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Shelby Hernandez
Gustavo Ibarra
Health 003
November 10, 2016
Ecstasy
Ecstasy has been around for many years, in 1912 Merck pharmaceutical company
discovered it. It was known as MDMA. It was used in 1953 by the US Army in psychological
warfare tests, and then resurfaced in the 1960s as a psychotherapy medication to lower
inhibitions. It wasnt until the 1970s that MDMA started being used as a party drug.
By the early 1980s, MDMA was being promoted as the hottest thing in the continuing
search for happiness through chemistry, and the in drug for many weekend parties. Still legal
in 1984, MDMA was being sold under the brand name Ecstasy, but by 1985, the drug had been
banned due to safety concerns.
Since the late 1980s, Ecstasy has become an embracive marketing term for drug dealers
selling Ecstasy drugs that may, in fact, contain very little or no MDMA at all. And while MDMA
itself can produce harmful effects, what is called Ecstasy today can contain a wide mixture of
substances from LSD, cocaine, heroin, amphetamine, and methamphetamine, to rat poison,
caffeine, dog deworming substances, etc. Despite the cute logos dealers put on the pills, this is
what makes Ecstasy particularly dangerous; a user never really knows what he is taking. The
dangers are increased when users increase the dose seeking a previous high, not knowing they
may be taking an entirely different combination of drugs.
Ecstasy commonly comes in pill form but can also be injected and taken in other ways.
Liquid Ecstasy is GHB, a nervous system depressant. It is a substance that can also be found in

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drain cleaner, floor stripper and degreasing solvents. Ecstasy has many different street names
such as, Hug Drug, Love Drug, Love pill, Lovers speed, Roll, Scooby snacks, Snowball, etc.
MDMA affects the brain by increasing the activity of at least three neurotransmitters (the
chemical messengers of brain cells): serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Like other
amphetamines, MDMA causes these neurotransmitters to be released from their storage sites in
neurons, resulting in increased neurotransmitter activity. Compared to the very potent stimulant,
methamphetamine, MDMA causes greater serotonin release and somewhat lesser dopamine
release.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the regulation of mood,
sleep, pain, appetite, and other behaviors. The excess release of serotonin by MDMA likely
causes the mood elevating effects experienced by MDMA users. However, by releasing large
amounts of serotonin, MDMA causes the brain to become significantly depleted of this important
neurotransmitter, contributing to the negative behavioral aftereffects that users often experience
for several days after taking MDMA.
There has been numerous of studies in animals that have demonstrated that MDMA can
damage serotonin containing neurons; some of these studies have shown these effects to be long
lasting. This suggests that such damage may occur in humans as well. However, measuring
serotonin damage in humans is more difficult.
Studies have shown that some heavy MDMA users experience long lasting confusion,
depression, and decrease of working memory and attention processes. Such memory
impairments have been associated with a decrease in serotonin metabolites or other serotonin
function. Imaging studies in MDMA users have shown changes in brain activity in regions
involved in cognition, emotion, and motor function. However, improved technologies and more

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research are needed to confirm these findings of the exact nature of the effects of MDMA on the
human brain.
MDMA generally is sold as a tablet, which is taken in the mouth, injected, snorted, or
smoked. MDMA tablets are available in various colors and shapes and generally are imprinted
with a logo. Popular logos include smiley faces, clover leaves, cartoon characters, and symbols
associated with social apps and commercial brand like, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Nike, and
Mercedes.
Most MDMA users are teenagers or young adults. More than 10 percent of high school
seniors have tried MDMA at least once, and more than 2 percent have used the drug in the past
month. MDMA users typically come from middle and upper class households. MDMA is
inexpensive. The average retail price of an MDMA tablet is between $20 and $30 making it
attractive and accessible to younger users.
MDMA is called a club drug because it often is used at all night dance parties (called
raves) or at techno parties and nightclubs. In addition, MDMA increasingly is being used in
private homes and on high school and college campuses.
A person may experience the high within an hour or so after taking a single dose. Those
effects include feelings of mental stimulation, emotional warmth, empathy toward others, a
general sense of wellbeing, and decreased anxiety. MDMA can produce a variety of adverse
health effects, including nausea, chills, sweating, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping,
and blurred vision. MDMA overdose can also occur. the symptoms can include high blood
pressure, faintness, panic attacks, and in severe cases, a loss of consciousness and seizures.
Treatment can take place on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Inpatient treatment is often
the most desirable option for those with severe addictions and/or accompanying mental health

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issues. It is also desired because it often offers medically supervised detox, through which the
patients symptoms are managed for maximum comfort during the withdrawal process.
Outpatient treatment will incorporate many features of inpatient treatment but will allow
the patient to live at home while working through recovery. This is often a cheaper option but
can leave the patient open to the temptation of his or her everyday environment, thus increasing
the risk of relapse.
Medication Management is a good option since ecstasy use can end with disruption of the
chemical serotonin. Medication Management can be helpful. Many medications help by allowing
more serotonin to be available in the brain. These groups of medications are called SSRIs
(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake
inhibitors). A psychiatrist will be able to assess the situation and prescribe the best medication for
the situation.
Therapy will help with mental health treatment and will be effective in targeting the
factors that led to use, as well as the lasting mental health symptoms following withdrawal. It is
theorized that some people seek out drugs for self-medication and constantly develop a fullblown addiction that serves to either exacerbate the existing mental health issue or hide it on a
temporary basis. Therapy can help ensure that these needs are addressed in healthier ways.
The first drug combination that comes to mind that is like ecstasy is caffeine and DXM.
Both substances can be purchased over-the-counter and are legal to use. Many people describe
the effects of caffeine and DXM as feeling like ecstasy pills. This might be because this
combination is often found in fake ecstasy pills.
Users report that the euphoric dosage for caffeine and DXM in combination is about
150mg-250mg of caffeine and 200mg-400mg of DXM. The variance in dosages exists because

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users with lower bodyweights should take lower doses. Also, it is important to note that each
persons body chemistry differs. Because of this, some people do not experience effects from
DXM.
Another substance is theobromine, the active constituent in chocolate. Theobromine
increases the neurotransmitter dopamine, while MDMA influences dopamine and serotonin. To
increase serotonin, theobromine is sometimes combined with a low dose of 5-HTP. The euphoric
dosage for theobromine is in the 400mg-500mg range.
People describe the high as very close to MDMA but more laid back. To adjust it, some
people combine it with caffeine. Theobromine is used as a food additive, so theres nothing
illegal about ordering, possessing, or ingesting it. It can be obtained legally by getting a custom
synthesis from a chemical company.
Ecstasy is consumed to escape out of reality, personal responsibilities, etc. You feel free,
happy, and that nothing can hurt you. It is a temporary high of feeling happy, loved and energetic
until you have to go back to your own 'crap' life and back into routine. When most people take it,
they feel awake, their body feels light and can dance the whole night and It always feels good.
When your surrounded by people on drugs, surrounded by that atmosphere and music it
is very difficult to resist. Ecstasy is presumed as a safer drug, as people only take it for
raves/parties and not on an everyday basis. Its consumed for party purposes only, unlike drugs
such as speed, heroin, cocaine, LSD, marijuana, etc. When taking ecstasy for the first time, 50
percent of people will take the pill and be fine the other 50 percent will die because the pill has a
bad reaction to their body.
Overall, Ecstasy or any other drug is bad and you should not take it. There are many ways
you can have fun and be happy when youre at raves or parties. There are people you can talk to

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and people you can reach when you want to escape reality. There should be no reason to turn to
drugs.

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Work Cited
The truth about Ecstasy: Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Web. 2006-2016.
Gavin L. Mary. What you need to know about Ecstasy. Kids Health. Web. January 2014.
Anderson, Pharm D, Ecstasy. www.drugs.com, Web. 2016.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Facts-MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly). National Institute of
Drug Abuse. Web. October 2016.
Thompson, Dennis. Ecstasy Use on Rise Again Among U.S. Teens: Report. Health Day
Reporter. Web. 2013.