Cannabis Science

How Long Does it Take for Molly to Kick in?

molly pill

Whether you call it molly, ecstasy, or MDMA, there is no denying that it is a popular party drug. People usually pop a pill in and wait on it to take effect. But how long does it take molly to kick in? There’s no standard time, here’s what we mean. 

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How Long Does Molly Take to Kick in?

Healthline states that molly takes anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours to kick in. 

Pharmacokinetics of MDMA got more specific. According to this book, molly kicks in 30–45 minutes after oral administration of a 75–150 mg dose. The peak of the high, with a dose between 75-150mg, would be felt 60-90 minutes after you ingest it. 

Even if you and a friend took the same dose, you may not feel the effects at the exact same time. That’s because drug metabolism is affected by personal factors such as age, sex, genes, and your own metabolism.

How Long Does the Effects of Molly Last?

The National Council on Drug Abuse says that the effects typically last between three and six hours. However, they’ve noted that people often take a second dose as the first one starts to wear off. Therefore, the high would last longer than six hours. 

We know that 95% of ecstasy is cleared out of the body within 40 hours. However, it can be detected for much longer, for varying lengths of time and you can feel the effects of it for up to a week. 

The National Council on Drug Abuse says users may experience symptoms like anxiety, depression, and sleep problems up to a week following molly use. However, the article does admit that some of the longer-lasting effects may be due to other drugs that are taken with molly like weed. 

What are the Effects of Molly?

Molly has a lot of different effects. People consider some of the effects positive and it’s the primary reason they take the drug. On the other hand, there are several negative effects of molly that everyone should be aware of. 

People typically take molly because it can change their mood and perception of things. Molly, like weed, can act as a stimulant and a hallucinogen according to the National Council on Drug Abuse. 

Here to Help highlights the reasons for people’s different experiences with the drug. They said past experience with the drug, your overall well-being, and present mood and surroundings affects your experiences with molly. 

Positive Effects of Molly 

Some of the more positive effects of molly, according to Healthline and National Institute on Drug Abuse are:

  • Wakefulness
  • Euphoria
  • Extraversion
  • Openness or increased warmth to other people 
  • Increased energy
  • Sexual arousal
  • Pleasure

These effects are typically short-lived. 

Negative Effects of Molly 

Negative effects of taking molly, according to Healthline and National Institute  on Drug Abuse, includes:

  • Increase in body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate
  • Headache
  • Blurred visions
  • Depression
  • Recklessness
  • Insomnia
  • Muscle cramping
  • Nausea

These effects also tend to be short-lived.

Are There Any Long Term Effects of Taking Molly?

Unfortunately, there are a number of long-term effects of taking molly and they tend to be negative. Healthline lists a couple of these effects and included:

  • Tooth damage
  • Psychotic episodes
  • Paranoia
  • Severe depression
  • Panic attacks 
  • Neurological lesions
  • Circulatory problems

Here to Help also says the molly may affect the brain development of young people. 

What Happens When You Take Molly?

Whether you choose to snort, inject or ingest molly, the effects start when it enters your bloodstream. 

According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, once in your bloodstream, molly will travel to your brain and increase the activities of these brain chemicals:

  • Serotonin 
  • Norepinephrine
  • Dopamine

Here’s what that means for you. 

Serotonin regulates mood, sleep, appetite, among other important functions. Increasing the activity of serotonin can lead to many positive effects. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says, “The release of large amounts of serotonin likely causes the emotional closeness, elevated mood, and empathy felt by those who use MDMA.”

The increase in dopamine is the reason why molly users report an increase in energy. Dopamine also activates the reward center of our brain and could lead to addiction. There are conflicting studies on whether or not people get addicted to molly, however, people have reported withdrawal symptoms. 

When molly increases the activity of norepinephrine, your heart rate and blood pressure will go up. Naturally, if you have issues controlling those in general, molly could make things a lot worse. 

Conclusion

How long does molly take to kick in? There is no set time for molly to kick in but you can expect to feel the effects within two hours. Drug metabolism varies among people and so you may experience the effects at a different time than your peers. The effects, both negative and positive, tend to last a couple of hours however molly can affect you for up to one week. There are also instances of longer-lasting effects like tooth damage due to grinding.  

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About Trevann

Trevann is Stoner Rotation’s Jamaica-based lead writer for the Science section of our cannabis blog. She graduated with honors receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from the University of West Indies, Mona. For the last three years, she has covered some of the biggest questions around cannabis and health underpinned with research from supporting studies, medical journals and scholarly articles. Got something on your mind? You can reach her at [email protected].