Meet The Bloke Who Survived A World-Record 40,000 Ecstasy Pills

For years, the British man simply referred to as “Mr A” has existed in relative obscurity, known predominantly within research circles. His claim to fame? Having consumed a staggering total of 40,000 ecstasy pills (otherwise known as MDMA, molly, or caps) from the age of 21 to 30 and lived to tell the tale; a feat originally documented by a 2006 case study published in the psychiatry journal Psychosomatics.

Over the past week, thanks to a brand new interview with Dr Christos Kouimtsidis via The Face – a psychiatrist who co-authored the aforementioned case study – along with the news of MDMA reportedly being a viable PTSD treatment, Mr A’s story has gained a renewed sense of interest. And people are understandably baffled by the Babe Ruthian numbers the Surrey native put up back in his glory days.

For reference, this represents the largest recorded MDMA intake in history, breaking the previous benchmark of 20,000 examined in a 1998 study; and it’s highly unlikely to ever be successfully replicated for obvious reasons (legal note: this is not a challenge).

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“[Mr A] was brought to my attention because of his memory difficulties. That was his main problem,” Dr Kouimtsidis told The Face.

“At that point, he was 37 and he didn’t take pills anymore. He had quit seven years previously after being hospitalised because he kept collapsing at parties. There was so much ecstasy in his system that he was high ​for a few months after he quit.”

“For the first two years, he took five tablets every weekend. It escalated to an average daily use of three-and-a-half tablets for the next three years, and further to an average of 25 tablets daily over the next four years.”

What in God’s name compels someone to throw back enough pills to make their jaw a permanent Skyflyer?

“As far as I remember, he had easy access to ecstasy,” recalled Dr Kouimtsidis, before revealing he’d also been using them as an antidepressant substitute. 

​“It was more like a management of his mood rather than excitement and having fun. It seems like he was very much into the club scene, providing ecstasy for himself and others and so forth.”

While Dr Christos Kouimtsidis points out MDMA is “far less dangerous” than other drugs in moderation, it wasn’t all fun and games. Especially after tipping the moderation scale so far to a single side.

It’s also worth noting Mr A had a history of “polydrug use” — adding everything from solvents, benzodiazepines, and amphetamines, to LSD, cocaine, heroin, and weed to the mix on top of the 40,000 ecstasy pills. By all accounts, this man wasn’t a sesh gremlin. He was a sesh thoroughbred.

“He wasn’t having a good time, though, inundating the hospital radio station with requests for old-school trance and king-size skins.”

Dr Kouimtsidis added: He actually suffered several episodes of ​tunnel vision which eventually morphed into ​severe panic attacks, recurrent anxiety, depression, muscle rigidity (particularly at the neck and jaw levels), functional hallucinations, and paranoid ideation.”

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Cutting out weed from his diet, however, led to the disappearance of his paranoia and hallucinations with a noticeable reduction of panic attacks. Still, the other symptoms remained.

So where is Mr A these days? Has he finally settled down, found work as an accountant, and peace in quiet suburban life? Apparently not…

“We were trying to get him into a residential unit for people with memory problems. And then he left that unit and disengaged from the services. That was 20 years ago.” said Dr Kouimtsidis.

The lesson here? Sometimes it’s worth leaving the party early.

You can check out the original 2006 case study entitled Neurological & Psychopathological Sequelae Associated With A Lifetime Intake of 40,000 Ecstasy Tablets co-authored by Dr Christos Kouimtsidis here.