Users Ecstasy or MDMA (3,4-MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine), risk of having the same problems as cocaine and amphetamine users experience, including addiction.
In continuation of the “good” effects, MDMA’s psychological effects include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety and paranoia under the influence and sometimes several weeks after you have ingested the substance. Physical effects can include, muscle tension, involuntary teeth fold, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills or intense sweating.
Increase the heartbeat and blood pressure is a particular risk for people with circulatory or heart failure. The stimulating effect of the substance that makes a person dancing in unusually long time, combined with the heat, usually in large groups of people dancing, may lead to that dehydrate, hyperventilate and experiencing cardiac and renal failure . Use of MDMA damages brain cells, neurotransmitters serotonin. Serotonin is believed to play a major role in regulating mood, memory, sleep and appetite. Recent studies have shown that over use of MDMA causes persistent memory problems.
Brain Damage in the Ecstasy User
According to recent studies, described in the 15th Published by Neuro Science magazine (June 15 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience) offers designer fabric Ecstasy, or MDMA, long-term damage to the brain part, which causes thinking and memory. In an experiment with monkeys, made by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, it was proven that four days’ use of the substance caused damage that was sustained 6-7 years later. These results helped to establish the earlier studies done on humans, the Hopkins team, which showed that those who had taken MDMA scored lower on memory tests.
“Serotonin system is exposed to MDMA, is fundamental to the brain’s integration of information and humor,” said Dr. Alan L. Leshner, director of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Health, which funded the study. “People who take MDMA, even on a few occasions, the least likely long-lasting, perhaps permanent, problems with learning and memory.”
Purity and dosage of “ecstasy” / MDMA powder
Another concern associated with MDMA use is toxicity from chemicals other than MDMA in ecstasy tablets. Due to its near-universal illegality, the purity of a substance sold as ecstasy is unknown to the typical user. The MDMA content of tablets varies widely between regions and different brands of pills and fluctuates somewhat each year. Pills may contain other active substances meant to stimulate in a way similar to MDMA, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, or caffeine, all of which may be comparatively cheap to produce and can help to boost overall profits. In some cases, tablets sold as ecstasy do not even contain any MDMA. Instead they may contain an assortment of presumably undesirable drugs and substances, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, talcum powder, etc.
There have been a number of deaths attributed to PMA, a potent and highly neurotoxic hallucinogenic amphetamine, being sold as ecstasy. PMA is unique in its ability to quickly elevate body temperature and heart rate at relatively low doses, especially in comparison to MDMA. Hence, a user who believes he is consuming two 120 mg pills of MDMA could actually be consuming a dose of PMA that is potentially lethal, depending on the purity of the pill. Not only does PMA cause the release of serotonin, but also acts as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, MAOI. When combined with an MDMA or an MDMA-like substance, serotonin syndrome can result. Combining MAO inhibitors with certain legal prescription and over the counter medications can also lead to (potentially fatal) serotonin syndrome.
Ref : Wikipedia
This purity dilemma very common in the case of ecstasy sold in South Africa where “methamphetamine” (a cheap and locally produced & highly addictive substance) is the most common ingredient mixed into imported MDMA powder “batches” and re-stamped into pills or simply sold in powder formats.