Effective Ecstasy Addiction Treatment Options for Teens

Ecstasy, more commonly known among youth and young adults as MDMA or “Molly”, is a drug common in the electronic dance scene, often abused at nightclubs, concerts, and music festivals. 

The clinical research around ecstasy addiction in youth is limited. Ecstasy does not have as many addictive properties as other drugs, such as opioids or alcohol. Still, many regular users develop a psychological tolerance. This impacts long-term mental health and cognitive functioning, and in teens, these risks are further increased. 

Teen ecstasy use can cause long-term problems with memory, learning, and reasoning. It can also increase the risk of addiction to other drugs, as many ecstasy users are known for combining MDMA with substances such as alcohol, cannabis, or cocaine. 

Effective treatment often includes targeted mental health interventions and positive social supports. Read on to learn more.   

What is Ecstasy?

Ecstasy is a synthetic, psychoactive drug that induces feelings of euphoria, expanded consciousness, and increased sensory perception. It floods the brain with chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, making users feel happy, connected, and energized. 

Around 7% of people in the US have reported taking ecstasy, with only 1.2% of those being teens. However, other studies suggest MDMA is more common among older teens (15 to 18), with 6% to 8% of high school seniors reporting lifetime use [1]. 

A Quick Overview of Ecstasy (MDMA)

MDMA is both a stimulant and a hallucinogen (psychedelic) because of how it affects various receptors and neurotransmitters in the brain.

Stimulant: MDMA increases the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, stimulating the central nervous system and increasing energy, alertness, and an elevated heart rate. These effects are similar to typical stimulant drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or adderall. 

Hallucinogen (Psychedelic): At higher doses, MDMA causes a large release of serotonin and blocks its reuptake. This activity can cause changes in sensory perception, distortions in time, mild hallucinations, and increase the empathetic/emotional effects one usually feels on an ecstasy high. These effects are similar to other psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, magic mushrooms, or peyote. 

What’s Influencing Teen Use of Ecstasy?

There are several factors that increase the risk of teen MDMA use. These include:  

• Peer Influence: Teens are more likely to try ecstasy if their friends or inner circle are using it. This may stem from the desire to fit in or feel accepted; however, it may also be driven by curiosity or a desire to get high.

• Social Exposure: MDMA is a common drug to be exposed to in party environments such as clubs, concerts, nightclubs, or even college campuses. Older teens may use fake IDs to gain access to these spaces, and once they are in, it is pretty easy to find drugs such as MDMA. 

• Media Influence: Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit host communities where teens and young adults share experiences, music, and party culture related to MDMA. Reddit’s EDM forums discuss “Molly House music bangers” and other playlists that emphasize this drug, often closely associated with dance and club culture.  

• Family Environment: Low parental involvement, lack of supervision, poor communication with parents, conflict in the home, or a parent with a substance abuse problem can increase the likelihood of teens abusing drugs like Molly or alcohol [2]. 

• Unresolved Mental Health Problems: Teens with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, or trauma may be at an increased risk of abusing MDMA or other drugs. Some research has linked MDMA as a potential treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however this research is limited to clinical settings and in adults only [3]. 

• Thrill-Seeking Personalities: Teens who seek new, intense, and risky experiences are at an increased risk of experimenting with drugs and alcohol. 

‍

How To Tell If A Teen is High on Ecstasy 

Ecstasy highs tend to only last 4 to 6 hours, but they can often be intense, and signs are easily recognizable in youth if parents are aware of them. These can manifest as physical, emotional, and behavioral. 

‍

Health Risks of Ecstasy Use in Teens 

Although ecstasy is not as fatal as other drugs such as opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines, it can still cause severe consequences on the developing adolescent brain.

Short-Term Effects on The Brain and Body

MDMA causes a significant release of several neurotransmitters that regulate functions such as mood, sleep, appetite, pain response, and stress levels. This rapid spike can lead to a quick increased mood, euphoria, and empathy (the come up) but cause depression, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties within days after use (the come down). 

Long-Term Impact on Mental Health and Memory 

Ecstasy affects teenage brain development in several ways, including: 

Brain Development: Regions of the teen brain, such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, are still growing. These are essential for learning, memory, emotional regulation, and impulse control. However, these regions are also highly sensitive to the effects of MDMA, which can complicate or stunt regular brain development. Studies have found that adolescent exposure to MDMA can impair working memory and attention span [4]. 

‍Cognition and Emotions: Brain imaging studies show decreased activities involved in emotional learning and sensory processing after stopping MDMA use. This highlights the risk of potentially long-term damage that ecstasy can cause during development. Repeated, regular use can cause problems with verbal reasoning and increase the risk of paranoia or confusion. And teens who use MDMA are more likely to experience anxiety disorders, phobias, and panic attacks [5]. 

Risk of Overdose and Dangerous Complications

Several factors can complicate ecstasy use and increase the risk of overdosing [3][4]. 

• Drug Toxicity: High doses of pure MDMA, especially when taken unsafely and without proper hydration, can cause severe toxicity and dangerous symptoms such as extremely high body temperature, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and seizures. 

• Polydrug Use: Many MDMA-related overdoses and deaths involve mixing multiple drugs with ecstasy, such as alcohol or cocaine, which increases the risk of a fatal overdose. 

• Environmental Factors: Dehydration, overheating, or overstimulation in a large crowd can worsen the toxic effects of MDMA. 

• Individual Sensitivity: Some people are more prone to the effects of Ecstasy and psychoactive drugs in general due to genetics, metabolism, and other individual body chemical makeup. 

Teen Ecstasy Addiction Treatment Options

Teen ecstasy treatment often requires a personalized approach to target the underlying factors that are driving your teens’ ecstasy use. This includes a blend of behavioral therapies and therapeutic activities for building positive coping skills. 

Detox and Medical Supervision

Ecstasy and other psychoactive drug addictions in youth are usually not life-threatening, but should still be done under clinical supervision as they can cause several health effects that complicate withdrawal and reduce the likelihood of successfully finishing treatment.  

It’s important that teens detox under clinical supervision to ensure they are safe and stable. Intense cravings and uncomfortable symptoms can make it difficult to do on their own. It’s also important to keep in mind that many regular MDMA users may also partake in polydrug use, which can include other withdrawal symptoms not included on the list below. 

Physical Withdrawal Symptoms Include: 

• Nausea, sweating, and chills
• Muscle aches
• Jaw pain or bleeding gums from chronic teeth clenching
• Insomnia 
• Loss of appetite 

‍Psychological/Emotional

• Depression, low mood, mental fatigue
• Anxiety, tension
• Short-term memory loss
• Trouble focusing 
• Paranoia
• Intense drug cravings 

Evidence-Based Mental Health Therapy

Mental health therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) help teens reframe negative thought patterns or manage emotions that drive substance abuse, build positive coping skills, strengthen positive social supports, and focus on relapse prevention. They can also help teens identify what they like about taking MDMA, and help them find healthy, natural ways to achieve a similar sensory high (e.g., dance, massage, swimming). 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is another common therapy used to help teens with underlying trauma who are abusing ecstasy as a way to escape or cope. This aids in the processing of traumatic, fragmented memories and reduces associated emotional distress. 

Holistic Activities, Recreational Therapies, and Creative Arts

Holistic activities such as yoga and somatic therapies can help teens process trauma and reconnect with their nervous system, especially if MDMA was used as a way to alleviate emotional distress. 

Structured, outdoor therapies and nature-based recreational therapies such as hiking, community gardening programs, mountain biking, or fishing can help teens feel grounded and help them discover a sense of purpose or belonging. Recreational therapies also promote a sense of teamwork and emotional resilience, which can be helpful for teens in recovery. 

Creative arts such as painting, drawing, pottery, music, dance, and drama therapy are great ways to help teens process emotions tied to ecstasy abuse. It can be especially helpful for youth who have abused MDMA in order to find more joy, peace, or connection in their lives. 

Addressing Substance Abuse in Teens at Lotus Behavioral Health

Lotus Behavioral Health is a residential treatment facility for teens located in Florida. Our programs are designed to support teens and their families with the tools they need to recover from substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. We offer a blend of comprehensive services such as individual therapy, group therapy, medication management, and skill-building workshops to help teens recover from Ecstasy and other psychedelics.  

We also strive to educate families with the knowledge and tools they need to prevent drug abuse in teens and support their mental health.

Sources

[1] Cleland, C. M. (2016). Underreporting of ecstasy use among high school seniors in the US. Drug and alcohol dependence, 165, 279–282.

[2] Chilcoat, H. D. (2008). Adolescent ecstasy and other drug use in the National Survey of Parents and Youth: the role of sensation-seeking, parental monitoring and peer's drug use. Addictive behaviors, 33(7), 919–933.

[3] National Institute of Drug Abuse. 2024. MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly). 

[4] Reneman, L. et al. (2012). The effects of ecstasy (MDMA) on brain serotonin transporters are dependent on age-of-first exposure in recreational users and animals. PloS one, 7(10), e47524.

[5] Piper B. J. (2007). A developmental comparison of the neurobehavioral effects of ecstasy (MDMA). Neurotoxicology and teratology, 29(2), 288–300.

‍