Ecstasy
The Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC), located at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, provides timely information about drugs and related issues.
Originally Ecstasy was developed in 1914 as an appetite suppressant by a German chemical company, it was never widely used for this purpose.
The official name for ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) but it is also known as MDMA, E, X, XTC, Adam, Essence, Love Drug and M&M. The chemical structure of ecstasy is similar to some amphetamines and hallucinogens.
Ecstasy is sold in tablet, capsule, or powder forms, and is often mixed with a variety of other drugs, including MDEA, MDA, ephedrine and LSD.
The effects of ecstasy include enhancement of the senses (sight, smell, touch, and hearing). In this way, ecstasy is known as an entactogen.
There is a desire to be close to and in physical contact with other people, which leads to the description of ecstasy as a "love drug." At high doses, the hallucinations are more likely to be seen, as well as stimulatory effects.
Other effects associated with ecstasy use include sweating, dangerous elevations of body temperature, involuntary biting of the tongue, teeth grinding, stiff muscles, muscle damage, loss of appetite, anxiety, memory impairment, chest pain, increased heart rate / blood pressure, irregular heart beats, heart attacks, liver / kidney damage and nausea.
It is also known to cause depression, paranoia, muscle aches, and insomnia after the high is worn off.
Ongoing studies suggest that long-term use lead to permanent brain damage.
