What is ecstasy?
Ecstasy is the commonly used street term for the chemical methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). It is structurally similar to amphetamines or speed, but has quite different emotional effects.
Although ecstasy usually comes in a pill form, it can also be available as a capsule or powder. It may contain a number of substances, some of them very dangerous, and others that you would find in your kitchen cupboard. This is because ecstasy is made by backyard chemists who use what they can find to make the pills – as a result the quality of the drug varies greatly.
Ecstasy pills may carry a branded design such as a lightning bolt or crown. In recent times well-known brands such as Mitsubishi, Calvin Klein and Rolls Royce have been found stamped on ecstasy tablets. Despite this identification, there is no reliable method of determining the quality of the drug. Pills with the same stamp can vary widely in terms of how much of MDMA and other substances they contain.
Ecstasy is an illegal drug and if you are caught with it there can be severe consequences, including large fines and the possibility of going to prison.
Other names for ecstasy
Ecstasy is also known as E, pills, eccy, XTC and MDMA.
How many Australians have used ecstasy?
According to the most recent research, More than 91 per cent of the Australian population have never used ecstasy. More than 96 per cent of the population aged 14 years and over stated that they had not used ecstasy in the last 12 months.
Although there is much talk about young people using ecstasy, the vast majority of secondary school students have never used the drug, and recent use of ecstasy was not common among any age group. Around 98 per cent of students aged 16-17 had not used ecstasy in the month before the survey.
How is ecstasy used?
Ecstasy is usually swallowed. A small number of people experiment with snorting, smoking or injecting the drug but typically do not keep using in that way.
What are the short-term effects of ecstasy?
Ecstasy affects different people in different ways. The effect can be influenced by many things including how much of the drug is taken, the environment it is used in, as well as the weight, size and mood of the person using it.
Ecstasy directly affects the central nervous system by speeding up the activity of certain chemicals in the brain. The short-term effects may include:
- euphoria and a feeling of well being
- feelings of increased closeness with others
- feelings of confidence and a lack of inhibition
- increased blood pressure and pulse rate
- sweating
- jaw clenching and teeth grinding
- nausea and anxiety.
As with other illegal drugs, there is no ‘quality control’ during the manufacturing process and therefore a user can never be sure what he or she is actually taking.
Although it is unusual, some young people have died after taking ecstasy. The majority of ecstasy-related deaths have not been caused by ‘poisoning’ but as a result of where and when people use it. For example using ecstasy in a hot, crowded environment may result in death by overheating or dehydration.
A few people have also died from drinking too much water after taking ecstasy. When a person drinks too much water it affects the levels of salt and other minerals in the blood and can then cause the brain to swell, which can lead to a coma and maybe death.
What are the long-term effects of ecstasy?
Like any drug, ecstasy will affect different people in different ways, and there is no way of knowing how the drug will affect the person using it in the long-term.
Ecstasy affects serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that affects mood, memory, aggression, appetite, sexual function and sleep. We know that ecstasy damages brain cells that produce serotonin, however we still don’t know what this change actually means.
Little is known about the long-term effects of ecstasy as it is a relatively new drug and little research has been conducted. However, it is believed that some health problems will result from long-term use, including memory and learning problems and depression. Even though we don’t know much about the long-term risks, experts do believe that the more a person uses now, the more chance there is that they will suffer in some way in the future.
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