How much MDMA is fatal? Johnny Depp rejects claims of consuming 10 pills of the drug

On Wednesday, May 25, Johnny Depp was once again called to the stand to testify as a rebuttal witness. The actor opened up about ex-wife Amber Heard’s allegations of s*xual and domestic abuse along with the testimony of his former partner Kate Moss.

The actor was also questioned about some controversial texts referencing Heard, which the 58-year-old Kentucky native denied having sent. He labeled Heard’s allegations as "insane" and said they were "ridiculous, humiliating, ludicrous, painful, savage, unbelievably brutal, cruel, and all false."

Later, Johnny Depp was also questioned about other claims by Amber Heard and her sister Whitney Henriquez. Depp also opened up about allegations of his usage of narcotic substances like MDMA during the course of their relationship.

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Johnny Depp denies consuming ten pills of MDMA in one sitting

Johnny Depp refuted Amber Heard’s claims of him being "fond" of MDMA (aka Ecstasy). The reports of Depp’s Ecstasy consumption originated from an article by The Hollywood Reporter, which was published on December 9, 2020. In the article, writer Tatiana Siegel claimed that a testimony from the actor’s 2020 libel lawsuit (against The Sun) argued that Depp had taken around eight ecstasy pills, which resulted in the alleged self-mutilation of his fingertip during the controversial 2015 trip to Australia.

However, Johnny Depp declined having taken such an amount of the drug at the time. On Wednesday, Depp further reiterated that he did not self-mutilate his fingertip but instead claimed that it was Heard who threw a vodka bottle at him, resulting in the injury.

In his testimony, the Pirates of the Caribbean star expressed that he believed a person would likely die from consuming such a large amount of Ecstacy. He said:

“I’d be dead. I’d be pretty sure I’d be dead. I think one would die, yes. Probably rather quickly.”

Johnny Depp further revealed that he had only consumed Ecstasy “six or seven times” in his life.

Last month, Johnny Depp claimed that Amber Heard and a few of her friends consumed the drug during their wedding. He said:

“To be honest with you, I don’t know how much MDMA they had, but for me, that was... For me to have taken MDMA would have been a waste of the drug, if you understand what I mean. It would have been essentially taking someone else’s high, because it wouldn’t have an effect on me.”

Meanwhile, as per the testimony of Amber Heard’s former nurse Erin Falati, Heard "ingested mushrooms and MDMA simultaneously while also consuming alcohol."

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What is a fatal dose of MDMA?

Excessive doses of MDMA can result in increased thirst, dehydration, sweating, chills from hypothermia, heatstroke, cramps, seizures, and more. It can also lead to the failure of necessary organs like the liver, kidney, and heart.

According to Medical News Today:

“Deaths from MDMA use mostly result from hyperthermia, or a sudden increase in body temperature, cardiovascular collapse, or significant dehydration.”

However, fatal factors may depend on an individual's level of tolerance for the drug, purity of the MDMA, a pre-existing condition, the climate or temperature of the location where the drug was consumed, the individual's hydration level, and more.

According to a study by UK researchers A. P. Hall and J. A. Henry published in 2006, other significant causes of death from MDMA overdose may include "heatstroke, serotonin toxicity, and water intoxication." Thus, the dose of MDMA that could kill a person would vary at an individual level.