As with all illict/street or even over the counter but FDA unregulated drugs, ecstasy effects everyone differently. Some people, as an above poster does, swear on their life that a threshold dose (for ecstasy threshold is generally considered 30 mgs, which is about half of a low quality pill) has permenatly altered their brain. On the other hand, some people can do unimaginable amounts and only have minimal damage. When you take anything you are taking a risk, even asprin. These risks are minimized when they have been produced and handled by qualified people in a controlled situation. This is NEVER the case with street drugs. Along with that when you buy estacy you could be getting any combination of MDMA, MDA, MDE, caffeine, dextromethorphan, ephedrine, glyceryl guaiacolate, and phenylpropanolamine. These are all very different substances. So you could take e one time and be fine and the next time you may have a very strong negative response. Dealers switch suppliers, chemists get greedy and start cutting more and more and with different things, and some inexperienced kids don't even know the difference. Specifically with Alexander Shulgin he was what is called a chemist. Which in the subculture means that he was the one who actually made the drug from the base, raw chemicals. This means he mixed everything up himself and knew exactly how much he was getting and what. That in and of itself eliminates most of the risk. He wasn't some kid scoring a hit off some dude in a dark club. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you never know what you're buying, no matter how straight your dealer is, and that is why street drugs are so scary (well beyond the fact that you're trading your health for a quickly ending good time).

OK ill say that if you follow basic rules of buying pills you will be fine, always buy pills that have been stamped well, not scratched into it. The pill is hard, not crumbly, and always buy from a dealer that uses the same pills as he sells.

It's extremely rare for a person to die from ecstasy alone. Almost always when someone dies, it's because the pills were dirty with other truly harmful drugs, people weren't taking care of themselves, or the most likely reason is because they mixed it with alcohol. When you hear about someone dying from E, you rarely hear the full story with all of the details. Ecstasy has a very bad reputation. It truly is a wonderful substance and it's a shame that it is illegal and made by unqualified chemists to be sold to the population. It would be so much better if people could go and buy quality MDMA legally. Crime would even drop!

fact is they don't know why only a few people die from it. Often the friends of the person will have consumed similar amounts of alcohol and taken the same pills. AND the person will have taken pills before - perhaps even the same ones (??!!) Best to consider it as just random. Don't do it. But if you have to - limit the amount you take, limit the amount you drink alcohol, and ensure you drink plenty of water. ...and try not to hug EVERYONE you see!