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Common
Street Names |
Ecstasy,
E, XTC, Love Drug, Hug Drug, Lover’s Speed, and Disco Biscuits. |
| Chemical
Composition |
MDMA is a stimulant with mild
hallucinogenic properties, similar in chemical composition to both MDA
and Methamphetamine. |
|
User
Patterns |
MDMA
is taken orally in tablet or capsule form. The user begins to feel the
effects within 1 hour of ingestion. Effects may last up to 6 hours,
depending on dose, purity, and the environment in which it is taken.
Some users take multiple doses in order to suspend the effect, sometimes
consuming as many as 10 tablets in a single night. |
| Physiological
Effects |
MDMA use greatly increases
blood pressure and heart rate. Body temperature can increase to 109
degrees if taken at a club or rave where there is physical exertion.
Obvious physical effects include muscle tension, involuntary teeth
clenching, nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movement, faintness, chills
or sweating, extreme relaxation, and tremors. Use can result in heart
failure or heat stroke. |
|
Psychological
Effects |
MDMA
is a mood/mind-altering drug, affecting brain serotonin levels. Common
psychological effects are feelings of emotional closeness coupled with
the breakdown of personal communication barriers, a sense of peace with
oneself and the world, an enhanced sense of pleasure, greater
self-confidence, and an increased sense of energy. Some users may
experience panic attacks. |
| Short-Term
Effects |
Short-term effects of MDMA
include confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe
anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, and amnesia. MDMA also suppresses the
desire to eat, drink, or sleep. |
|
Long-Term
Effects |
Recent
studies on rats and monkeys indicate that MDMA causes permanent brain
damage in the areas critical to thought and memory and that it damages
the neurons that use serotonin to communicate with other neurons. Users
who develop an acne-like rash and continue to use MDMA are at increased
risk of severe liver damage. MDMA may alter motor skills, giving the
user the appearance of suffering from Parkinson’s disease. |
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