MDMA and psychedelic phenethylamines
Comparatively, how bad would you say psychedelic phenethylamines are compared to MDMA? I’ve been reading a lot about phenethylamines lately and how they can boost the body’s metabolism, induce the feeling of love, and possibly improve cognitive function and mood. On a personal level, I can say that after consuming a variety of different 2C-x compounds at lower doses, I’ve never had adverse after-effects, which I cannot say for MDMA. 2C-I, 2C-E, and other 2C-x compounds seem to utilize a more of a pay-it-forward approach, where you feel like shit on the come-up (not unlike mescaline), but then just feel amazing through the trip and without any sort of ill-effects in the come-down. Can psychedelic phenethylamines potentially cause damage akin to what MDMA does to Nigral cells? Could you start burning holes in to your brain if you took psychedelic phenethylamines a few too many times, or are they fairly safe when compared to MDMA?
It is important to understand that drugs cannot be classified as solely good or bad; their effects depend on the manner in which they are used.
It is a myth that drugs can burn holes in the brain as substances such as hydrochloric acid are not considered drugs.
MDMA, on the other hand, has undergone four decades of intensive research in both humans and animals, making it much safer than the psychedelic phenylethylamines. MDMA has been tested on thousands of people in clinical trials, whereas the human pharmacology of 2C-B or 2C-E has only been documented in anecdotal studies.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29593537/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7093582/
The use of phenylethylamines from the 2C family is uncommon at the population level. However, while the use of some members such as 2C-I, 2C-B, and 2C-E has gone unnoticed for decades, cases of toxicity and serious adverse effects from newer ones such as 2C-B Fly and Bromodragonfly have been reported more frequently. In addition to the lack of human experience, many psychedelic phenylethylamines are highly potent, and small differences in dosage, sometimes measured in milligrams or even micrograms, can produce intense effects, including organ toxicity.
It is true that the aftermath or «comedown» related to MDMA use is harder for most people than with 2C-X. This is due to both the pharmacological properties of each substance and the dose, frequency, and patterns of use.
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