Ecstasy

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, XTC, X, and E has many other aliases depending on the geographic location. Ecstasy is a synthetic drug used to stay awake, hallucinate, experience sensory distortions, or have a sense of well-being. Ecstasy stimulates the central nervous system and produces many other symptoms. The price of Ecstasy can range anywhere from $10 to $40 a pill, even though the actual pill only costs about $.02 to $.10 to manufacture. Ecstasy not only exists in a pill form, but it can also be found as powder, crystal, and liquid.

Tests have been done on animals to see what effects Ecstasy would have on them. The tests have shown that this “club drug” causes brain damage among many other longer-term symptoms. Ecstasy has also been shown to decrease the level in an important chemical in the brain, serotonin, which causes moodiness, changes in sleeping and eating habits, aggressive behavior, sexual functions, and even affects sensitivity to pain. Other lesser symptoms are sweating, increase in heart rate, dry or cotton mouth, exhaustion, loss of appetite, tightening of muscles, dehydration, and shaking of the eyes. “One time at a party, I saw a chick who was rolling and her eyes rolled into the back of her head,” says Senior Dinah Wies. This kind of incident isn’t unusual. When used frequently, Ecstasy has been know to cause nausea, dizziness, lockjaw, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Studies that have been done on rats and monkeys have shown that using Ecstasy can reduce serotonin levels in the brain up to 90% for a minimum of two weeks.

Ecstasy and other MDMA related drugs are mostly found at raves, clubs, dances, and bars, but can also be found almost anywhere. As if Ecstasy wasn’t dangerous enough when used alone, it is even more dangerous when alcohol is added. The crystal version of Ecstasy can be snorted, smoked, and mixed with other drugs. The pill forms of Ecstasy, which are the most common, vary in size, color, shape, and price. Usually, the pill form is powder Ecstasy pressed into a pill shape. Most pills have stamps on them, which indicates the name or what the dealer calls them. The stamps can be anything like animals, hearts, moons, and even cartoon characters.

Ecstasy has many short term and long term symptoms and side affects that not many know of. Since Ecstasy is a relatively new drug to hit the party scene, not many tests have been done so scientists don’t know for sure all of the affects that this drug can cause. So far, for the tests that have been conducted it has been shown that already, Ecstasy has been proved a dangerous drug.

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