Usefulness of Sweat Testing for the Detection of MDMA after a Single-Dose Administration*
Journal of Analytical Toxicology – July 01, 2003
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
MDMA was detected in sweat as early as 1.5 hours after a single 100-mg dose, peaking at 24 hours. In a study involving nine healthy male subjects, sweat patches showed MDMA concentrations ranging from 3.2 to 1326.1 ng/patch, with variability among individuals reaching up to 30-fold. The onsite Drugwipe test was positive for all participants at 1.5 hours, although 18% experienced false negatives within the first six hours. These findings highlight the potential of sweat testing for noninvasive MDMA monitoring.
Abstract
Nine healthy male subjects and recreational users of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) participated in a study aimed to assess the usefulness of sweat testing for the detection of MDMA after a single 100-mg dose. Sweat was collected for up to 24 h with the PharmChek sweat patches from which drugs were eluted and then analyzed by immunoassay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using deuterated internal standards. The usefulness of a rapid onsite test, the Drugwipe immunochemical strip test, was also assessed. In the sweat patches, MDMA was detected as early as 1.5 h after consumption and peaked at 24 h. Intersubject variability was large; peak MDMA concentrations for the same dose varied in magnitude 30-fold. MDMA concentrations ranged between 3.2 and 1326.1 ng/patch. Only traces of the minor metabolite 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine were detected. In all subjects, the onsite test with the Drugwipe was positive at 1.5 h (peak time of MDMA plasma concentration). However, few false-negative results (18%) appeared in the first 6 h after administration. Both sweat patch testing and the onsite sweat strip test may find useful application for noninvasive monitoring of MDMA abuse in sweat.