Street Cents

Ecstasy

Is it really the "safe drug" people say it is?

The real trouble with taking Ecstasy

Ecstasy's effects can be dangerous. They can even kill us.
The real trouble with Ecstasy has to do with the way it affects our bodies' normal functions.

Ecstasy affects chemicals in our brains. It affects our heart rate, our body temperature and our blood pressure. This can have some serious consequences.

Brain damage

Ecstasy affects two brain chemicals: serotonin and dopamine. The drug tells our brains to release high amounts of these chemicals. Researchers are afraid that this causes long-term brain damage.

Many studies have shown the brain has trouble going back to normal after being affected by Ecstasy. It's almost like Ecstasy forces the brain to use up our supply of serotonin. Some people who use Ecstasy have less than normal amounts of serotonin in the brain after using the drug.

Researchers have also discovered that Ecstasy kills brain cells. It can kill parts of the brain that control simple, everyday functions. For example: the ability to tie our shoes. After a hit of Ecstasy, that part of the brain that helps us do simple movements could die.

All of these effects on the brain could cause depression and memory loss. It could also slow down important functions of the brain, like thought.

Heart trouble

Because Ecstasy is a stimulant, it tells our hearts to beat faster. People on Ecstasy have extremely fast heart rates. If the person is dancing or doing other exercise, his heart rate can go even higher.

High heart rates can cause heart attacks. Studies show there have been eight deaths linked to heart failure because of Ecstasy use.

Also, the high heart rate can increase our blood pressure. A high heart rate and a high blood pressure may cause our blood vessels to burst and create internal hemorrhaging. That could be deadly.

Heatstroke

When people use E, their body temperatures go up. Sometimes, temperatures go so high that it causes a fever.
High fevers can cause someone to start convulsing. Some people compare it to being like a fish out of water. Other people say it's like being in a microwave and frying from the inside out. The person will fall to the ground and twitch out of control.

When the body temperature is this high, the person experiencing the convulsions can die.

Here are some other effects caused by high fevers:

severe damage to muscle tissue
liver damage
blood clots

People who don't go into convulsions but still overheat can lose a lot of water fluid. Some deaths have occurred because the high body temperature and dehydration has caused kidney or heart failure.

On the other hand, som e people who try to drink a lot of water to dodge dehydration end up getting in trouble too.
Drinking too much water can cause water poisoning in the blood. This happens when large amounts of water saturate our blood. People who drink too much water can change the balance of water and sodium in the blood. If the blood has too much water and not enough sodium, the blood becomes diluted. This is called hyponatremia. It affects our brains. Early symptoms include confusion, feeling tired, weakness, headache, disorientation, and slurred speech. If we're really unlucky, it can cause seizures, put us in a coma or kill us.

Tooth damage

People on Ecstasy can't help grinding their teeth and clenching their jaws. This doesn't just happen while you're high on E. It can happen for days after the experience. The constant grinding has been known to cause serious tooth damage.

Liver damage

The body has to work especially hard to eliminate Ecstasy from the body. The higher the dose, the harder the body works. Because of all of the hard work, Ecstasy use can cause liver damage. Its also been known to cause jaundice. When you have jaundice, your skin turns yellow.
People with liver damage often develop a rash that looks like acne.

Developing diseases

Research is now showing that Ecstasy use may make us more likely to develop some diseases.
For example, Ecstasy affects our levels of serotonin and dopamine chemicals in the brain. Dopamine is the chemical that controls movement. It's also the chemical that's missing in people who develop Parkinson's disease. Researchers believe E increases our chances of getting Parkinson's disease and other diseases related to movement.

Loss of inhibitions

It may not sound like a danger, but it can be. One of the effects of Ecstasy is the care-free feeling it produces in people. When we're care-free, we're not worried about our actions or how they will affect us. So, many people on E become willing to try things they wouldn't normally try if they weren't on the drug. This could mean having sex with a stranger, or trying other drugs.

It has become a trend now for people to mix Ecstasy with other types of drugs. This can make using Ecstasy even more dangerous. It increases our chances of suffering serious side effects, even death.

Terrible Tuesdays

Ever hear of the "Terrible Tuesdays"? That's the term used to describe how crappy people feel once they come down off an Ecstasy high.

The chemical (serotonin) that is released when someone is on E (serotonin) is the same chemical that's missing from the brain afterwards.

Without serotonin in the brain, people feel sad, frustrated and irritable for days after taking Ecstasy.
Some researchers fear this could lead to long-term depression.

Untreated depression

Even though depression is a side-effect of Ecstasy, some people may have clinical depression even before they start taking Ecstasy. Mental depression is common among teenagers.

But, many teens don't realize they have depression. If they take Ecstasy on top of these feelings, they could be getting themselves into serious trouble.

People with clinical depression need a doctor's help. If they ignore these feelings and treat them like a side-effect to Ecstasy, they could be ignoring signs that they are very sick. By taking Ecstasy, these people are making their clinical depression even worse.

Next >>

Brain image courtesy of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

original air date: April 22, 2002

Back: to Episode 14
Page 1: About Ecstasy
Page 2: The Problems
Page 3: The Last Word

Fake pills

Ecstasy is an expensive drug to make. Many criminals will make "fake" Ecstasy pills. They use cheaper drugs to make the tablets and then sell them on the street as Ecstasy. Here are some of the most popular substitutes and what they can do:

MDA: This makes users feel calm and very sociable. It destroys serotonin-producing neurons in the brain, just like MDMA.
PMA: A powerful stimulant. It can be ten to 30 times stronger than MDMA. It has been responsible for 15 deaths in the United States and at least two deaths in Canada.
DXM: A cough suppressant that dries out the lungs. In high doses it raises body temperature, dries out the skin and stops sweating. It is likely to cause heatstroke. If you lose control of your movements, hallucinate, have itchy skin and feel "out of your body", you may have taken DXM.
PCP: Also known as "angel dust". It is addictive. It causes irregular breathing, high blood pressure, high heart rate, intense sweating. At high doses, it may make blood pressure and pulse rate drop. It can cause paranoia, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, drooling, loss of balance and dizziness. It can also cause seizures, comas and death.
DOB: Causes serious constriction of the blood vessels and nerve damage. People on DOB are incoherent and delusional. They like to strip and run around naked.
Ketamine: This produces intense hallucinations.
Methamphetamine: Also known as "speed" or "crystal meth". It floods the body with adrenaline. It wakes you up and keeps you going. But, it can also increase blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and paranoia. Coming off of speed results in exhaustion, deep mental depression, chills, nervous twitching and insomnia.

Herbal Ecstacy

People can now buy "Herbal Ecstacy" at health stores. Users believe it's a safer alternative to MDMA.

Users say "Herbal Ecstacy" increases

Energy
Alertness
heart rate

There is no emotional high with "Herbal Ecstacy".

"Herbal Ecstacy" is not safe. In Januaray, Health Canada asked stores to stop selling these products. The main ingredient in this product is an ephedra herb called Ma Huang. Street Cents talked about the dangers of ephedra products in our athletic supplements segment. Click here for the story.