What is Ecstasy/MDMA?
MDMA (3-4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or
"Ecstasy" is a synthetic psychoactive drug —
chemically similar to both methamphetamines and the
hallucinogen mescaline.
How Does Ecstasy Affect the User?
Ecstasy is a stimulant with mildly hallucinogenic
effects. Short-term effects include feelings of
mental stimulation, emotional warmth, enhanced
sensory perception, and increased physical energy.
Adverse effects include nausea, chills, sweating,
teeth clenching, muscle cramping, increased heart
rate and blood pressure and blurred vision.
What are the Dangers of Ecstasy Abuse?
Ecstasy users face many of the same risks as users
of other stimulants such as cocaine and
amphetamines. These include increases in heart rate
and blood pressure (a special risk for people with
circulatory problems or heart disease) and other
symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth
clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and
chills or sweating.
Overdose
An adverse reaction to or overdose of Ecstasy can
result in:
-
Extremely high body temperatures
-
High blood pressure
-
Hallucinations
-
Increased heart rate
-
Breathing problems
-
Death
In high doses, Ecstasy can interfere with the body's
ability to regulate temperature. This can lead to a
sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia),
resulting in liver, kidney, and cardiovascular
system failure. Ecstasy abuse can lead to coma or
death when the user drinks too much water at one
time (hyponatremia). Hyponatremia is a condition
where drinking too much fluid swells the brain and
causes coma.
Because Ecstasy can interfere with its own
metabolism (breakdown in the body), potentially
harmful levels can be reached by repeated drug use
within short intervals.
