PMA, PMMA

Looks like an Ecstasy tablet. Pure PMA is a white powder, but can appear beige, pink or yellowish on the street.

Ingestion

Small doses can significantly increase blood pressure, body temperature and pulse rates. Effects are similar to ecstasy but more intense as it is significantly stronger

There are serious health problems due to people mistaking PMA for E and taking several pills and therefore increasing chances of a PMA overdose. Other effects include muscle spasms, nausea, vomiting and in some cases, coma and death. Anyone using too much can get paranoid and depressed. Some long-term users report getting colds, flu and sore throats more often. But then staying awake for 24 hours is always going to give your immune system a battering. There have been many cases of death by heat stroke because of dehydration. The best way to avoid this is to drink about a pint of non-alcoholic fluid every hour. Excessive fluid intake can cause the brain to swell resulting in coma or death. Feelings of anxiety, panic, confusion, insomnia, auditory and visual hallucinations have been experienced by users. Long term ecstasy use may affect the immune system particularly in women and cause damage to the liver. It is unclear whether there is any long term brain damage in human users.

It's not addictive but it is possible to build up a tolerance which means people take more and more to get the same buzz.

PMA and PMMA are both class A controlled drugs in UK. It is illegal to supply or produce or to allow premises to be used for such activities.