The effects of ecstasy are, like most drugs, controversial. Ecstasy, or Methylene-dioxymethyl amphetamine (MDMA), is a synthetic drug which is basically an hallucinogenic form of amphetamine.
It was discovered and manufactured originally in Germany prior to the first world war as an appetite suppressant. In the early 1970s, it was used as an aid to psychotherapy in the USA but the level of side effects were considered too high for therapeutic use and it was banned. In the 1980s it came to the UK and was adopted by the acid house scene at raves and has been associated with this type of music ever since. In its pure form it is a powder but it is generally sold in tablet or capsule form.
Methods of Use Coming usually in tablet or capsule form (see picture below), ecstasy is ingested orally. It is possible to inject or snort it but these methods are rarely used.
Effects of Ecstasy The most widely reported effects of ecstasy are euphoria, a sense of well-being, empathy and of being at peace with others.
Some users report a feeling of calm and serenity. Since it is amphetamine-based, ecstasy also gives a heightened sense of energy, allowing people to dance for hours at a time. Ecstasy is also a mild hallucinogenic, but the effects are much milder than LSD and tend to be more a distortion of percep-tion rather than full-blown hallucinations.
Adverse Effects of Ecstasy In the short term, there can be feelings of nausea, dryness of the mouth, raised blood pressure and heart rate and suppression of appetite. When the drug wears off, there are similar effects to other amphetamines: sleeplessness, fatigue and low mood. High doses can lead to anxiety, confusion, panic and psychotic reactions. The most widely reported adverse reaction has of course been death (around 80 by 1999). The exact mechanism for the putative lethal properties of ecstasy are as yet unknown but two theories, not necessarily mutually exclusive, are:
blood clot formation leading to strokes, and,
hyperthermia: this suggests that ecstasy can raise the body temperature and prevent the dissipation of heat, this, coupled with excessive exercise of dancing for hours in a hot club, leading to convulsions and collapse.
Although the effects of ecstasy for long-term use are at present unknown, emerging evidence suggests that long-term users may experience mood and personality changes, for example, irritability and depression. Evidence is also emerging that changes in levels of Serotonin, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and depression, may be affected.
There is evidence in animals tests of long-term damage to serotonin-containing neurones; although it is not yet clear whether this occurs in long-term human users of ecstasy. Currently, there is no evidence for increased tolerance or dependence, even in frequent users.
