ECSTASY
[ The Facts about Ecstacy | The Nervous System Suffers ]
Ecstasy is a hallucinogenic amphetamine. It is technically known as 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA for short. It is a synthetic (man-made) drug and in its pure form it does not contain any amphetamine.
However, what is sold today as Ecstasy varies hugely in purity. It tends to be one of the most adulterated drugs on the market.
It can be cut with anything from L.S.D., morphine, speed (amphetamine), caffeine, anti-histamines, paracetamol, cold-cure powders and even strychnine. Because of this, it is a very unpredictable drug and therefore very dangerous.
There have been some Ecstasy tablets which have been contaminated with heroin or methadone (a heroin substitute) and sold as "White Doves".
Ecstasy comes in the form of an innocuous-looking tablet, which can range from brown or white to pink. It can also come in clear or yellow capsules , and trades under such names as "Love Doves", "New Yorkers", "Disco Burgers", "Mad Bastards" and "Dennis the Menace".
There is a thriving industry being built around the Ecstasy culture, especially in the areas of fashion and music.
Ecstasy usually takes between 30-60 minutes to take effect and produces a state of euphoria.
It has other physical effects, some of which can be fatal. These include:
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Regular use of Ecstasy, even if it is confined to weekends, can cause:
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Other complaints include:
- overheating
- dehydration
- exhaustion
which can be due to dancing in crowded night clubs without drinking enough fluids.
Ecstasy users are often unaware of this dehydration, which can result in severe heat-stroke (the body "cooks" from within), coma and death
Although Ecstasy was first synthesised in the 1920's, it only came into mainstream use in the 1980's. The most worrying implication of this is that the long term neurological and psychological effects of the drug are simply not known.
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