Ecstasy (MDMA) is a highly illegal psychoactive drug that is known by many different, harmless sounding, street names including Adam, Clarity, Disco Biscuit, E, Eve, Go, Lover’s Speed, Mandy, Molly and X. What Ecstasy is actually comprised of however, is the very dangerous 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA. The psychoactive drug itself was originally created in the 1900s as a compound to synthesize other drugs. In the 1970s some psychiatrists began experimenting with Ecstasy during physchotherepy. During the 1980s the U.S. Drug Enforcement Adminstration added the drug to its list of substances with no therapeutic value, banning the drug. Ecstasy releases large amounts of serotonin in the brain, along with triggering both dopamine and norepinephrine. The increase of serotonin also …show more content…
The continued exhaustion of serotonin in the brain from Ecstasy can lead to heightened anxiety, increased confusion, delayed insomnia, and serious depression. Ecstasy users, in the days immediately following their usage of the drug, detailed a variety of emotions, including severe clinical depression. Other effect of Ecstasy can include tachycardia and/or arrhythmia, dehydration, increased body temperature, impairment of motor skills and comprehension, reduction in appetite, and finally in unusual cases hyperthermia and death. Long term or much extended abuse of Ecstasy can also include recklessness, irritability, insomnia, nervousness, and damage to the serotonin system which impairs one’s ability to experience pleasure. Often times the risks of Ecstasy are multiplied by the reality that Ecstasy often includes other, often harmful, drugs. There are many combinations of dangerous additional drugs or substances that Ecstasy is often combined with. Methamphetamine is one such drug which is a very habit forming illicit stimulant with powerful central nervous system properties. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used mostly in
The chemical name for ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA. Besides the name ecstasy, MDMA has other names normally used on the streets such as Adam, XTC, hug, beans, and love drugs (NIDA InfoFacts 1). MDMA is described to be a “synthetic, psychoactive drug possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties” (Ecstasy Hazards 1). As in the case of other amphetamines, the process to produce ecstasy is not that complicated. The simplest method is clandestine production, which starts with PMK . If not, it can still be produced from piperonal, isosafrole, or safrole but even then, these chemicals have to be converted to PMK before they could be turned into ecstasy (Iversen 149-150). The molecule itself is a combination of 11 carbons, 2 oxygens, 6 hydrogens, and 1 nitrogen as seen in the figure (Chemical Structure 1).
At the beginning of the article a brief history of ketamine is given, describing its use as a anaesthetic during the Vietnam war in the 1960s, its use in veterinary medicine as a horse tranquiliser and its revolution as a drug of abuse in the dance scene in the 1990s. The article also mentions the side effects heavy users have experienced from using ketamine, mainly increased bladder and kidney damage. Furthermore, after a review by the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, concerns have increased about this side effect, as patients have become very unwell needing a total bladder removal. Laurance mentions Robert Dunman, who describes ketamine as the “biggest breakthrough in depression research”. Professor Duman studied the effects of ketamine, which are meant to be triggering the release of glutamate, increasing and restoring the function of neuron synapses, which are reduced in patients with chronic depression. The article states that ketamine has shown to be able to increase mood levels with a single dose and effects lasting up to 10 days. Due to this Laurance sanctions ketamine’s potential use as a treatment for depression, mentioning that a third of patients with depression are not improving from current treatments available for depressio...
Amphetamines produce feelings of euphoria, relieve fatigue, improve performance, increase activity, and suppress appetite. Euphoric effects associated with the use of amphetamines, increase potential for abuse. Consequently, prolonged use of amphetamines may lead to drug dependence and tolerance. Desired effects are only achieved by increasing to higher doses of amphetamine, which can result in an acute overdose. Seizures, hypertension, tachycardia, hyperthermia, psychosis, hallucinations, stroke, or death can be experienced. Additional reports revealed that those who abuse amphetamines were significantly more likely to report using a greater number of illicit substances including nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, and opiates.
(3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has a chemical structure similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline and can produce both stimulant and psychedelic effects. Reportedly, MDMA's psychedelic effects are milder than those produced by hallucinogens such as LSD and mescaline. MDMA has been available as a street drug since the 1980s. Its use has escalated in the 1990s among college students and young adults, particularly those who participate in all-night dance parties called "raves." MDMA's street names include "ecstasy," "XTC," "clarity," "essence," and "Adam."
Crack is the name given to cocaine that has been transformed into a condensed, more pure, rock form that can be smoked. It is the most addictive form of cocaine due to a higher potency level than the typical batch of street cocaine. Crack cocaine has often been referred to as a ‘soul drug’ because it has a tendency to rob its victims of everything including money, family, morals, and even life itself. Furthermore, it is possible to become addicted to crack cocaine from the very first time it is used, creating a vortex of misery for those who come into contact with it. Compared to other drugs, crack cocaine has a rather short history in America since it was only introduced the 1980’s. However, within this short period, Crack cocaine
Freismuth, M., Montgomery, T., Sitte, H., Steinkellner, T (2011). The ugly side of amphetamines: short- and long-term toxicity of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy'), methamphetamine and d-amphetamine. Biology Chemistry, 392, 103-115. Doi:10.1515/BC.2011.016
It was the late 19th century when a lot of conflict for families from the Industrial Revolution and illegal drugs had easy access to anyone in the United Sates. These illegal drugs like morphine, cocaine, and alcohol were available through manufacture, delivery, and selling. It was proved that the over use of alcohol and violence in families’ homes were linked together around the 1850’s and that women and children were being abused by the father and husband from the letters and journals that were wrote. These were times when women were stay at home mothers and it was the man’s responsibility to be the provider for the wife and children. Because of the abuse in the household it led up to the temperance movement. The purpose
The drug Ecstasy is dangerous for not only our people, but also a menace to society. With my own experiences in college and people I am closely bonded to, or used to be, I have seen this highly used club drug invade our campuses of America by leaps and bounds. I can tell you more than one story about young college friends that had 4.0 GPAs and promising careers ahead and now have nothing because of this drug. I remember a doctor telling me that 12 years ago this drug was not even known of and now it seems every other day we are reading in the paper of overdoses or reports on the cerebral damage it does.
In a world where mental illnesses like PTSD, depression, and autism are becoming more and more prevalent, MDMA, or “Ecstasy” is just the mental boost that someone needs and is illegally being dealt to patients while in therapy or counseling. The theory is that MDMA can raise “happiness levels” by forcing the brain to release serotonin and dopamine at the same time, resulting in intense euphoria and “ego softening” (Errowid). Some other side effects of MDMA can include feelings of inner peace, increase in social bonding, and an increase in ability to communicate. Some of the less positive side effects can be eye wiggling, increased heart rate, and dehydration. All of which, are quite manageable and not too noticeable. Sufferers of social anxiety and depression could greatly benefit from MDMA, as it can break down inner boundaries and increase the need to be around other people. A grou...
Ecstasy is Methylene Dioxymethamphetamine, often abbreviated as MDMA. This drug is a member of the same family of drugs that include amphetamine and LSD. I once believed that ecstasy was a mixture of methamphetamine and LSD, but as I researched, I found out that it has its own chemical structure. Ecstasy is not a mixture of other drugs; it is something all its own.
Methylenedioxymethamhetamine, the compound used in the drug Ecstasy, was developed in Germany in 1914 as an intermediary substance to pave the way to alternative therapeutic medicines. Presently, MDMA is used for a subculture in America and all over the world of "ravers" who spend their weekends taking this unique drug because of its seemingly mind- expanding properties. The truth about this drug is that it fools the body's senses by releasing too much serotonin and possibly permanently damaging important nerve cells in the process.
A) He gives some of the street names for ecstasy and he calls it the club drug mostly because it is used at raves and such parties. Also goes on to call it the “safe drug”. Then even more he gets an in depth look of how the drugs looks and that it comes in a capsule about the size of an aspirin in po...
“Ecstasy”, a drug with many different opinions and views, is often viewed as a killer, which is a stretch of the truth. The drug is sometimes thought of as one of the worst things in the world, but also as the best. Health issues are a problem and there have been some deaths .The deaths though are no way near the number of alcohol or cigarette deaths. How could such a beautiful word be considered such a horrible thing . Ecstasy can kill, but you can die tomorrow by being hit by a car or getting shot, why not live your life to the fullest. Live everyday as if it were your last, but don’t be stupid about it. Ecstasy does not kill a person, that’s just the excuse they use for ruining their life or killing themselves.
The altered states of consciousness produced by drugs presents an all-to-common phenomenon in today’s society. Whether the desired sensation comes in the form of energy, a means of relaxation, or pain reduction, many people go to great lengths and present their bodies to threatening conditions in order to achieve this euphoric “high.” Unfortunately, the use of these drugs very often comes with dangerous side effects that users must learn to manage with for the rest of their life. According to neuroscientists, our entire conscious existence bases itself off of the lighting-fast reactions occurring in our nervous system (Nichols, 2012). Therefore, changing these neurological reactions can permanently effect our conscious being (Blatter, 2012). The physical and neurological effects from the use and abuse of stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, organic solvents, and athletic performance enhancing drugs will be discussed in order to better comprehend why certain individuals expose themselves to such dangerous materials with seemingly no regard to the permanent consequences associated with such actions.
Ecstasy Effects | Information on Ecstasy,Club. Drugs,Pills and MDMA. Web. The Web. The Web.