Buproprion and MDMA

April 29, 2015 10:06 AM

I'm asking this for a friend. She would like to take MDMA (ecstasy, molly) with a friend, who is very MDMA experienced (she has never tried it). However, she is on buproprion (Wellbutrin, 300 mg). She'd like some perspective on the possible risks.

She is aware that both MDMA and Wellbutrin work in some way on increasing the level of dopamine in the brain. She'd like some data, information, anecdotes, or direction to resources that may help her make an informed choice on whether to try the MDMA.

After my own research, most of what I have found is one scientific article citing the chief issue to be a decreased response to the MDMA because of the Wellbutrin; it does not list any real dangers.

She is not looking for general thoughts/advice on taking MDMA or drugs generally, or general thoughts about mixing recreational and depression drugs. She is well aware of these concerns, which is why she's looking for some more specific information.

You're not a doctor/pharmacist/etc.

Thanks so much.

posted by The Pantless Wonder to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Has she asked her doctor? They should be willing and able to answer.
posted by The Gaffer at 10:20 AM on April 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Erowid.org has a wealth of information on all things related to recreational drug use, including interactions with legal pharmaceuticals (that is just one example).
posted by rtha at 10:24 AM on April 29, 2015 [12 favorites]

There's a couple of schools of thought here.

1. Is she planning on discontinuing her Wellbutrin for a period of time prior? If she is, then she needs to take into account the rebound effects and withdrawl effects from doing so.

2. Is she planning to take the mdma on top of her other meds? if so, she should be aware that buproprion will inhibit the mdma to a certain extent. She might be fine with this, given it's a first time and all.

I also encourage her to look through the archives at Erowid. It's a very thorough resource.

Feel free to memail me if you/she want more detailed info.
posted by ApathyGirl at 10:32 AM on April 29, 2015

So your friends are assuming this MDMA won't be contaminated or cut with any other psychoactive substances that might react with the Wellbutrin differently? Because this has been an issue specific to MDMA--particularly molly--that has caused injuries in deaths in folks who are not necessarily on other pharmaceuticals, and could render whatever other research you're doing moot in practice. This is very specific information your friend needs to consider (not just a general musing on combining antidepressants with street drugs or "drugs are bad, m'kay?).
posted by blue suede stockings at 10:56 AM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Don't mix drugs without the advice of your prescribing doctor. That's really the only ethical advice anyone can give here.
posted by theraflu at 11:00 AM on April 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

MDMA and bupropion each have an associated seizure risk. Combining them doesn't seem like a good idea.

And just in general, people advising you to experiment with mixing psychotropics are not doing you a favor.
posted by zennie at 11:15 AM on April 29, 2015 [10 favorites]

Wellbutrin and MDMA are both stimulants, so I'd be careful. Increased heart rate, sweating, anxiety, and a host of other issues could arise.
posted by dortmunder at 11:33 AM on April 29, 2015

Yeah, bupropion lowers your seizure threshold, and MDMA lowers it even further — not to mention whatever else it might be cut with. That, and someone with depression just shouldn't be taking psychotropic substances of any kind without medical supervision. Full stop.
posted by un petit cadeau at 11:43 AM on April 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

If she's on wellbutrin due to depression, she absolutely should not take ecstasy. It can trigger nasty depressive episodes. I have a friend who does mdma on occasion, and always feels like shit for days after he takes it, and that's in a emotionally normal person.

Erowid.org is going to be your best bet for information about wellbutrin + mdma as a combination and what to expect.
posted by zug at 12:04 PM on April 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I don't think asking her doctor will necessarily be helpful; there's no reason to expect that the doctor is an expert on recreational drugs.

I would strongly echo the advice to check Erowid.org. I'm at work so I don't want to check for myself, but I'd guarantee that they have good information on this specific interaction. Bluelight.ru might also be good.

MDMA doesn't have a huge effect on dopamine levels, it acts more on serotonin, so that isn't necessarily a problem. I'd be more concerned about taking MDMA while depressed - this seems like a good idea at the time but usually isn't when the comedown hits. I also don't think that going off meds in order to take MDMA is a good idea [basing this on having known a lot of ecstasy users, both IRL and online]. Secondly, it's known that SSRIs inhibit the effects of MDMA, and I wonder if this would also be true of bupropion. Thirdly, the seizure issue that others have mentioned.
posted by Pink Frost at 1:14 PM on April 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

Well, someone who certainly isn't me also takes 300mg of Bupropion XR daily and had a most enjoyable MDMA experience just last weekend. That person was a bit concerned about the interaction, but it turned out not to be a problem for them, anecdotally of course. That person figured out how much to take using mollymeasure.com, and used a test kit to determine what they had was, in fact, molly. If you have questions, you could memail me and I could pass your questions on to them.
posted by woodvine at 4:07 PM on April 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

3rding Get a test kit and make sure you have actual MDMA.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:37 AM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]