P S Y C H E D E L I
C S:
Ecstasy
What is it? Also known as "E," "X," and "Bean,"
ecstasy has a long chemical name:
methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDA for short. It is
called a "designer" drug (see sidebar) and comes in a white
capsule or tablet. 30 minutes after it is swallowed, ecstasy
reaches the brain. A "trip" can last 3-4 hours.
A Designer Drug is created in a lab and
designed to be just different enough chemically
from an illegal drug so that it is not
"technically" illegal. Once the designer drug
becomes popular, laws are passed to make it
illegal. The drug designers then make slight
modifications to its chemical structure to come up
with yet a new version that is still potent but
again technically legal. This cycle can go on
forever, with each new version having slightly
different effects, side effects, and potencies.
Many of these effects, including how much is an
overdose, are unknown and can be much more
dangerous than the original.
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What does it make you feel like? Ecstasy can make
users feel energetically high, relaxed or warmly connected
to other people. It can make users feel freer to communicate
with others or to do some deep inner thinking on their own.
Some users say it increases sexual feelings.
What does it do to your body? Ecstasy is a
complete "mixed bag" when it comes to physical effects.
- Like Quaaludes,
ecstasy relieves muscle tension, stress.
- Like downers,
ecstasy can block pain.
- Like
amphetamines,
ecstasy can give the user a sense of well-being.
- Like some other
psychedelics,
ecstasy can give the user a heightened sense of sight,
sound, and touch plus an altered sense of reality.
Warning!
Ecstasy is often "cut" (mixed) with:
speed,
acid,
or
heroin.
Is it easy to become tolerant to the drug? All drugs
are poison to your body. But because your body is
so amazingly devoted to keeping you alive, it can become
"tolerant" to having poison in it. With ecstasy, the
tolerance develops very quickly. Some users say they've
experienced the following: Dry mouth, dehydration, loss of
appetite, headaches, dizziness, nausea, fainting, teeth
grinding, sweating, chills, increased heart rate, blood
pressure, and next-day sleepiness.
If an ecstasy user takes one tablet every day for
a week,
the nice, dreamy effects end and the speedy, tense effects
get worse.
What's an overdoes like? People rarely overdose on
ecstasy. Why? Because the more they take ecstasy the less
they enjoy it. Like
amphetamines, too much
leads to paranoia, anxiety, and
depression. Occasionally ecstasy can
cause toxic reactions in people with asthma, heart
conditions, diabetes, epilepsy, psychosis, or
depression.
What is withdrawal like? Ecstasy is not believed
to be chemically addictive like
tobacco,
alcohol,
cocaine,
crack,
amphetamines, and
heroin, although some
consider it to be emotionally or psychologically addictive
like marijuana. Regular
users who stop taking it will not experience physical
withdrawal symptoms.
Is it legal? No.
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