MDMA Detection Window and Half-Life
MDMA is most popular among college students, teenagers and young adults. It’s a party drug, associated with raves and clubbing. Along with those effects, molly and ecstasy users also experience high blood pressure, high body temp, fast heart rate, no appetite and other physical symptoms.
After a long night or weekend, you may be wondering how long does MDMA stay in your system? Even though the half-life of the drug is just eight hours, it can be detected in your body for much longer. This period is days for urine testing, but months for hair testing.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at detection windows for MDMA on urine and other drug tests, the consequences for failing a test, and how to manage symptoms from comedown or withdrawal associated with MDMA use.
How Long Does MDMA Stay in Your System?
The amount of time different drug tests can detect MDMA varies depending on several factors like your hydration levels, recent drug use, overall physical health, the amount ingested, and how frequently you use MDMA.
Just as with the length of time any drug stays in your system, when you are using the substance regularly, it takes longer for your body to process it over time. Taking multiple doses of the club drug on one night out can also make it take longer for your body to process the initial concentration of MDMA.
It takes approximately eight hours from your last dose for about half of the substance to be eliminated from your body. It is processed by the liver and then eliminated as waste. This is when the stimulating, euphoric effects of the drug significantly start to fade.
About 40 hours later, about 95% of the substance will be eliminated from your body. However, trace amounts and metabolites left over from your body processing the substance remain detectable longer.
MDMA Half-Life
A drug’s half-life describes the amount of time that it takes your body to process half of the amount of a drug. Around this time, the physical and psychological effects of the drug wear off. Your body continues to eliminate MDMA until it’s completely gone, though how long MDMA stays in your system is strongly affected by your body’s ability to eliminate it.
How Do Drug Tests Work?
Even once it’s past the drug’s half-life, it’s still possible to detect MDMA on a drug test. Tests don’t always detect the drug – they sometimes work by detecting chemical compounds called metabolites that are produced as your body processes and elmininates MDMA.
MDMA Detection Using Various Drug Testing Methods
Each testing method has different detection windows for alcohol and drug abuse. So, while you might pass a saliva or blood test, you could still fail a hair follicle test. Here’s a look at how MDMA and other similar stimulants can be detected in urine, hair follicle, blood, and saliva tests.
Saliva Tests
During saliva tests, a sample will be collected using a mouth swab. The detection window is relatively short, lasting approximately 1-2 days after use.
Blood Tests
MDMA quickly enters the bloodstream and can be detected after just a few hours. It also leaves the blood relatively quickly and can only be detected for 1-2 days after use.
Urine Tests
A urine test for stimulants is one of the most common types of testing types. Urine tests less invasive than blood tests and does not require extensive laboratory testing. Typically, how long does ecstasy stay in your system is anywhere from 2-4 days on these tests.
Hair Follicle Tests
Hair follicle and hair strand testing detects traces of MDMA that enter the hair follicles from blood vessels that feed the scalp. The drug remains detectable for up to 90 days, though many other substances can be detected for longer.
What Happens if I Test Positive for MDMA on a Drug Test?
Many people wondering how long does MDMA stay in your system are facing a drug test, for employment purposes, parole, probation, or something else. The consequences when someone tests positive varies depending on the situation.
MDMA is considered a controlled substance according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). If you test positive after a traffic stop, the consequences depend on the severity of charges. For people on probation or parole, you can end up in more legal trouble after refusing or failing a drug test.
At work, the consequences of failing drug testing vary depending on company policy. You can be terminated in some cases. Other times, your employer might work with you if you seek MDMA addiction treatment.
How Long Until the Hallucinogenic and Stimulant Properties of MDMA Wear Off?
After a long night, many ecstasy and molly users want to know when the effects of the drug are going to wear off. The way that it stimulates the mind (similar to cocaine) makes it hard to fall asleep after using, even when you feel physically fatigued.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most people start feeling the high approximately 15-30 minutes after taking ecstasy, with the effects peaking around 2 hours after consumption.
MDMA drug use causes increased energy, lowered inhibitions, and feelings of euphoria and pleasure. In higher doses the effects of MDMA can be dangerous: tremors, involuntary muscle and jaw clenching, kidney failure, seizures, fainting, brain swelling, loss of consciousness and death.
How Long Does the MDMA High Last?
The effects of MDMA, especially in higher doses, can potentially lead to harmful effects including tremors, involuntary muscle and jaw clenching, kidney failure, seizures, fainting, brain swelling, loss of consciousness, and even death.
On average, this high starts to decrease after six hours. How long does ecstasy stay in your system depends on the initial dose, your metabolism, your overall health, co-occurring substance abuse, and other factors.
Other substance use can be tempting to “ease” the come down process. However, this complicates how long MDMA stays in your system and comes with its own risks and negative effects. The potential risks of using multiple substances is never worth it.
Are Molly, Ecstasy, and MDMA the Same?
MDMA is the active ingredient in molly and ecstasy. MDMA is what you feel after you take the drug. Molly and ecstasy have the same effects but the onset and duration will vary depending on how you take it.
Molly is most commonly available as a powder, just as with so-called pink cocaine, which often contains MDMA alongside other substances such as ketamine. It can be put in a drink, eaten, or snorted. By contrast, ecstasy generally refers to a pressed pill form of MDMA. It often contains MDMA, other drugs, and filler ingredients that help keep it in its pressed form.
The Most Common Symptoms of MDMA Withdrawal
Any time that you use molly, ecstasy, MDMA, or other drugs for an extended time, there’s a risk of your body developing dependence for the drug. Your mind and body might not feel right unless you are using. Some signs of MDMA withdrawal include:
- Headaches
- Agitation and irritability
- Excessive sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Heart palpitations
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Intense cravings for ecstasy or other drugs
Since molly, ecstasy, and other stimulants like cocaine increase feelings of euphoria and happiness, it’s normal to experience a “crash” after using. This crash, often accompanied by low mood and depression, is worse if you’ve been struggling with ecstasy addiction.
You may also feel excessively thirsty or fatigued after using MDMA. The combination of increased body temperature, often warm rooms, and the dehydrating effects of the drug make it easy to get dehydrated.
The Benefits of Medical Detox for Alcohol or Drug Abuse
Detoxing from drugs and alcohol in a professional addiction treatment facility like Purpose ensures that you’ll be safe and comfortable during detox. Our team of medical professionals monitor clients 24/7 for severe or dangerous symptoms.
Of course, detoxing from MDMA is only one part of achieving sobriety. Substance abuse treatment centers offer an opportunity to learn skills to overcome MDMA addiction.
At Purpose Healing, we also offer dual diagnosis care for those times when treating ecstasy addiction comes with unique challenges. Some people use MDMA to self-treat depression, mood disorders, or other mental health issues.
MDMA works by increasing levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. It also has a secondary effect that slows how fast they are absorbed, prolonging the experience. When you quit using, you crash. This causes a risk of low mood, depression, and even suicidal thoughts or actions.
When to Consider Getting Help for MDMA Addiction
The pleasurable feeling associated with MDMA drug use often come with other less pleasant side effects. For people who continue using, despite the low mood associated with comedown and the risks associated with using MDMA, it could be a sign to take a hard look at how MDMA addiction is impacting your life.
Do you spend a majority of your time trying to get MDMA or other uppers, being on them, or recovering from them? Have friends or family mentioned that they don’t see you as often or that they are worried about drug use? Have you tried to quit or reduce how often you are using MDMA, but struggled with it?
These are all signs that addiction treatment might benefit you – but don’t worry. Instead, reach out to Purpose Healing to learn more about our inpatient and outpatient rehab options for people struggling with addiction to ecstasy, molly, or other drugs.
Get Help Overcoming MDMA Withdrawal at Purpose
If you’re struggling with MDMA abuse or any other form of substance abuse, you don’t have to go through it alone. At Purpose, we help clients lay a strong foundation for recovery in our inpatient and outpatient programs.
We also offer dual diagnosis treatment, something that can be very helpful in managing the high risk of depression that comes along with long-term MDMA use.
Reach out to Purpose Healing Center today. One of our welcoming Admissions team is waiting by the phone to answer your questions about our programs or verify insurance coverage.
Please make the call confidentially now for our support!
480-579-3319