MDMA Adulteration Warning
PMMA found in pills sold as MDMA in five European countries.
TEDI Network · Published 01/10/2026 · Data up to 01/10/2026
Since late July 2026, drug checking services in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland have found PMMA in pills sold as MDMA (ecstasy), either alone or mixed with MDMA. PMMA is much more dangerous than MDMA. Seven logos are affected so far, and the same logo can have a different content depending on the batch.
If you have a pill that looks like these
Don’t take it without getting it checked.
Find a drug checking service near you.
Examples of pills sold as XTC in which drug checking services found PMMA,
labelled with logo, service, country and date.
Examples, not a complete list. Logos change. A pill that is not on this page is not necessarily safe: the look of a pill tells you nothing about what is inside.
Don’t redose
Pill seems bunk or weak? Coming up slowly? PMMA can take 3 hours to reach full effects, and never reaches the same high as MDMA. Don’t Redose.
Reagent test kits are not enough
Home reagent tests are not enough. A reagent test may fail to detect PMMA when the pill also contains MDMA. Only home tests analysis using chromatography can reliably identify PMMA in these mixtures.
Signs of poisoning and what to do
Warning signs:
heavy sweating with rising temperature, very fast pulse, muscle stiffness, tremors or twitching, nausea or vomiting, agitation, confusion.
Call emergency services (112 in the EU, 144 in Switzerland) if you see: very high temperature with hot skin, confusion or unresponsiveness, seizures, chest pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or rapid deterioration.
While help is on its way:
* Bring the temperature down: cool, quiet place, stop all physical activity, loosen clothing, cool water on skin, neck and forearms, airflow.
* Don’t leave the person alone.
* Give small sips of water if they are conscious.
* No more substances or medication.
* Don’t restrain an agitated person, because it raises the temperature further.
* Tell the medics exactly what was taken.
If you think you have taken PMMA: don’t take more, even if you feel little or it is slow to come up. Watch for the signs above, and if they appear, call emergency services.
If you take antidepressants: PMMA is especially dangerous for people taking serotonergic antidepressants (SSRIs and others). The combination sharply raises the risk of serotonin syndrome.
The pills identified so far
Only pills with a detection confirmed by a drug checking service are listed. Data up to 01/10/2026.
| Logo | Appearance | What was found | Detected in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trump | Two-coloured: red-blue, red-green, blue-gold, red-grey (NL); pink-green and red-grey (ES) ; red-purple (CH); orange-purple (AT); pink-purple (AT); purple-coated pink (DE) | PMMA alone, or PMMA with MDMA; some samples also with ketamine or amphetamine | Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany |
| Red Bull | Light-dark purple (NL); grey (CH); grey-purple-red (AT); yellow (BE) | PMMA | Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium |
| Club 555 | Multicoloured (CH); pink-green (NL); blue-pink (IT) | PMMA, nothing else | Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy |
| Donkey Kong / Gorilla | Two-coloured pink-beige (CH); beige-gold & pink (AT); pink (BE) | PMMA | Austria, Switzerland, Belgium |
| Hulk | Grey | PMMA with MDMA | Netherlands |
| Abarth | Multicoloured | PMMA | Switzerland |
| Mitsubishi | Light beige – gold | PMMA with MDMA and ketamine; some samples also with caffeine or amphetamine | Netherlands |
The same logo can contain different substances in different batches. Use this table to recognise pills that have already been analysed, not to decide that another pill is safe.
Background
What PMMA is and why it is different
PMMA (para-methoxymethamphetamine) is an amphetamine chemically related to MDMA; PMA is its analogue. It has been controlled across the EU since 2002, following the EMCDDA risk assessment.
It comes up late. MDMA usually takes effect after 30–60 minutes; PMMA takes between 1 and 2.5 hours. People think the pill is weak and take another one before the first has taken effect. Most documented poisonings follow this pattern.
It feels weak but hits the body hard. PMMA gives little of the euphoria and energy of MDMA, but the full physical load. The body can overheat while the expected effect never arrives.
It causes a serotonin excess. PMMA blocks the enzyme that breaks down serotonin (an MAOI effect), so the body releases serotonin and at the same time cannot eliminate it. The result can be serotonin syndrome and dangerous overheating.
Mixed with MDMA, the risk is higher. Both substances raise serotonin, and the pill “works” just enough not to raise suspicion. The samples from Spain, and the first samples in the Netherlands in May, contained this mix.
The dose window is narrow and people metabolise it very differently: the same pill can affect two people very differently. No source gives a “safe” dose of PMMA.
Poisonings and deaths
No deaths linked to these pills have been confirmed in 2026, neither in public sources nor in the network (Trimbos, 28/08: no known victims with PMMA in their blood; Energy Control, 16/09: no new cases since its two detections). There have been poisonings treated in hospitals. Many hospitals do not routinely test for PMMA, so the absence of confirmed cases may partly reflect a detection limitation, not only a real absence.
PMMA has been linked to deaths in earlier outbreaks. Between 2010 and 2014: in Norway, 12 deaths and 22 severe poisonings in half a year; in Ireland, at least 6 people died between December 2013 and May 2014 with PMA or PMMA in their system; in Alberta and British Columbia (Canada), 27 deaths between 2011 and 2012. Not every death is attributable to PMMA alone, but the pattern is clear: it is much more dangerous than MDMA, especially when the person taking it doesn’t know it’s there.
European timeline 2026
| Date | Country · service | What was detected or published |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Netherlands · DIMS (Trimbos) | First warnings via the Red Alert app about pills with MDMA and a smaller amount of PMMA. |
| Late July | Austria · checkit! Vienna | PMMA in three pills sold as ecstasy, “Red Bull” logo, grey-purple-red, bought in Vienna. Public warning in early August. |
| Mid August – early September | Austria · checkit! Vienna | PMMA in two more pills (week 37 warning). |
| 28/08 | Netherlands · Trimbos / DIMS | Red Alert, the highest level: several two-coloured “Trump” pills with a very high dose of PMMA handed in at testing centres the previous week. No known victims. |
| 31/08 | Switzerland · DIZ Zurich (saferparty) and other Swiss services | Warning “PMMA in MDMA Pills 2026” on recent detections in pills handed in in Switzerland. |
| Early September | Belgium · Modus Vivendi | “Red Bull” pill with PMMA bought in Brussels, sold as MDMA. Eurotox alert on 09/09. |
| 10/09 | Germany · Legal-High-Inhaltsstoffe | PMMA in a “Trump” pill in a new colour: purple with a pink coating on the front. |
| 16/09 | Spain · Energy Control | MDMA and PMMA in two “Trump” pills (pink/green and red/grey) bought on the deep web. No new cases since. |
| 25/09 | Belgium · Modus Vivendi (TRIP) | PMMA in a pink “Gorilla” pill sold as MDMA. |
| 25/09 | Italy · Neutravel | PMMA in a “Club 555” pill sold as MDMA. |
Why TEDI is publishing this
Five services detected PMMA separately, each in its own country. Put together, the pattern becomes visible: seven logos, five countries, and the same logo with different contents from batch to batch.
That changes the message. It is no longer enough to avoid a list of logos, because logos change every month and any list goes out of date. What does not go out of date is the advice: get it checked at a drug checking service.
The TEDI map of drug checking services in Europe shows where to do that:
Sources
- Energy Control. Alerta en Europa: PMMA y MDMA en pastillas vendidas como MDMA. ¿Qué hacer si las has visto? Published 17/09/2026, updated 21/09/2026.
- Energy Control. Alerta en España, 16/09/2026.
- DIMS / Trimbos (Netherlands). Composition data for the 2026 samples with PMMA (shared with TEDI).
- Trimbos-instituut. Trimbos Red Alert: Zeer gevaarlijke XTC met PMMA aangetroffen, 28/08/2026. Red Alert list of dangerous pills.
- DIZ Zurich / saferparty.ch. Warning: PMMA in MDMA Pills 2026, 31/08/2026.
- checkit! Vienna. Warnungen, weeks 31–37 of 2026.
- Eurotox / Modus Vivendi. Identification en Belgique et aux Pays-Bas de comprimés d’ecstasy contenant de la PMMA, 09/09/2026.
- EMCDDA (now EUDA). Risk assessment of PMMA, 2002, and Council decision placing PMMA under control, 2002.
- Legal-High-Inhaltsstoffe (Germany ). Website warning
Historical references on PMA and PMMA
- Recent Paramethoxyamphetamine Deaths. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 1998. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/22.2.169
- Fatalities Caused by the MDMA-Related Drug Paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA). Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/25.7.645
- Three cases of fatal paramethoxyamphetamine overdose. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/25.7.649
- A fatal paramethoxymethamphetamine intoxication. Legal Medicine, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1344-6223(02)00096-2
- Dancing with “Death”: P-Methoxyamphetamine Overdose and Its Acute Management. Journal of Toxicology: Clinical Toxicology, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1081/clt-120019130
Media enquiries
Please contact Mireia Ventura, TEDI Network: [email protected]
European Drug Adulteration Warning · TEDI Network
Last updated: 30/09/2026
