EXCLUSIVE Sudden death warning over popular party drug as study finds most pills are three times stronger than advertised
Tests carried out on the popular party drug this year showed some pills contained up to 339mg of MDMA, three-times the common dose, an update revealed today.
The Loop, a Home Office-licensed drug testing service, found average pill strength has surpassed pre-pandemic levels at 192g—up on the 187mg record last year.
Nearly 40 per cent of pills now contain more than 200mg of the stimulant. People have died from taking as little as 150mg of MDMA, though no amount is considered safe.
Ahead of festival season, which kicked off with Glastonbury last weekend, the non-profit warned that these changes in the 'MDMA pill market' could pose a serious threat to ecstasy users.
In an X, formerly Twitter post, the charity warned people that a single pill does not mean a single dose, highlighting the risks of overdosing—including heart attack, seizures and even death.
It marks the first time The Loop has found any pills containing a shocking 340mg of MDMA since before the pandemic. They were identified at Parklife festival in June 2025.
MDMA is a stimulant and psychedelic thought to rewire connections in the brain, dampening the part that controls fear.
The Loop's testing so far this year indicates changes in the MDMA pill market, which could increase risk to ecstasy users.
A single pill is not a single dose. #TakeQuarterSipWater pic.twitter.com/zAYzHuBCPb
— The Loop (@WeAreTheLoopUK) July 1, 2025
No level of MDMA is considered safe as the drug affects users differently based on their body weight and what other substances are in their system at the time.
At Parklife festival last month The Loop tested samples of the pills which had either been seized or disposed of in amnesty bins.
They found the tablets were stronger than those that had triggered fits, seizures, heart palpitations and even death.
Of all the ecstasy pills tested by The Loop so far this year, just 4 per cent contained no MDMA—a significant decease on 2021 figures when almost half had no traces of the drug.
Common risk reduction messages stood up by the charity include 'take a quarter, sip water' and 'go slow, stay low'.
Because ecstasy affects the body's ability to regulate temperature, experts are particularly concerned about young people taking the drug at festivals as temperatures continue to climb.
According to Talk to Frank, an anti-drug advisory service established by the Department of Health, taking the drug in these conditions increases the risk of dehydration and overheating, which can be fatal.
However, the drug-service warns that drinking too much water whilst on MDMA can also be dangerous.
This is because the drug can trigger a hormone in the body that prohibits the production of urine, resulting in liver failure.
Use of ecstasy has been linked to heart problems with common side-effects including severe agitation, raised body temperatures, fits and irregular heart rhythm.
Official figures estimate that around 170 deaths linked to MDMA in the UK every year. Pre-pandemic levels stood at 78.
Meanwhile, an estimated 2.4 million people, including 347,000 teenagers, take the drug.
It has been classed an illegal substance since 1977 when the government declared it a class A drug, for which the maximum penalty for possession is seven years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
The warning comes following the tragic death of a 17-year-old boy who died after taking ecstasy for the first time during a night out with friends last year.
Kristian Jolly, from Norfolk, took at least one pill named 'Andrew Tate' after the self-proclaimed misogynist and social media influencer.
Not long after swallowing the pill, Kristian started excessively sweating and became seriously unwell.
An ambulance was called the following morning, but Kristian's condition had seriously deteriorated overnight and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The warning comes as the NHS has launched the UK's first ever ketamine teen addiction clinic amid a surge in youngsters hooked on the mind-altering drug.
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