Drugs Abuse: Trading Health for Euphoria

Ecstasy is chemically known as MDMA or Methyline Dioxymethamphetamine (WWW1). Similar to other amphetamine derivatives, Ecstasy is a stimulant to the central nervous system. Ecstasy was first synthesized in 1914 in Germany and was distributed as an alternative to the appetite suppressant, MDA (WWW2). As people became more knowledgeable about the euphoric effects of this drug, the demand for it became larger and larger. In the 1960's, Ecstasy was characterized as the "love drug". It was also used by psychologists and therapists to reduce hostility in marriage counseling sessions! At first, no noticeable harmful side effects could be detected from taking Ecstasy, and thus, it was a legal street drug. But after much research and experimentation, this pill was classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Schedule I drug in 1985. Drugs in this category serve no medical purposes and have a high potential for abuse (WWW3). Even though it is deemed illegal, there are still many Ecstasy users in the United States and Britain. And because of the lack of enforcement on the purchase and consumption of Ecstasy, people can easily get their hands on these pills.

Unlike other drugs, Ecstasy is mainly a drug for "ravers" and dancers, not drug addicts. This drug is taken mostly to produce a euphoric feeling and create a "high" that prevents users from feeling tired and gives them the ability to party all night. Like most drugs, Ecstasy affects the neurotransmitters in the central nervous system (CNS). It mainly affects a neurotransmitter called serotonin (5-HT), chemicals that control our feeling of hunger, fatigue, and depression. Basically, Ecstasy causes an increased flow of serotonin to the rest of the body, causing a "high". And once the effects of the drug wear off, the brain cannot produce anymore serotonin and consequently the user "crashes", that is, he becomes depressed, slow, and extremely tired (WWW4).

Before discussing Ecstasy's neurological effects, let me briefly describe the communication process of the brain. Brain cells communicate with each other by sending chemical messages. These messages, neurotransmitters, are released from nerve terminals at the end of an axon and diffused across the synapse to bind to a receptor located on the pre-synaptic region of another cell.

Amongst the many neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin and dopamine are the ones affected by Ecstasy. The serotonin produced in the brain is synthesized from tryptophan through the intermediate 5-hydroxytryptophan.