Street Names
E, ecstasy, XTC, eckies, love drug, pills, hug drug and candy.
Dangers
Ecstasy has been linked to several deaths through:
- heart attack
- brain haemorrhage
- blood clotting
- kidney failure
- overheating – the combination of taking ecstasy with prolonged and vigorous dancing raises the body temperature to dangerous levels. Because it is often taken in hot, humid venues such as dance parties the risk of death by overheating (hyperthermia) is further increased
- drinking too much – deaths have occurred from dilution hyponatremia. When a user drinks too much water, it dilutes the levels of salts and other minerals in the blood so much that it can cause the brain to swell, which can lead to a coma and possibly death.
'Ecstasy' is a common street name for 3, 4 - Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
MDMA is a synthetic drug manufactured from chemical compounds and has both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. MDMA was first developed in Germany in 1914 and was originally used for both an appetite suppressant and as an adjunct to psychotherapy. It began to gain world wide popularity in mid 1980’s and is mostly associated with the dance or rave party scene.
Ecstasy comes in capsules or tablets of all different shapes, sizes and colours. Often the tablets have a symbol embossed on them. Occasionally it comes as a white powder.
The most common way to take ecstasy is
by swallowing a tablet. Other less common methods include crushing and snorting
it, or injecting it.
The effects usually begin within 20 minutes of taking ecstasy and may last
up to six hours.
There is no way of knowing what is actually in an ecstasy tablet. Clearly
it is safest not to use at all.
You may experience the following effects soon after taking ecstasy:
Taking ecstasy in larger quantities does not appear to enhance the desirable effects of the drug. At higher doses of MDMA you may experience:
