What’s MDA?

MDA is psychedelic and stimulant that is popularly used in clubbing environments to enhance the party experience. Also known as Sally or Sass.

Please read this article to better understand what MDA is, what it does and the potential risks that come with taking it. 

Quick Summary

MDA is a man-made drug that’s used for its psychedelic and stimulant effects. It’s a drug that’s famous for its use in clubbing environments and as a sex-enhancing substance. MDA is NOT the same thing as MDMA.

What exactly is MDA?

MDA (3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine) is a psychedelic drug that’s also classified as a stimulant. MDA is also known as Sally or Sass. MDA is a synthetic drug that was first made all the way back in the early 1900s. However, it only became really popular and widespread back in the 60s to 70s.  

How is MDA taken?

MDA is usually sold in the form of powder in the form of pills and taking orally or snorted. 

What does MDA feel like?

MDA is known for producing vivid visual hallucinations and a feeling of euphoria, but it can also cause a number of adverse effects, such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and anxiety.

What are the desired effects of Sally or MDA? 

Different users experience MDA in different ways. However, there are a few common and desired effects that come when taking MDA.

Here are a few commonly desired effects of Sally (MDA): 

• Getting in a very good mood
• Heightened feeling of empathy and affection 
• More intense feelings of affection and intimacy
• Heightened sense of well-being
• Feelings of euphoria
• Extreme boosts of energy 
• Positive visual hallucinations

MDA makes your brain release large amounts of serotonin and norepinephrine as well as smaller amounts of dopamine. This is what causes the desired effects of MDA but it also burns out your brain and leaves you feeling empty or deflated after the effects wear off (the comedown). 

MDA has qualities of both psychedelics and stimulants but it lies more on the psychedelic side of things. Users will experience more intense visual hallucinations with MDA compared to MDMA.

Users also report a stronger body high and long bursts of boosted energy.

MDA Experiences

You can read about peoples experiences with MDA over at Erowid. Here's a small selection: 

"We sat and talked in the living room, laughing and joking and listening to music. Five of the six of us took MDA that night, with one friend sitting out. By 8:30 or so I began to feel a tremendous sense of optimism and found that conversation took on an energetic and effortless tone. Things and ideas became fascinating. The next half hour or so is a kaleidoscope of conversations, thrilling music, and connection. At a certain point I found myself wanting to be alone for a bit so I wandered out to the deck again. The night was beautiful and still, and the tree-enclosed property surrounding us gave a nurturing sense of safety."

" I felt very relaxed, at ease and creative pathways were firing in my brain like crazy. Just lying on my bed and breathing deeply felt fantastic. We both decided we quite liked MDA and it was time for another dab. Feeling full of energy L suggested moving out into the cul-de-sac we live on to spin some poi, I wasn’t quite in the mood for spinning myself but we went out so she could spin and I watched and carried on talking to her. Then I got the headache. Very sudden onset, like a switch had been flipped. I excused myself and said I had to go lie down for a bit. L wanted to keep talking so we went to her room and lay on her bed. I had never had a headache like this one, my first thought was “so this is what a migraine feels like”. It was unbearable; it felt like my brain was being squeezed. After 5 minutes the words “Accident & Emergency” came up. We decided if things hadn’t alleviated in 30 minutes we’d get a taxi there. In those thirty minutes L tried having the lights low, having the lights off, playing soothing music, playing music quietly in the background and wrapping a damp towel round my head. By 30 minutes I was writhing and L was scared. It was time to make the dreaded trip to the hospital."

"At around 9:45, We each took one point of MDA to start out, I boofed mine (for science), and the rest took their capsules orally. At around 10:00, my come-up anxiety was in full swing. After 10:00, my anxiety gradually transformed into pure bliss. It felt like a wave was slowly crashing over me. I couldn’t keep my mouth closed, and I couldn’t contain my energy. I had to get up and walk around. I started pacing around and taking deep breaths. Everybody else seemed sober, with slight come-up anxiety. At around 10:30, everybody’s first point started kicking in. At this point, we moved into another room of our house to lay down on our blankets. I sank my face into a pillow, and laid there for about an hour. At 11:30, the power of the MDA continued to escalate. Every time I thought I was peaking, a new wave would hit me. We moved into our living room to go talk and listen to music. I lost my phone, which was kind of distracting, but our tripsitter helped me find it. I remember stubbing my toe, and feeling good about it. After that, I joined the rest of the group. I had trouble expressing my happiness. I was filled with so much elation and gratitude, I couldn’t find words to describe it. I felt like I was talking a mile a minute, and my mind was moving a hundred miles a minute. We kept thanking each other for random things. We started putting on our winter clothes, and feeling the softness of the fabrics. I put on a hoodie, a beanie, and a scarf. I have never had such an appreciation for fabric. I started sweating at about 12:00. I took off my winter clothes, and sat back down. My high had reached a cruising altitude. We started debating whether or not to take another point. We all agreed we would, but we would wait 30 minutes. We sat and listened to music without exchanging a word. We closed our eyes and just relinquished control. I felt like I was floating in a river at high tide and just went limp to let the river wash me away."

What are some of the potential side effects of Sally or MDA?

Sally (MDA) comes with some risks.  

MDA can be cut with different, sometimes toxic chemicals - there’s no way to determine your MDA’s purity without a detailed chemical analysis. Always test your street / synthetic drugs. 

The most notable long-term effects of MDA abuse are mental health issues such as severe depression and anxiety. MDA is a psychedelic and hallucinogen that can cause functional and structural changes in your brain if it's abused over a long period of time.

Taking Sally (MDA) comes with the risk of a whole host of harmful side-effects.

• Profusely sweating
• Clenched jaw
• Headaches
• Diarrhoea 
• Nausea
• Vomiting 
• Mild to extreme loss of appetite

Some of the more serious potential side-effects of Sally (MDA) are:

• Migraines
• Serious muscle tension
• Long-term anxiety
• Depression 
• Memory loss 
• Erectile dysfunction

While the first set of common side-effects above may seem quite mild, the biggest risk of taking Sally is the potential to overdose on it.

How to minimize an MDA Comedown

Most people experience a comedown on MDA. It's difficult to avoid. 

Some tips to minimize are: 

• Dont mix MDA with other substances
• Stay hydrated
• Don't stay up to late 
• Take neuroprotective supplements

Be mindful that supplements help, but they are not a license to be careless. If you go overboard with the MDA dosage or take it too frequently, no supplementation schedule will stop the crash. 

Is MDA addictive?  

There’s actually been debate about whether or not MDA is physically addictive.

While Sally (MDA) isn’t considered to be particularly addictive in comparison to some other drugs, the risk of addiction is still there. 

Can you build a tolerance to MDA?

Users are definitely capable of building up a tolerance for it which means that they need to take increasingly higher amounts of it to experience the same highs as they did before. Or take prolonged breaks. 

Overdosing on MDA 

You can die from taking too much MDA.

Experts are torn on whether the term “overdose” is properly applied to drugs like Sally (MDA) because there isn’t really a “standard dose” available to begin with. Since there’s no “standard dose”, many MDA fatalities thought they were taking a safe amount but overdosed anyway. 

What are the signs that someone is overdosing on MDA? 

If you see someone take Sally (MDA) and they exhibit any of the following symptoms, they might be overdosing: 

• Profuse sweating
• Having a seizure
• Experiencing panic attacks
• Falling unconscious 

They might also have heightened blood pressure or be feeling faint but these two symptoms are harder to notice. 

If someone in your vicinity has taken MDA, please be vigilant and look out for the symptoms above. If someone looks like they’re overdosing on MDA, contact emergency services immediately.

Sally (MDA) Purity

A big problem with taking drugs like Sally (MDA) or Molly (MDMA) is that you never really know what you’re getting when you take them. MDA is often mixed with other chemicals to either make profit margins higher or to increase the effects of the batch being sold. Batches of Sally can be completely different from batches made and sold by the same people. 

This is extremely dangerous because MDA can sometimes be combined with other drugs like meth, ketamine or cocaine without you knowing. While there haven’t been any reports of it being mixed with Fentanyl yet, it’s still a potential risk. 

Again, always test your street drugs. 

Is MDA legal?

MDA is illegal in many countries. It’s illegal in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. It’s illegal in other countries aside from that as well.

MDA is considered a Schedule I drug in the United States which means it’s illegal to make, sell, purchase or even possess it. 

FAQs

• What are the effects people want from MDA? 

Some of the effects that users want after taking MDA are feelings of euphoria as well as intimacy. Also, positive visual hallucinations.

•  What does MDA look like?

MDA comes in the form of white powder or in the form of pills that come in multiple colours. 

• How is MDA taken?

MDA can either be swallowed or snorted.

Final Thoughts  

Please tread carefully with MDA.  Do your research, test your drugs, and make sure you're in a comfortable setting. With any drug, it's a good idea to have a sober sitter with you who can help if anything starts to go wrong.