MDMA (Ecstasy)

Tablets and capsules: Ecstasy usually comes in a tablet or capsule, or very rarely as power. Tablets change from week to week and counterfeit tablets are sold widely so descriptions and `brand names' are pointless. According to police analysis, half of all Ecstasy tablets seized contained no MDMA. Some tablets contained LSD, amphetamine, MDA, and Ketamine, others had no drug content whatsoever.

WHAT IS ECSTASY?

• The chemical name for ecstasy is MDMA or 3,4 Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine.
• It is a member of a family of drugs that include amphetamine and mescalin.
• MDMA produces a relaxed, euphoric state without hallucinations.

HOW IS ECSTASY USED?

• It is almost always swallowed as a tablet or capsule.
• It is very occasionally snorted, smoked or injected.

IS ECSTASY ADDICTIVE?

• Ecstasy is not addictive. However, the drug can often take on great importance in people's lives.
• Many users report they have had the best time they have ever had in their life. However, taken too often, it loses its special appeal and users may move onto other things.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF ECSTASY?

• MDMA takes effect 20 to 40 minutes after taking a tablet with little rushes of exhilaration which can be accompanied by nausea. 60 to 90 minutes after taking the drug, the user feels the peak effects.
• Sensations are enhanced, music sounds better.
• The effects of `real' ecstasy subside after 3-4 hours.
• Users report that the experience is very pleasant and highly controllable. Even at the peak of the drug's effect, people can easily bring themselves down to deal with an important matter.
• The effect that makes MDMA different from other drugs is the sensation of understanding and accepting others. Users feel as though barriers disappear and people feel less inhibited.

WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ECSTASY?

• Very little is known about the long-term effects of MDMA.
• Users often experience depression after raking MDMA.
• This is caused by MDMA's action upon the chemicals in the brain.
• There have been deaths associated with MDMA in Britain.
• One theory is overheating caused by ecstasy induced heatstroke from dancing for too long in hot, sweaty clubs.
• The active dose of MDMA is about 50-75mgs (most tablets sold in the UK are 70-100mgs).
• A tiny percentage of the population may be extremely sensitive to MDMA. For these people, even a single dose can kill.
• There is some concern that ecstasy may cause liver problems.
• Anybody who suffers from hypertension or heart problems, epilepsy, asthma, or who is pregnant or using anti-depressants should not take MDMA.

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