Mood and cognitive effects of ± 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’): week‐end ‘high’ followed by mid‐week low
Addiction July 1, 1997 Valerie H. Curran, Ross A. Travill 283 citations
Recreational use of MDMA (ecstasy) leads to elevated mood on the day of use but a significant low mood five days later, with some users scoring within the range for clinical depression. Compared to alcohol users, who showed a U-shaped mood curve with the lowest point the day after drinking, MDMA users also had significant impairments on an attentional and working memory task. The findings suggest that weekend MDMA use may cause mid-week depressed mood, possibly due to temporary serotonin depletion, serotonergic neurotoxicity, or psychological factors.