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Knowledge: General Information About Ecstacy (MDMA) the HUG DRUG
Ever wonder what that little red or blue pill is your takin?
General Information About Ecstacy (MDMA)
MDMA stands for the molecule 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine. The drug is more commonly known as ecstacy or hug drug, E, eccy, Adam, clarity, essence, doctor, XTC and insight.
MDMA is chemically related to amphetamine, yet is a member of the phenethylamine family of drugs that includes the hallucinogens. In reality, its effects are slightly different from those of both amphetamines and hallucinogens. Hence, it has recently fallen under a new classification of drugs called "entactogens" (Campbell, 1997).
The drug has a confusing scientific history. It was first discovered in 1912 by the German chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck (Entactogens: MDA, MDMA and MDEA, 1998). The reason for the patent, received in 1914, was actually stated as, "to provide intermediates for products of potential pharmaceutical value" (Campbell, 1997). Early on it was considered to have promise as an appetite suppressant. It eventually was being used by some therapists to treat their patients. The therapists claimed there were many positive results from its use. This type of use became much less prevalent in the U.S. but was still around on a small scale until ecstacy became an illegal drug in 1985 (MDMA (Ecstacy), 1998).
Chemical Effects of Ecstasy on the Body
Serotonin:
serotonin plays a direct role in the regulation of aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep, and pain sensitivity (MDMA (Ecstasy), 1998).
studies show that MDA has the ability to destroy serotonin producing neurons in non-human test subjects (MDMA(Ecstasy), 1998).
research done at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute in 1995 demonstrated serotonin damaging effects after only one dose of MDMA in rats (Fischer, 1995).
similar tests on squirrel monkeys revealed that 12-18 months after the brains had been effected or damaged by MDMA, serotonin-producing nerves had regrown abnormally in some areas of the brain and completely failed to regrow at all in others (Fischer, 1995).
the serotoninergic nerve damage has not yet been demonstrated in humans to this date because such testing is not possible
(Entactogens: MDA, MDMA and MDEA, 1998).
one study has shown lower than average serotonin function in the brains of heavy users of ecstasy (95 uses over a 5 year period), but there is no available data about what the levels were before the use of the drug (Entactogens: MDA, MDMA and MDEA, 1998).
Dopamine:
MDMA is very similar to methamphetamine, a stimulant known to cause degeneration of neurons that contain the neurotransmitter dopamine.
High doses or prolonged use of methamphetamine can destroy up to 50% of the brain cells that use dopamine.
Damage to these particular neurons has been linked to the motor disturbances seen in Parkinson’s disease.
Scientists believe that with continued exposure to methamphetamine and similar types of toxic drugs can eventually cause Parkinsonian symptoms to arise (MDMA(Ecstasy), 1998).
Recent Research Findings
Researchers have found that ecstasy users in London are combining the drug with Prozac (fluoxetine). This particular drug combination has become increasingly popular in the "rave" scene. The combining of the drugs seems to allow the user to "come down" easier from the high in addition to limiting hangover feelings (Singh 1995).
Ecstasy tablets from around the U.K. were analyzed to determine the specific contents of the pills. Gas chromatographic analysis showed that the content of the pills varied greatly. Various contents included caffeine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDEA, non-hallucinogenic substances, paracetamol, non-stimulant drugs. One non-stimulant drug often encountered was ketamine, which causes hallucinations, delirium, and vivid dreams (Wolff, 1995).
Johns Hopkins University researchers found the first evidence of long-lasting changes in the human brain due to the chemical MDMA. George Ricaurte and his team, using PET scans, examined the brains of 14 MDMA users and a control group that had used other drugs. The findings showed that the control group had normal serotonin levels in the brain. On the other hand, serotonin levels were deficient in all brain regions in the users of MDMA (Concar, 1997).
A fatal drug interaction between the protease inhibitor ritonavir and MDMA took the life of a male AIDS patient. MDMA cannot be properly metabolized due to the specific action of the enzyme. Researchers determined that the man consumed 2.5 ecstasy tablets which totaled about 180 mg of MDMA. In normal ecstasy users, the actual fraction of MDMA in the blood is quite low compared to the ingested dose. However, in this patient, MDMA levels were measured to be ten times higher than normal because the drug was not properly cleared out of the body. His death was attributed to a severe serotinergic reaction (Henry, 1998).
Research done by a German dermatologist shows that a rash resembling acne can identify people at risk from severe side effects due to MDMA use. The spots are difficult to distinguish from teenage acne, but in older people without a history of pimples, it can reveal the use of ecstasy. The rash indicates that the body is under stress from taking the drug, indicating MDMA induced liver damage (Copley, 1999).
A study was conducted by the National Teratology Information Service in Newcastle. The study included a total of 136 babies, 74 whose mothers had taken ecstasy only and 62 whose mothers had used other drugs. The results showed that the children born to ecstasy using mothers had 4 times greater chance of having an abnormality based on the national average of abnormalities in infants. Some of the frequent abnormalities included club foot and congenital heart disease (http://www.ecstasy.org/info/pregnancy.html, 1999).
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