Lethal ecstasy pills prompt “red alert” warning during ADE

The Trimbos institute issued a "red alert" warning on Thursday for dangerous ecstasy pills that contain a fatal dose of PMMA. The institute found numerous of these red pills with a Superman logo on both sides.

Ecstasy pills often contains PMMA, but this is an "extremely high dose", a spokesperson for Trimbos said to RTL Nieuws. This high dose triggered the institute to issue the national warning. Trimbos expects to know more about the pills during the course of Friday, but issued the warning immediately due to the Amsterdam Dance Event that started on Wednesday.

The usual active ingredient in ecstasy is MDMA. PMMA takes longer to take effect. This leads t the danger that users think they need to take more of the drug. Hours after the drug was taken, users could experience symptoms such as high heart rate, high body temperature or even heart, liver or kidney failure, Trimbos warns.

If you've taken a drug and start feeling unwell, call emergency number 112 immediately.