What is it? Ecstasy, chemically known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a chemical compound formed through the alteration of amphetamines, methamphetamines, and hallucinogens. It is a designer drug (a drug created by altering the chemical makeup of one or more existing drugs).  It is similar to the stimulant amphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline, producing both stimulant and psychadelic effects. Street Names: MDMA,  E, X,  XTC, Adam , Eve How is it taken? Usually taken orally by pill or capsule, also in  powder, or liquid (swallowed, snorted, or injected) The Scoop on Ecstasy

• Did you know the ecstasy was an unregulated substance until 1985? After a series of deaths and accidental overdoses, the Drug Enforcement Agency banned it. As a result, the drug was forced underground, and is now the drug of choice for the Rave and all-night party scene.  MDMA was developed in the early 1900s as an appetite suppressant.
• MDMA can increase heart rate and blood pressure.
• The stimulant effects of MDMA may cause dehydration, hypertension, and heart or kidney failure.
• MDMA may lead to strokes, heart attacks and seizures.

Short Term Effects of Ecstasy: (from 3 to 6 hours after taking the drug)

• Feeling of confidence
• Sense of arousal
• Increased heart rate
• Dry and sore mouth / throat
• Tension
• Muscle twitching
• Dangerously high body temperature
• Dehydration
• Depression
• Confusion
• Sleep problems
• Anxiety
• Paranoia

Long Term Effects of Ecstasy:

• Liver damage
• Anxiety disorders
• Paranoia
• Irregular heartbeat
• Brain damage
• Depression
• Confusion

CAUTION MDMA is neurotoxic!  Chronic use of MDMA produces long-lasting and possibly permanent damage to neurons that produce and release serotonin, causing long term depression. http://www.clubdrugs.org Tolerance: Tolerance to ecstasy can develop, as it is an amphetamine-based drug. With increasing tolerance, larger amounts of the drug are necessary to achieve the same high sensation. Withdrawal: Withdrawal from ecstasy can cause irritability, sleep problems, depression, and an inability to experience any form of pleasure. If Ecstasy used to be a legal drug, it really can?t be that dangerous...., right? The key phrase here is used to be legal. The Food and Drug Administration decided in 1985 that ecstasy was a dangerous substance due to its effect on the chemical processes of the brain. So...what does ecstasy do to the brain? Well, research indicates that when ecstasy enters the brain, it causes a disruption of the neurotransmitters that produce the chemical serotonin. Serotonin is one of the chemicals responsible for maintaining heart rate and blood pressure and the chemical that helps produce feelings of wellbeing. The presence of ecstasy in the brain diminishes the body?s ability to regulate its inner functions, which means that someone who has used ecstasy repeatedly may lose their ability to produce serotonin, leading to long-term, chronic depression.  This is certainly not the effect most ecstasy users are searching for! For more information on ecstasy and other club drugs, please visit the following website: http://www.clubdrugs.org. For information on how ecstasy causes brain damage, click here at http://165.112.78.61/NIDA_Notes/NNVol14N4/Ecstasy.html.

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Sources: 1.  Do It Now Foundation. "Ecstasy Brochure", 1998. 2.  Drug Free Resource Net. "Ecstasy" and "Herbal Ecstasy" 3.   http://www.drugfreeamerica.org 4.  Kuhn, Cynthia, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Buzzed. Norton Co: 1998.