MDMA functions by increasing production of serotonin , dopamine, and norepinephrine. Serotonin also triggers the release of other hormones that can cause feelings of attraction and intimacy. As a result, users may become more affectionate than usual, and feel a connection with complete strangers. The effects last for 3 to 6 hours, but people who take a moderate amount may experience withdrawal-type side effects for a week after.
These include :. Being illegal, there is no government regulation over production. These harmful substances can be particularly dangerous when mixed with MDMA. When users buy MDMA from dealers on the street, they do not know what they are taking.
Ingesting other substances, such as marijuana or cocaine, along with MDMA greatly increases the danger of adverse reactions. Deaths have been linked to some fatal batches of MDMA. People use MDMA because it enhances feelings of alertness, euphoria, and physical and mental powers. This is why people who have taken MDMA feel connection with and positivity towards others. It typically occurs when other drugs that also raise serotonin levels other stimulants, antidepressants are taken together with MDMA.
Signs include high body temperature, agitation, confusion, problems controlling muscles, headache and the shakes. People might also experience seizures or loss of consciousness. It can be fatal if the symptoms are left untreated, so if anyone taking MDMA shows any of these signs they should be treated immediately. Read more: Here's why doctors are backing pill testing at music festivals across Australia.
More rarely, fatalities have been reported as a result of other health complications after taking ecstasy, especially if the person has pre-existing risk factors, such as high blood pressure or a heart condition. Complications related to heart failure, liver failure and brain haemorrhage have been reported in people already at high risk of these problems.
The number of people who die from party drugs is relatively low compared to other drugs such as heroin, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals. But the media tend to report a higher proportion of these deaths compared to other drugs, increasing the perception of harm. Most of the deaths are not directly from the drug itself but other complications or contaminants. Doing things that are normally easy for you, like driving, can become difficult and unsafe. You may not be able to accurately judge distances, for example.
MDMA can also cause serotonin syndrome. Symptoms include:. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four to five drinks within 2 hours. Both can cause toxicity to some of the same major organs. These include the heart and brain. Combining the two stacks the deck for serious adverse reactions and chances of organ damage, stroke, and sudden death.
Studies show drinking alcohol with MDMA increases stress to the heart and can lead to heart-related toxicity. MDMA raises body temperature. This causes excess sweating, sometimes to dangerous levels. MDMA also shrinks blood vessels and raises blood pressure and heart rate.
Drinking alcohol with MDMA makes you dehydrated quicker, since alcohol is a diuretic. That means it makes you pee more often. Alcohol also slows MDMA removal from the body. This builds the risk of injury to the:. Both alcohol and MDMA use during pregnancy pose risks to mother and baby. MDMA can raise cortisol levels. This hormone may cause nervous system damage to the baby. One study found prenatal exposure to MDMA causes children to have slower mental and motor skill development in the first 2 years of life.
Other older studies have found prenatal exposure to MDMA led to heart and muscle-related problems in infants. MDMA very often contains other substances, like designer cathinones , caffeine, or amphetamines. Your balance, coordination, and awareness will be impaired, making it harder to judge distance. MDMA has been around for decades and is still popular today.
The cornerstone of PTSD therapy is exposure and desensitization. The traumatized patient needs to encounter distressing memories until they gradually lose their power. Naturally this is very disturbing to most patients. It is hoped that MDMA might make bad memories less vivid, while increasing feelings of safety and trust. A study conducted by London-based neurologists addresses this possibility through functional MRI responses to best and worst autobiographical memories.
Participants were asked to provide six of their worst memories and six of their favorites, and were trained to recall them during the fMRI procedure.
After taking MDMA, users rated their favorite memories as more vivid and emotionally intense, while their worst memories felt less negative. The dose may have been too high, or the pills may have been adulterated with caffeine or other amphetamine-like substances.
Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience, cognitive science, or psychology? And have you read a recent peer-reviewed paper that you would like to write about? Please send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. Gareth, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, is the series editor of Best American Infographics and can be reached at garethideas AT gmail.
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