Ecstasy

What is it?

Ecstasy is an hallucinogenic stimulant. It is a man-made drug with both hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. The chemical name for ecstasy is 3,4 Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine – or MDMA in short form. It’s chemically similar to two other synthetic drugs, MDA and methamphetamine.

Medicinal uses

None.

Use of Ecstasy

Ecstasy has only been used as a drug of abuse in the UK since the mid 1980’s. It is now very common and is taken regularly by many thousands of people. It’s mainly associated with the dance culture or disco scene and so is often perceived as a ‘party’ drug, or a ‘weekend’ drug, unlike for example heroin or amphetamines, which are usually taken more regularly.

This perception can give rise to a false understanding that ecstasy is safe to use. This is simply not true – as the long term effects are largely unknown.

Ecstasy is seen in tablet or capsule form, or very rarely as a powder. Slang jargon includes ‘E’, ‘Eccies’, ‘Love Doves’, ‘Disco biscuits’ etc., although tablets are sold under a variety of so-called ‘brand names’ and are often embossed with a logo. A single dose costs 10-15 Pounds Sterling.

The type of tablets available changes from week to week, and counterfeit tablets are common. According to police analysis, half of all Ecstasy tablets seized contained no MDMA (the active ingredient). Some tablets contained LSD, amphetamine, MDA, and Ketamine, others had no drug content whatsoever.

How does it work?

Ecstasy interferes with the concentration and action of seretonin in our brains. Serotonin is a ‘messenger substance’ or neurotransmitter that affects the peripheral and central nervous systems. It acts through ‘receptors’ that are located on the outside walls of cells. Amongst other things it’s involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, sexual behaviour, temperature and appetite.

Ecstasy acts to increase the natural level of seretonin. The result is a change of mood, repression of libido and appetite, mental stimulation and increased body temperature.

What effect does it have?

Ecstasy produces a relaxed, euphoric state without marked hallucinations.

It takes effect 20-40 minutes after taking a tablet and wears off after about 3-4 hours. The peak effects are felt 60 to 90 minutes after taking the drug.

A user first feels rushes of exhilaration that can be accompanied by nausea.

Sensations of sight, sound and touch are enhanced. Music – particularly when it contains a strong repetitive rhythm – exerts a powerful influence on the user.

Users report that the experience is very pleasant and highly controllable. Even at the peak of the drug’s effect, people can easily bring themselves down to deal with an important matter.

The effect that makes Ecstasy different from other drugs is the sensation of understanding and accepting others (it should be remembered that this is a drug-induced sensation and does not correspond to reality!). Users feel as though interpersonal barriers have disappeared and are likely to feel uninhibited.

Side effects

Many of the side effects users encounter with Ecstasy are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine. They include increases in heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills and sweating. Psychological problems such as confusion, depression, insomnia, severe anxiety, paranoia, and psychotic episodes can occur.

Consequences of ecstasy use

Consequences for health

Ecstasy is not physically or psychologically addictive. However, the drug can often take on great importance in the lives of users.

A major risk to health from taking ecstasy is hyperthermia – or heatstroke. Some people who have died after taking this drug died as a result of the body overheating, which can cause failure of vital organs.

Overheating is particularly likely to occur when the drug is taken at a music venue or disco, where the user is dancing. The stimulant effect of ecstasy can enable people to dance vigorously for long periods, leading to exhaustion and heatstroke. When an ecstasy user dances to music with a repetitive rhythm, it seems that the person can ‘lock in’ to that repetition and simply go though the same movements over and over again for hours. This is a bit like Pavlov’s dog – a reflex reaction. It is particularly dangerous as the user may be unaware of impending heatstroke.

Although many discos provide ‘chill-out’ rooms for dancers to cool off in, the availability of such facilities does not make the act of taking ecstasy safe. Some users have died from drinking fluid in excess to combat the overheating caused by ecstasy and made worse by dancing.

A few ecstasy users have died from brain haemorrhages, which have been caused by the increased blood pressure and heart rate associated with this drug. Some others have died from unknown reasons after taking ecstasy.

The long-term effects of ecstasy use are not yet known. Ecstasy’s chemical cousin, MDA, destroys cells that produce serotonin in the brain. These cells help to regulate aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain. Methamphetamine, also similar to Ecstasy, damages brain cells that produce dopamine. It is quite possible that ecstasy can also damage brain cells.

Scientists have found that ecstasy makes the brain’s nerve branches and endings degenerate. It also makes them re-grow abnormally – failing to reconnect with some brain areas and connecting elsewhere with the wrong areas.

These reconnections may be permanent, resulting in damage to various brain functions, changes in emotion, learning or memory.

Legal consequences

Ecstasy is a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. It is illegal to produce, supply or possess it. The offence of supply – in the eyes of the law – can be committed by giving a single tablet to another person. Penalties are high.

Prepared by Paul Roberts in UK http://www.darvsmith.com/dox/drugtypes.html
http://eliterehaballiance.com/drug-types-from-stimulants-to-tranquilizers/

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Prepared by Paul Roberts in UK http://www.darvsmith.com/dox/drugtypes.html

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