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TWO batches of ecstasy containing lethal PMMA detected in Europe

PMMA is a chemical compound similar to MDMA but with some crucial differences. It completely prevents the body from regulating serotonin levels* and as a result, creates a high risk of fatal overheating. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it takes a long time to kick in, so people who think they are taking MDMA may take more as the slight effects lead them to think they just have weak pills.

The possibly lethal ecstasy tablets

The potentially lethal ecstasy tablets

PMMA is easily detected with the froehde and mandelin reagent tests, but people can’t detect it if they don’t test!

PMMA has been responsible for a number of deaths over the years but it typically only shows up in very isolated batches. Unusually, TWO separate batches have been identified in the last few days, leading Dutch authorities to launch a warning campaign to keep people safe.

The pills concerned are pink superman pills and red ferarri pills, both pictured below.

The pink superman pills are reported to have the superman logo on both sides, with an appearance similar to the batch that killed 4 people in the space of 2 weeks at the end of 2014. It only contains PMMA and the dosage in a single pill could be lethal.

Pink Superman PMMA ecstasy pill
Pink Superman Ecstasy

The Red Ferarri pill is a new press which is being sold online as containing “200+ mg of MDMA”. It was detected by EcstasyData and was purchased in Germany. It only contains PMMA.

Red Ferrari PMMA ecstasy pill

Red Ferrari Ecstasy

When tested with reagent tests these pills will give the following colours:

PMMA Reagent Reaction Table

The MDMA testing multipack is our best selling selection and contains 30 tests of the marquis, mecke and froehde reagents. A test takes 60 seconds to carry out and could prevent a ruined night out – or worse. If your result is inconclusive, don’t risk it!

If you can’t test for some reason, you must at least #CrushDabWait, but using your body to test if something is dangerous is obviously still very dangerous!


* Interested in the sciency bit? PMMA is a strong inhibitor of the enzyme “Monoamine Oxidase”and a serotonin releasing agent. When MDMA releases serotonin this enzyme breaks down some of it to keep levels in check and reduce the chance of overheating (but high doses can still override this of course).

With PMMA, serotonin is released but it has nowhere to go since the enzyme has been completely deactivated. This means that levels build continuously and the very high levels of serotonin lead to something called “Serotonin Syndrome”. This is where serotonin prevents normal regulation of temperature, and coupled with the stimulation from the drugs, the body goes into overdrive and overheats.

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Beige heisenberg ecstasy pill warning

Edit: We have also detected purple and pink Heisenberg pills with pentylone in them. Avoiding this press completely is recommended.

The beige Heisenberg tablets currently available contain NO MDMA but instead contain pentylone, a synthetic cathinone stimulant.

The pills will react bright yellow with the marquis reagent, whereas MDMA goes black so these ones are easy to spot as rubbish.

Pentylone is slightly like mephedrone but lasts longer and is much less enjoyable.
Because it is less enjoyable but does have an effect, people tend to think they just have weak pills and need to take more to get the buzz they want. This results in a very high dose of pentylone, which prevents sleep for hours after it wears off, and along with its stimulant effects can cause paranoia and psychosis, as well as totally ruining your night.

small Beige heisenbergs pentylone

Pentylone is class B in the UK.

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Manchester police issue second warning about high strength MDMA tablets

For the second time in two weeks, Manchester police have issued a warning about high strength MDMA pills circulating in manchester after two women in their twenties collapsed early on Saturday morning.

The police say the pills concerned are the “lego brick” tablets and posted the photo on the left. Sadly this is another low quality image which appears to have come from social media! There are currently two DIFFERENT types of lego brick pill on the market so this is a bit of a problem, and the police have not released any analysis of what’s in the pills.
Police lego brick pill imageLego bricks dutch press
With that said, both variations of the pill are professionally pressed, and likely to be very strong. In addition to this, both types are quite new, with the “other” press (pictured below) being listed as over 200mg of MDMA. Again, this is extremely strong, with a typical dose of MDMA being 130mg.

What can we learn from this? It appears to be another case of illness due to large amounts of MDMA in hot environments so:

  • Use the #CrushDabWait technique to avoid a strong pill or powder taking you by surprise.
  • Know your drug – using an MDMA reagent test is a really good warning sign of dodgy pills or powders, especially for £15
  • Know your dose – if you aren’t using #CrushDabWait, make sure you know how much is in the pill, or how much powder you are taking. Scales are cheap, brains are not!
  • Avoid taking other drugs at the same time – this can really complicate things and make it hard to know how much is too much. This includes alcohol – keep it to a couple of drinks.
  • Stay cool – take regular breaks from the dancefloor to cool down for 5 minutes. Have a chat in the smoking area ;)
  • Hydrate sensibly – take sips of cold water, drink a sensible amount for the activity you are doing. MDMA makes you feel constantly thirsty but stops you peeing, so you can “dilute” your blood dangerously.
  • Stay with your friends – they know you, and if you’re looking in a bad way they’ll be able to sort you out and keep you safe.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help – the medics are not the police, will not call the police and are usually incredibly friendly. No matter what, they WILL keep you safe.

 

CheckIt! result for possibly related two-notch lego pill.
Manchester police press release. (Facebook link)
Reddit discussions on 4-notch lego blocks: 1, 2

 

Edit: there is a better photo of the two-notch lego brick pills here

MDMA-team lego brick 2 notch_crop

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Police Issue Warning About Pink Mastercard Ecstasy Tablet

Following the death of a 17 year-old girl in manchester at the weekend, Greater Manchester Police have issued a warning about the “Mastercard” ecstasy believed to be responsible. They have accompanied this with a photo of the affected batch, which do appear to show the popular pills. Accompanied is a professional image from pillreports.net for comparison.

Manchester Police image Mastercard pill test result

These have been analysed by several organisations who report that they contain around 200mg1 of MDMA. A typical single-dose of MDMA for a teenage girl would be under 100mg, which makes these a really strong pill. The police do not comment further on the matter but it seems likely that this is a tragic case of overdose from the extreme strength of the pills, most likely compounded in a hot environment.

You can buy an MDMA test kit here to help inform you about pills and powders, but please always remember to use the #CrushDabWait method when using a new batch, even if you have already tested them. Knowing they are strong or contain something dangerous doesn’t help if people still drop 5 at once!

Police have urged anyone who has taken the pills to seek medical attention, even if they are not under the effects of the drug. This is quite uncommon given that very few drugs can cause fatalities after the effects have worn off, but they have not elaborated on the reason for this advice.




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PMA containing ecstasy rumoured to be available in the UK

The Daily Star is reporting that “Chupa Chups” stamped ecstasy tablets with PMA are circulating in the UK.

An anonymous source is reported to have sent the tip-off claiming the pink tablets are stamped with the brand name.

Though red Chupa Chups tablets have been circulating for some time, a recent round, pink chupa chup pill has also recently surfaced and has had a questionable reputation from the get-go.
Pictured below, courtesy of pillreports.net, the submitter suspects the contents are MDxx + PMA/PMMA.

pink Chupa chup ecstasy pill with PMA
An image of the suspected PMA containing pills.

The more popular red Chupa Chups pills have contained MDMA for some time and have a “flower” style outline with a stylised Chupa Chups logo. Users are being urged to exercise extra caution until more information is known – uncorroborated tabloid rumors can turn out to be just that, but for the cost of a few pills it might be worth picking up an MDMA testing kit just in case, regardless of the pill logo.

If you do find yourself taking a pill without testing it first, remember to #CrushDabWait – this will reduce the risks no matter what’s in it, be it strong MDMA or PMA.

Dutch Chupa Chups Ecstasy
The more well known brand of Chupa Chups pill

Sources:
http://www.mixmag.net/read/dangerous-chupa-chups-pills-are-circulating-the-uk-news/
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/503749/Lethal-ecstasy-pills-Chupa-Chups-logo-flood-Britain-unsafe-illegal-drugs-MDMA-PMA