WHAT CAUSES A COMEDOWN? - AVOIDING & COPING WITH THE POST-PARTY BLUES
Burnt out, crying over spilt milk, swearing you'll never take drugs again? Sounds like you're coming down! A lot of people experience rollercoaster emotions after partying all weekend and, in particular, MDMA has a reputation for causing savage comedowns.
Below, we'll look at some of the different methods for bouncing back after a big weekend, and some steps you can take to help avoid comedowns altogether.
Comedowns will differ from person to person. For some, it may be no worse than feeling like you are suffering from a sluggish hangover. Others may experience total emotional ruination that can last up to a week.
When it comes to MDMA comedowns, people like to throw around the age-old one-liner:”what goes up must come down”. Luckily for us, this may not be as true as once thought. Recent research from the Imperial College London has suggested that MDMA can potentially be taken in a way that avoids comedowns. The same study also provided some evidence that MDMA can produce an “afterglow” effect - which is what some people who use it have been saying on internet forums for years.
Why then do so many of us feel like human trash the next day? Well, recent studies supported by anecdotal reports indicate that MDMA comedowns are strongly related to:
Contaminated or impure MDMA
Excessive dosing or certain drug combinations
Sleep loss
Not taking care of your health before and after partying
With this in mind, the following information could help make 'the Monday blues,' 'Suicide Tuesdays' and 'Wasted Wednesdays' a thing of the past for you.
SLEEP
Sleep is super important, and how much of it you get plays a massive part in how you feel both physically and mentally. Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that many of the most common comedown symptoms may be the result of not enough sleep, rather than the MDMA itself.
This belief has been backed-up with evidence in recent clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treating alcohol dependence. Preliminary results, shared by Dr. Ben Sessa, found "No post-dosing mood drop in the 7-days after medical MDMA." He instead suggested that post-party comedowns are "an artefact of sleep loss, excessive exercise and concomitant drug use."
So what's the lesson here? To reduce the chance of comedown, avoid mixing drugs, take regular breaks when dancing, and try to get at least 9 hours of sleep the night before, and the night after, taking MDMA.
SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements can help to reduce comedown symptoms, reduce side effects and even help with neuroprotection. Things like vitamin c, antioxidants and magnesium can all help to fight off the comedown, as they can protect you against drug-induced damage to the brain and body before it occurs.
While there is plenty of information out there about supplements to use with MDMA, it is essential to remember that, primarily due to prohibition, much of this information is anecdotal. Refer to our complete MDMA supplements guide.
SAFER USING
Although still rare, the most common causes of serious illness surrounding MDMA seem to be severe overheating and (ironically) people drinking far too much water out of fear of that overheating.
Generally, it is recommended that you drink: around 500ml of water per hour if active and around 250ml an hour when inactive. It can be a good idea to supplement some of your water intake with drinks that contain electrolytes (sports drinks and coconut water are good options).
Avoiding dehydration will help to fight off some of those physical comedown symptoms. To know if you are hydrated keep an eye on the colour of your pee – dark yellow means dehydrated, very light yellow or clear means too hydrated. You want it to be straw-coloured.
HYDRATION
Different people experience different drugs in different ways – so it is vital that you know yourself and your limits. It is important to be smart about your use and practice harm reduction where possible. Some of the most important things to think about:
Get your MDMA tested. Seeing we don't yet have access to lab-quality testing, get a reagent testing kit to use at home (Here’s our guide to reagent test kits).
Take safer dosages, perhaps less than 180mg total during a session for a male or 120mg for a female/smaller person.
Don't mix MDMA with other drugs that have comedowns.
Start low, go slow and don't re-dose for at least 2-3 hours.
Take breaks between consecutive MDMA sessions: at least not more than every 3 weeks, but preferably keeping it to max once every 3 months.
NUTRITION
Having a healthy, well-balanced diet is just plain good for you. And it will make you better able to cope with whatever morning-after effects you’re dealing with.
You may not have much of an appetite the next day, so being well-nourished before you start will ease the suffering later. Consider having a hearty and healthy meal about 4 hours before you take MDMA. This way, the food will be digested before you take MDMA, but you will also have food in your system. Eating is particularly important if you’re planning on dancing or being active.
You probably won’t feel like eating directly after rolling, but try getting something down. We suggest drinking your nutrition before crashing – green smoothies are perfect for this. Trust us, you’ll feel better for it.
TIPS FOR COPING WITH COMEDOWNS
Even if you do your best to follow all the advice in this article, unfortunately, you could still end up an emotional wreck and feeling like your brain is made of mashed potato.
While it might be tempting to fight your comedown with more drugs and keep the party going, doing so isn’t a good idea and won’t help in the long run. This is the time to practice some self-care. What’s your favourite way to chill out? What do you need to recover? Everyone will have something different that works for them, but some of our favourite comedown tips include:
Binge watching some mindless show on Netflix.
Having a bath - maybe use that bath bomb you have had lying around the house for the last 3 years.
Skincare! A hydrating face mask can bring you back to life after big weekend.
Lip balm is great to counteract the last 48 hours of drug-induced lip-licking and sunburn.
Joints shared with friends (if that’s your thing)
Cuddling up in bed with someone else who’s coming down.
Emotional support.
Smoothies! Lived experience suggests bananas, berries, peanut butter and soy milk are a good combo.
NOT MAKING LIFE CHANGING-DECISIONS. Trust us, it can wait till later.
Basically, just chill out on the drugs for a bit, be kind to yourself, and try not to be too much of a prick to the people you love around you. Comedowns don’t last forever, but the memories of a good night will!