Ecstasy doesn’t cause bipolar disorder or similar conditions. It can, however, exacerbate symptoms for those who have the disorder.
Drug abuse also makes it tougher to treat bipolar disorder. Substances of abuse can interact poorly with prescription medications used to control symptoms.
Ecstasy Use
Ecstasy is one of the many names for 3,4–methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA. This is a notorious club drug that causes an intense, euphoric high by forcing the brain to release a surge of dopamine.
The substance leads to feelings of intense happiness and physical energy, but it may also cause hallucinations, elevated body temperature, dehydration, and disorientation. Additionally, the comedown effects that occur when the drug has been metabolized out of the body can be uncomfortable.
While ecstasy is now a Schedule I drug per the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — it is not considered to have any medical benefits, and it is only a dangerous, addictive substance of abuse — MDMA was used in the 1970s as a prescription substance to help with psychotherapy. Due to high rates of diversion, misuse, illicit manufacture, and addiction, ecstasy was made completely illegal in the United States in 1988.
The substance has risen and fallen in popularity since then, with a surge in the 1990s and then a decline. It has had a more recent resurgence with “purer” forms of MDMA like Molly.
Effects of MDMA
MDMA, sometimes referred to as Molly, is a psychoactive drug that combines mildly hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like effects. In high doses, it’s one of the drugs that make you manic. The most common physical effects of it include visual distortion, heightened awareness of the senses, appetite changes, involuntary eye jiggling, change in body temperature, teeth grinding, and jaw clenching.
The experience of a drug like MDMA will vary from one person to another. Some people will have pleasant experiences, while others will deal with severe Molly comedown effects that cause severe issues. Most people report a lift in their mood, becoming more talkative, a sense of closeness and belonging, as well as a desire to be hugged and touched by others.
What Are the Dangers of Using MDMA?
There are some dangers of using MDMA, and you might wonder, can drug abuse cause bipolar disorder? Ecstasy is associated with confusion, memory loss, and other issues that persist after a dose of the drug has worn off. It can also lead to problems with how your body regulates temperature, leading to organ failure and hypothermia.
You might also wonder about drug-induced bipolar disorder. Since most people with a bipolar diagnosis are taking at least one medication and possess mood-related challenges, taking ecstasy is dangerous. Those with bipolar disorder often use the drug to self-medicate, meaning they choose to use the illicit drug to regulate their symptoms. This is a poor approach to managing mental illness and can have disastrous results.
For some, especially with bipolar disorder, using ecstasy in high doses can lead to severe depression when they come down. MDMA can also trigger mania and psychosis, meaning those struggling with mood disorders, such as unipolar or bipolar depression, will notice that MDMA exacerbates their condition.
How Does Ecstasy Affect Brain Chemistry?
This chemical has an intense, long-lasting impact on the brain. Effects begin between 20 and 40 minutes after consumption, depending on how the drug was taken, and the high can last for about 6 hours.
Peak effects hit for about 60 to 90 minutes, but hypertension, hyperthermia, and intense physical energy, including anxiety, can last for hours after that. This experience can lead to acute bodily harm, dehydration, and exhaustion.
After The Drug Wears Off, The Comedown Effects, Due to a Lack of Serotonin and Dopamine in the Brain, May Last for Two Days. These Can Include the Following:
- Exhaustion
- Slow movements
- Physical shaking and weakness
- Depression
Even the average adult, who does not have a mental illness, will experience psychological and physical side effects from taking MDMA or ecstasy. Mental illnesses, especially those involving mood swings from serotonin and dopamine changes like bipolar disorders, can make the condition worse.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder was once called manic-depressive disorder, but the name changed as the medical community learned more about this group of conditions.
In general, bipolar disorder involves alternating periods of mania, or high emotional and physical energy, and depression, or low mood and energy. The intensity of mania and how often these two extreme cycles depends on what type of bipolar disorder a person struggles.
- Bipolar I disorder: This is the most common type of bipolar disorder, in which the primary, most consistent symptoms look like generalized depression until the first manic episode occurs. These periods of intense emotional and physical highs last for at least one week, or seven days. They are so severe that the person may experience a break from reality, fail to sleep or eat, and could require hospitalization to keep them safe.
Depressive episodes occur for at least two weeks at a time. They are lowest right after a manic episode. It is possible to have depression with manic features too. - Bipolar II disorder: Manic episodes in bipolar II tend to last longer, but they are considered hypomanic because they are not approaching psychosis or delusional. Instead, the person feels very energetic and happy, but this will then be followed by an emotional crash into a depression that lasts for at least two weeks.
- Cyclothymic disorder: This condition involves several periods of hypomania with less intense periods of depression, alternating consistently for at least two years (one year for children and adolescents to be diagnosed). The symptoms are not so severe that they meet the clinical requirements for either mania or depression, but they can still impact the individual’s quality of life and mental health.
- Other specified and unspecified bipolar and related disorders: Harder to diagnose, this group of conditions involves identifiable manic and depressive periods, but they are not as cyclical or intense as the above-listed symptoms, or they do not occur in the same waves or periods as the above groups.
People who struggle with any mental health condition, especially intense mood disorders like bipolar disorders, may self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. This is especially likely before the person receives a diagnosis of their condition and begins a treatment plan.
While MDMA and ecstasy are not common substances of abuse for people with bipolar disorder, the drug causes such an imbalance in brain chemistry that it could mimic a manic episode. This could lead to a more intense depressive period than the person is used to experiencing.
Substance Abuse, Bipolar Disorder, and Ecstasy
Bipolar disorder and substance abuse are reportedly so intertwined that medical recommendations for counselors, doctors, and addiction specialists are to screen anyone — particularly adolescents — with a diagnosis of bipolar for co-occurring substance abuse. Those who have forms of bipolar disorder that involve rapid cycling are the most likely to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol due to emotional intensity and psychological pain.
The Most Frequently Abused Drugs Among People With Bipolar Disorder Include:
- Alcohol
- Cannabis
- Opioids
- Other “downers”
These drugs cause a sense of relaxation and sleepiness, which can blunt the effects of mania and mood swings. However, they can produce uncomfortable side effects later, as they are abused more often.
Stimulants like amphetamines, crystal meth, and cocaine may be taken during periods of severe depression, but they are likely to trigger manic episodes due to the intense surge of dopamine from the stimulant. This is often followed by a deeper depression, which is more likely to feature psychotic symptoms than depression not induced by chemicals.
Hallucinogens, most often LSD, psilocybin, and PCP can cause psychotic symptoms in either depressive or manic states. Since ecstasy is both a stimulant and a psychedelic that releases large amounts of the brain’s three main mood-related neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine), the drug produces an intense feeling of energy, which could lead to mania. At the same time, it changes the brain’s perception of stimuli like touch and sound, which can lead to psychotic symptoms. As it wears out of the body, ecstasy is likely to make depressive symptoms much worse, and the psychotic symptoms are expected to continue.
Abusing substances makes treatment for bipolar disorder much harder because prescription medications cannot regulate brain chemistry as well.
Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment
Adhering to a treatment regimen can stabilize brain chemistry in people who have bipolar disorder, and this means getting treatment to overcome substance abuse. Many addiction treatment programs have options to diagnose and treat co-occurring disorders, including bipolar disorders.
Starting psychiatric medication and ending nonmedical drug use has been repeatedly shown to be the best approach to managing symptoms. For example, lithium (a common prescription medication for bipolar I) has been found to eliminate or substantially reduce substance abuse in 75 percent of adolescents with the condition who also struggle with alcohol and drug abuse.
Ecstasy does not cause bipolar disorder, but its use can worsen symptoms. It’s important to get help to avoid substance abuse so that you can prevent this.
Long-Term Effects of Untreated Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder affects millions of Americans each year, and the primary reason a person goes undiagnosed is that it’s challenging to diagnose. Even after a person is diagnosed, treatment can be difficult. Some of those who go through treatment decide they don’t need it anymore because their medication causes worse side effects than the disorder itself. All of this means those with bipolar disorder won’t get the treatment they need, putting them at risk of serious health consequences.
Bipolar disorder will continually get worse the longer it goes untreated. Delays in diagnosis make it challenging for the individual and those around them as symptoms worsen. The dangers of untreated bipolar disorder include the following:
- Losing your ability to work: Bipolar disorder is ranked as the sixth leading cause of disability globally.
- Added stress to personal relationships: It can lead to divorce, unemployment, and legal issues.
- Substance abuse: People will turn to drugs like MDMA to self-medicate their symptoms. The symptoms can be severe, so drugs may take the edge off at first but cause even more issues going forward.
- Suicide: Without the right care, untreated bipolar disorder can lead to suicide. Nearly three out of ten people with bipolar disorder will commit suicide without the proper care.
An early diagnosis and treatment provide the best chances to lead a full and productive life. An early diagnosis also means an individual can get the right medication, which is likely to prevent them from using MDMA to self-medicate. Since MDMA is a drug that can make you manic or cause psychosis, this should be avoided by any means necessary. It’s not worth risking your life to use a drug when help is available to treat your bipolar disorder.
