Citation

Elkattawy S, Mowafy A, Younes I, Tucktuck M, Agresti J. Cureus 2021; 13(5): e15223.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Curēus)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.15223

PMID

34188977

Abstract

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA, or "ecstasy", is a trending recreational drug used by the young crowd for obtaining "euphoria." Over the past few years, there have been multiple reports of teenagers committing suicide and suddenly dying post ingesting MDMA. Compared to other illicit drugs such as heroin, hash and cocaine, ecstasy is relatively new hence the popularity. There are multiple toxicities associated with MDMA, including but not limited to seizures, depression, liver failure, or thrombosis. However, in this report, we will focus on hyponatremia and one of the most feared complications of such electrolyte disturbance: seizures. The rapid reversal of the hyponatremia with hypertonic saline in such acute setting is key to reduce risk of cerebral swelling. We report a case of a young female with no past medical history who presented to emergency department post ecstasy use with tonic-clonic seizure and hyponatremia.

Language: en

Keywords

hyponatremia; ecstasy; mdma; methylenedioxymethamphetamine; recreational drug