MDMA potency is increasing in Ireland, with some pills being found to contain three times the average adult dose – the highest strength ever seen here.
HSE drug-checking, Ireland’s only service analysing substances submitted for harm-reduction purposes, found MDMA products ranging from 0mg to more than 300mg this year.
Prof Eamon Keenan, HSE national clinical lead for addiction services said taking high doses of MDMA has been linked with cases of serious illness and death in Ireland.
“Year on year we’ve been seeing increases in MDMA potency, and this year we identified tablets containing over 300mg of pure MDMA.”
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“MDMA at this strength is very dangerous,” he said, as it can cause a rapid and significant rise in temperature, seizures and cardiac complications and can be fatal.
The HSE is warning of high-strength MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in circulation this Christmas.
Prof Keane said the HSE would prefer if people did not take drugs but, as these high-strength drugs are circulating, it wants people to be aware of the risks.
“MDMA has changed, and higher strength carries higher risk ... one pill does not mean one dose,” said Nicki Killeen, HSE emerging drug trends manager.
A study earlier this year found Ireland’s young people are the second-biggest users of MDMA.
The study by Europol and the European Union Drugs Agency shows consumption of the drug is rising again across Europe following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding use of MDMA, Irish young people are second only to drug users in the Netherlands, where much of the world’s supply is manufactured. According to the study, 6.5 per cent of Irish people aged between 15 and 34 had taken the drug in the previous year.
The next-biggest consumers in the EU were the Czech Republic (4.7 per cent), Germany (2.7 per cent) and Croatia (2.6 per cent).
While the HSE advises against drug taking it says if members of the public are to take them they should not mix in other drugs including alcohol, over-the-counter and prescription medication, and should stay cold and hydrated but not drink more than a pint of water an hour. They also advise knowing the signs of an emergency, which include pains in arms, legs, muscle twinges, overheating, being warm to touch, confusion or seizure, and not to delay in getting help. People are also advised to plan a safe way home and to never drive on drugs.
