ReviewPsychopharmacology2004
A bitter pill. Overview of ecstasy (MDMA, MDA) related fatalities.
Review in Psychopharmacology, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 182 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hard Boiled: Alcohol Use as a Risk Factor for MDMA-Induced Hyperthermia: a Systematic Review.Neurotoxicity research · 2021Pooled it
- MDMA and metabolite disposition in expectorated oral fluid after controlled oral MDMA administration.Therapeutic drug monitoring · 2011Trial
- Disposition of MDMA and metabolites in human sweat following controlled MDMA administration.Clinical chemistry · 2009Trial
- Peer-led drug checking in Chile: a case study of the country's first harm reduction service at electronic music events.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Drugs Used in "Chemsex"/Sexualized Drug Behaviour-Overview of the Related Clinical Psychopharmacological Issues.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- First Death Involving 4-Fluoroethylphenidate (4F-EPH): Case Report, User Experiences, and Review of the Related Literature.Academic forensic pathology · 2022Article
- Detection of 3,4-Methylene Dioxy Amphetamine in Urine by Magnetically Improved Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensing Strategy.Biosensors · 2022Article
- Review
- 3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine, synthetic cathinones and psychedelics: From recreational to novel psychotherapeutic drugs.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Review
- Protracted hyperthermia and delayed rhabdomyolysis in ecstasy toxicity: A case report.Medicine · 2020Article
- Neuronal and peripheral damages induced by synthetic psychoactive substances: an update of recent findings from human and animal studies.Neural regeneration research · 2020Review
- Predicting the Abuse Liability of Entactogen-Class, New and Emerging Psychoactive Substances via Preclinical Models of Drug Self-administration.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2017Review
- Recurrent Syncope following Substance Abuse; a Case Report.Emergency (Tehran, Iran) · 2017Article
- PKCδ knockout mice are protected from para-methoxymethamphetamine-induced mitochondrial stress and associated neurotoxicity in the striatum of mice.Neurochemistry international · 2016Article
- Alcohol Interactions with Psychostimulants: An Overview of Animal and Human Studies.Journal of addiction research & therapy · 2016Article
- Intravenous self-administration of entactogen-class stimulants in male rats.Neuropharmacology · 2015Article
- Comparative risk assessment of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drugs using the margin of exposure approach.Scientific reports · 2015Article
- MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) Analogues as Tools to Characterize MDMA-Like Effects: An Approach to Understand Entactogen Pharmacology.Current neuropharmacology · 2013Article
- 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): current perspectives.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2013Review
- Psychostimulant-related deaths among former inmates.Journal of addiction medicine · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleThe issue of ecstasy-related fatalities has extensively attracted the attention of both the media and the general public, but less so of the scientific literature.
objectivesThe aim of the present review is to focus on the epidemiological, clinical and pharmacological issues related to ecstasy fatalities.
resultsPossibly due to a number of different reasons, the rates of ecstasy-related deaths seem to have peaked in recent years. MDMA metabolism is regulated by the levels of CYP2D6 and COMT (both exhibit some genetic polymorphism), and range of activity of these enzymes may account for some inter-individual differences in terms of toxic responses to the drug. A small increase in MDMA dosage can lead to a significant rise in drug plasma concentration. Due to their tolerance to MDMA psychoactive effects, some individuals may binge with dosages that may be the cause of serious concern. In experienced users, a reverse tolerance phenomenon can also be observed. Together with ecstasy, most of the misusers take a number of different compounds and the possible rationale of this style of consumption is commented upon here. Frequently, the lethal complications observed after acute MDMA administration can be the consequence of the occurrence of a serotonin syndrome and/or of sympathomimetic overstimulation (both conditions are exacerbated by environmentally induced overheating).
conclusionsA number of methodological problems can contribute to making difficult the interpretation of the role played by ecstasy in so-called ecstasy-related deaths, especially so if accurate information is not available.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.