Ecstasy

• What is ecstasy?
• Street Names
• How is it taken?
• What are the effects?
• What are the dangers?
• Is it addictive?

What is ecstasy?

• Ecstasy is the chemical methyldioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA.
  
• MDMA is a synthetic substance that has both stimulant and hallucinogenic effects.

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Street Names

"X," "E," "XTC," "MDMA," "love drug," "hug drug" or "Adam."

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How is it taken?

• Ecstasy comes in pill form or liquid form "Liq.X."
  
• It is taken orally.

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What are the effects?

Physical effects:

• Ecstasy is a stimulant.
  
• It lasts four to six hours.
  
• It increases heart rate and blood pressure.
  
• It causes muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, feeling faint, tremors, rapid eye movement, and sweating or chills.

Mental effects:

• It creates feelings of euphoria, empathy and altered social perceptions.
  
• It causes heightened sense of awareness.
  
• It causes feelings of increased empathy or emotional closeness to others.
  
• It induces a state characterized as "excessive talking" (loquacity).

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What are the dangers?

• Anxiety.
  
• Hyperthermia.
  
• Memory loss.
  
• Cognitive impairment.
  
• Respiratory distress.
  
• Psychological dependency.
  
• Physical exertion (such as rave partying) that can lead to heat exhaustion.
  
• Long-term neurochemical and brain cell damage.
  
• Illegal to possess in the United States.

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Is it addictive?

Repeated use of ecstasy can produce dependence and withdrawal symptoms. Several studies have shown that users of ecstasy may develop addiction.
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