The strange case of the man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills in nine years

The Guardian (UK) ^ | April 4, 2006 | by David McCandless

[aculeus]

Doctors from London University have revealed details of what they believe is the largest amount of ecstasy ever consumed by a single person. Consultants from the addiction centre at St George's Medical School, London, have published a case report of a British man estimated to have taken around 40,000 pills of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, over nine years. The heaviest previous lifetime intake on record is 2,000 pills. Though the man, who is now 37, stopped taking the drug seven years ago, he still suffers from severe physical and mental health side-effects, including extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression. He also suffers from painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw which often prevents him from opening his mouth. The doctors believe many of these symptoms may be permanent.

The man, known as Mr A in the report in the scientific journal Psychosomatics, started using ecstasy at 21. For the first two years his use was an average of five pills per weekend. Gradually this escalated until he was taking around three and a half pills a day. At the peak, the man was taking an estimated 25 pills every day for four years. After several severe collapses at parties, Mr A decided to stop taking ecstasy. For several months, he still felt he was under the influence of the drug, despite being bedridden.

Hallucinations

His condition deteriorated and he began to experience recurrent tunnel vision and other problems including hallucinations, paranoia and muscle rigidity. "He came to us after deciding that he couldn't go on any more," said Dr Christos Kouimtsidis, the consultant psychiatrist at St George's Medical School in Tooting who treated him for five months. "He was having trouble functioning in everyday life."

[OB1kNOb]

"Dave's not here, man!"

[ishabibble]

DUDE...where's my brain?

[pepsionice]

Their numbers are far-fetched. I'd be guessing half that amount...otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to function throughout most of his life. As for his future...forget it...he is finished and will be sitting in a hospital...getting government-paid healthcare for the rest of his life. Guess who pays....

[zeugma]

No. Total bogosity. I am well aware of these type of claims. The same were made for LSD or psilicin or mescaline by Tim Leary or Ram Das/Alpert and other lesser known charlatans over the years. Aldous Huxley wrote that nonsensical garbage book about mescaline for example.

Think what you like, but the drug had been in use successfully in professional settings since the 20s.  It's only when it suddenly got "popular" amongst the younger crowds that it was removed from the market.

[tallhappy]

Think what you like, but the drug had been in use successfully in professional settings since the 20s.

Snake oil. People believe that works too.

[Horatio Gates]

Yeah, it should be Mr X.

40,000 ecstacy pills? Thats a lot of unecessary hugging and techno music under the bridge.

[Sir Gawain]

The doctors at St George's Medical School may think Mr. A took MDMA, but the truth is they don't know what he took. Neither does he. It could have been anything.

Bingo. Non-story.

[stevio]

I've given it up for Lent. I don't drink that much, at least one or two per night, and 4-8 on a party night which was usually 2-3 nights per week. I sometimes miss it at night but in the morning I'm glad I didn't. I remind myself how good I feel and consider continuing the abstinence after Easter. Good luck to you and God bless you.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

You're right of course, again.

[voteconstitutionparty]

To be equivalent it would have to be a story about the largest amount of alcohol ever consumed by a single person.

[Stone Mountain]

I wish. I should have remembered the case of the late Carroll (forgetting his full name) the actor who played Archie Bunker. He lost his son to an overdose and shortly afterward the genuinely grief-striken man was on television saying his son would not have died if heroin was legalized! Absolutely batty!

The way I remember it was that Carroll O'Connor held his son virtually blameless in his own death, but blamed the guy who sold his son the drugs and tried (unsucessfully) to get him tried for murder. I'd have a lot more respect for the guy if he had acknowledged his own son's responsibility in what happened to him.

[aculeus]

I have the same memory as you but that he also advocated legalization.

[Bigg Red]

that's why I said a guy"like this"...refering to America and similar drug abuse cases.

&&
Okay, I see.

[dighton]

Congratulations on the five years, and best wishes for continued success.