- It is estimated that over 15 million people globally have used MDMA or Ecstasy at least once in the past year and in the United States there are over 500,000 regular MDMA users.
- The chemical MDMA, was created in 1912 as a substance to stop abnormal bleeding, two patent applications were filed. It was not really looked at again until the 1950’s when the United States Army did testing with the drug – all classified until 1973.
- In the mid 1970’s the drug was being used recreationally and it was described as an “altered state of consciousness with emotional and sensual overtones”
- MDMA is taken orally, in a tablet or capsule, and its effects last 3-6 hours.
- Clear signs of someone under the influence include: Difficulty concentrating, jaw clenching, teeth grinding, lack of appetite, distortions in heart rate, long periods of activity without rest or intake of fluids, and hypothermia.
- MDMA is often “cut” with other drugs such as methamphetamine, caffeine, codeine, Ketamine, and PCP, which can accelerate harmful effects.
- Some side effects of Ecstasy on the body are nausea, blurred vision, muscle tension, chills, and sweating.
- A single dose of MDMA can cause severe hallucinations as well as overdose.
- MDMA has been known to cause Parkinson’s disease later in life all from the extreme alteration of dopamine levels
- Prolonged use of MDMA causes: impaired memory, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and brain damage
- Withdrawal Symptoms include: panic attacks, loss of reality, extreme decrease in self-esteem, and paranoid delusions.
Ecstasy (MDMA) Addicts Can Recover
There are treatment centers and many beneficial programs focused around behavioral, emotional and spiritual counseling. There are also abstinence-based programs such as Narcotics Anonymous.