adderall? I’m sorry but I just can’t believe anybody who has experienced the two would say that mdma would help focus as well as a regular adhd medication. You can’t just look at the structures or names and assume that fully explains the effects. Yes, it’s an amphetamine. Imagine there was some form of alcohol that both got you drunk but also gave you a strong cannabis high - if you went a bar serving that you’d notice entirely different behavior compared to regular alcohol. That’s like MDMA compared to a regular amphetamine - not in that it’s like cannabis but it stacks a completely different and overpowering effect on top of the base it gets from being a phenethylamine. Yes, regular MDMA usage is harmful to the brain much more than other amphetamines, that’s just another reason it would not be a suitable replacement.