Overdose
Due to the difference between the recreational dose and the lethality dose, it is extremely rare
for a death to be accredited just to the consumption of MDMA. While a typical recreational dose
is roughly 100?150 mg (often being measured by eye and dealt with as fractions of a gram), this
dose is often then repeated but remains well below the lethal dose. Consumption of the drug can
be self-reinforcing while under the influence, and overdoses can occur. People who are grossly obese,
or who have diabetes, high blood pressure or heart conditions have a greater risk of overdose death
from any stimulant, and should generally avoid MDMA and similar drugs.
The standard treatment for ecstasy overdose given in hospitals includes a range of drugs such as
cyproheptadine or chlorpromazine but these are often of limited efficacy.
MDMA overdose mainly results in hyperthermia and hyponatremia, which leads onto convulsions
from the hyponatremia and rhabdomyolysis (toxic muscle breakdown) from the hyperthermia.
These complications can be treated; benzodiazepines such as diazepam or lorazepam are used
to control convulsions and dantrolene blocks rhabdomyolysis.
It has been argued that "the seriousness of the effects can be dependent on environmental factors
other than the drug concentration", as blood concentrations of the drug spanned a large range in cases
of death in MDMA users.
This not-with-standing, "most of the cases of serious toxicity or fatality have involved blood levels...
up to 40 times higher than the usual recreational range."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_MDMA_on_the_human_body