Happy Friday! This weekend as you head out to celebrate – whether it be New York Fashion Week or just a party because it’s one of the last weekends of the summer remember that you should absolutely NOT invite Molly to hang with you. Because Molly is one girl you DON’T want to hang with… and let me tell you why.
There have been more and more stories in the news about people who have met this pretty young girl, Molly and found out that she is nothing nice. Recently two young people died of a suspected Molly overdose at New York’s Electric Zoo festival leading to the early shutdown of the multi-day concert. Another recent death of a young girl at the House of Blues concert in Boston was also attributed to Molly. In case you don’t know, here’s a little bit of info about the notorious, yet increasingly popular, Molly:
Molly is the purest form of MDMA – 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Whaaat? Well basically it’s an AMPHETAMINE, which means it’s a stimulant (an “upper”) and gives you a euphoric, high sensation when you take it. Now the thing about Molly is that even though people think it’s the purest form of “X”, it may not be because you never know what it actually has been cut with – it could be cocaine, PCP, caffeine, dextromethorphan (which is in cough syrup)- so you never know how “pure” it really is. This is especially the case when procuring it from someone at a party or concert, but really, Molly is dangerous all around.
Now I know some of you may be thinking, “well I only use it when I party”, or “I just tried it once.” I’m sorry those answers just won’t fly. You see the thing is: a) you don’t know what is TRULY in the pills you are taking (no matter how trusted the source) b) people have died the first time they have taken these drugs and c) you just don’t know if YOU are vulnerable to addiction. Your genetics, body, personal environment and other life factors can directly impact your susceptibility to becoming addicted to ANY drug including Molly as well as impact your reaction – which could be fatal! That means that even one hit could prove to be deadly.
Despite all of these dangers, Molly is out in the community and prevalent more and more in pop culture and I’m guessing someone you know knows someone who knows someone who may have tried Molly (or you yourself perhaps dabble in it) which means it’s important I fully educate you about this drug so if you are ever in a situation where there’s an emergency you can help.
Usually a hit of Molly takes about 15 minutes to kick in, peaks and has its maximum effects in about 45 minutes. Similar to other “uppers” like cocaine, Molly gives the sensation of feeling high, hyper and very alert. Some people lose their sense of time and others feel exaggerated sensations like enhanced sense of touch or sound. Other users have reported feelings of anxiousness and agitation, have sweats, chills, or feel faint or dizzy. Molly can also cause blurred vision, nausea, and increase your heart rate and blood pressure, as well as dangerously elevate your body’s temperature. Weirdly, Molly can cause forceful clenching of teeth, so clubbers have reported chewing on pacifiers to relieve the tension they feel. Since the drug’s effects last 3-6 hours many people combine Molly with alcohol or other drugs to keep the part going all night (not something that is good for your body in any way, shape or form).
Here’s something else you may not know: one solitary pill can have weeklong effects that include feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression and even memory problems. Studies in animals have shown that high doses of the drug for only four days led to long-term brain damage that was seen 6-7 years later.
The facts speak for themselves: Molly isn’t a girl you want to know and quite honestly the medical community doesn’t know everything about it yet including its long lasting effects (partially because it can be combined with and cut with other drugs). What we do know is that ER visits for Molly and other MDMA- related drugs have doubled in the past 6 years!
So there you have it ladies and gents, the hard truth about a (too) popular drug. My doctor’s orders? Stay away from Molly. She’s not a good friend, will never be you BFF and will only bring you down and get you into more trouble than you want to deal with for the weekend – let alone your life!
XO
Dr. V
