MDMA (Molly/Ecstasy) Test Kits

Why do I need a test kit for MDMA (Molly/Ecstasy)? What is the best MDMA test kit?

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What are the best MDMA test kits?

Common MDMA adulterants that we want to avoid include: DXM, MDA, methamphetamine,1 methylone,2 3 4 and occasionally PMA/PMMA.5 DXM has become substantially rarer over time.6

Ideal: Lab test.7

Worst case: Not testing at all.

Common route that is better than not testing: Legal reagent tests at home.

MDMA Test Kit

Image from Reagent Tests UK.

List of test kits for MDMA

Elevation Chemicals, DoseTest and Roll Kit are all donating to MAPS for every sale that comes from their links on RollSafe, so we’re highlighting them here because of that and their low prices. MAPS is working on making MDMA a legal medicine - so cool!

Get a test kit from Elevation Chemicals, DoseTest (Coupon code: Rollsafe), or Roll Kit.

Elevation Chemicals

DoseTest

Roll Kit

Test kit set for US users with Marquis and Simon’s reagents:

  • USA, Elevation Chemicals, Marquis and Simon’s: $29 with free shipping, 1-2 day shipping available for $45 extra
  • USA, DanceSafe, Marquis and Simon’s: $51 including shipping, next day shipping available for $22 extra
  • USA, eBay, Marquis and Simon’s: $39 including shipping
  • USA, Bunk Police/Lunar Laboratories, Marquis and Simon’s: $50 including shipping, next day shipping available for $58 extra
  • Worldwide, ships from Europe and USA, DoseTest: $30 including shipping, 1-2 day shipping available for $40 extra.

Less recommended, more limited test, though substantially better than no test at all, with Marquis only:

Purity test kits for MDMA:

  • Canada and ships to the US, TestKitPlus: $59 including shipping to the USA for 10 tests
  • EU, PRO Test: starting at €51 EUR including express shipping for 10 tests with cheaper refills

Note that using the purity test requires first using the other reagent tests too. Doing just a purity test will not work. Also, don’t take this test as gospel, I don’t know of conclusive evidence to its reliability.

Reminder: A positive test for MDMA does not mean that other substances are not present.8 9

Which reagent tests should I use?

  • If you’re in the US: Marquis and Simon’s
  • If you’re in Europe: Marquis and Froehde

These recommendations are based on common local adulterants, plus the general note that using only one test kit isn’t a good idea - a second, and possibly third test provide increased confidence in the results.

For most MDMA users in the US the Marquis and Simon’s test kits are recommended.

This applies if you’re looking to consume MDMA, and like most, you won’t take your substance if it turns out not to contain MDMA.

Marquis can differentiate between MDMA, Methylone and other bath salts, and PMA/PMMA.

Simon’s A & B can distinguish MDMA from the adulterant MDA, which is decently common in the US.

Marquis can be replaced with Mecke if desired, with the main pro of Mecke being that Mecke is better for distinguishing DXM from MDMA, however DXM is rare as of 2017 and the few prior years.6 The cons of the Mecke reagent test are that it expires/goes bad faster than Marquis.

If you’re only willing to buy one test kit, get the Marquis test, however this is less safe than also getting the Simon’s kit.

Thank you to DanceSafe founder Emanuel Sferios for substantial advice and input on this guide.

If you’re planning on taking your drug but it doesn’t test positive for MDMA, don’t take it, as this may increase your health risk.

The Mandelin test kit is not particularly necessary, and is best for testing ketamine or cocaine.10

The Froehde test kit is not particularly necessary for MDMA users. It can be used to test for APB substances if you’re extra careful, though if you see the initial purple (with Marquis) or green (with Mecke) flash before the test turns black, then it’s not really necessary. You would generally see the test flash purple/green as mentioned with detection of MDMA, except if testing a pressed Ecstasy tablet where you often don’t see the color flash before the test turns black, possibly due to the binder material in the Ecstasy tablet (DanceSafe founder Emanuel Sferios).

As a side note, Sferios noted that pure cocaine is very rarely seen when testing cocaine in the field. If you’re doing cocaine, make sure you also buy test kits for cocaine.

Also, if you ever take LSD, make sure to buy a test kit for LSD. It’s important to avoid dangerous LSD adulerants like NBOMes.

Reagent tests can only detect the presence of a substance, they cannot detect purity.

Test kit instructions

“Marquis test kit should be your first step. You should see a flash of brilliant “royal” purple for as little as half a second, and up to five seconds. There should NOT be a flash of yellow, red, green, or any other colors. This would indicate a mixture of multiple substances. This purple color will change to black relatively quickly as it becomes so dark that it appears black. A reaction that goes straight to black, skipping purple, should be questioned and a followup test is advised. A fast to black reaction does not necessarily mean that it is not MDMA, it may even indicate high purity, but in this case there is a small possibility that it’s adulterated – If you can’t followup with another test, swirl the substance around in the test tube after it has finished reacting to make sure that the thin edges of the liquid are still purple. You can also hold it up to a light source to make sure it’s a deep purple that appears black. Be on the lookout for a muddy black as well which could signal a mixture. A substance that stays purple for a long period (15 seconds plus) IS NOT MDMA.” - Bunk Police.

DanceSafe’s instructions will be best for most people seeking MDMA who won’t consume the substance if it doesn’t contain MDMA.

How long do test kits last in the fridge?

6-12 months11, with Mecke having a shorter expiration than some others (Sferios)

The weaknesses of MDMA tests

Tablets may not be homogenous / evenly mixed, which can make testing inaccurate if the tested sample is not representative of the overall pill.8

A positive test for MDMA does not mean that other substances are not present.8 9

Reagent tests detect presence, not purity. Some reagent tests can only detect the presence of one substance if another is absent (e.g. Mandelin with PMA/PMMA and MDMA).11

You can get a quantitative drug analysis from these labs

This service by Energy Control offers a quantitative analysis of many drugs, including MDMA. The price is around 80 USD. The service is anonymous and confidential.

EcstasyData offers a similar service, at $40 USD per pill or $100 for a capsule/powder.

See a list of other drug analysis providers provided in person to locals, mostly in Europe, on Reddit.

Why MDMA should be tested

“A lot of the patients that we see coming in saying that they’ve taken molly, it usually turns out that they haven’t actually taken MDMA”2

In West Florida, 0% of analyzed “Molly” contained any MDMA, also instead mostly containing “bath salts.”4 😔 This is not good. The safety profile of MDMA is likely better than many of these other unknown substances.

Some “MDMA” contains PMA. This is highly dangerous and very important to avoid.5

Two reporters purchased three separate capsules of “Pure Molly” in two US cities: one contained bath salts, one contained a mix of MDMA and methamphetamine, and one contained a mix of MDMA, cocaine, methamphetamine, and an opioid (same class of drugs as heroin).3

Bath salts include substances like methylone and mephedrone.12

The good news is, over three quarters of people in one study said that they would not take an ecstasy pill that proved to have unknown contents.13

87% of “Molly” analyzed by the DEA contained 0% MDMA

87% of “Molly” analyzed by the DEA between 2009 and 2013 contained 0% MDMA, instead mostly containing “bath salts.”2 Terrible. 😠

A study found that 46% of Ecstasy tablets contained 0% MDMA

Unfortunately, your “MDMA”, “Molly” or Ecstasy is probably not pure MDMA. This 2005 paper found that 61% of tested ecstasy tablets contained other drugs. And a massive 46% contained 0% MDMA. 8.65% of “Ecstasy” pills contained some methamphetamine.14

Testing Center

If you care about drug testing, check out the drug testing center idea.

References

  1. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871605003716 [return]
  2. http://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/college-kids-are-unknowingly-rolling-bath-salts-316550.html [return]
  3. http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/10/25/molly_mdma_the_club_drug_is_dangerous_but_not_for_the_reasons_you_d_think.html [return]
  4. https://teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/have-you-seen-molly-even-if-you-think-so-you-may-have-been-fooled [return]
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20180228124410/http://drugscience.org.uk/drugs/stimulants/pma [return]
  6. https://www.ecstasydata.org/stats_substance_by_year.php [return]
  7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14594341 [return]
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12691209 [return]
  9. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.96811397.x/full [return]
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106115058/https://dancesafe.org/reseller-program/ [return]
  11. https://dancesafe.org/testing-kit-instructions/ [return]
  12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3474442/ [return]
  13. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395906001058 [return]
  14. Pharmacological content of tablets sold as “ecstasy”: Results from an online testing service [return]

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Recommended documentary about MDMA therapy: Trip of Compassion.