Ecstasy's `benign, fun' image distorts its effects

by Ron Basante

Daily Lobo columnist

Ecstasy use in the United States is growing at an alarming rate.

Originally found only at raves or dance clubs, ecstasy has infiltrated Middle America. Just recently, Matthew Perry of the hit TV series "Friends" entered drug rehabilitation, claiming that ecstasy was one of several drugs he had problems with.

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is becoming increasing popular. Some Web sites praise the drug because "It makes you care." Ecstasy and all its chemical cousins are not just benign, fun drugs.

Ecstasy is chemically known a N-Methyl-3, 4-methylene dioxyamphetamine. On the street, it's known as "X", "XTC," "E" and "Adam." Chemically a phenethylamine, it's related to both amphetamines and mescaline. There are many chemical cousins: DMA, MMDA and MDEA.

Patented as long ago as 1913 by the drug giant Merk, Ecstasy was never marketed. It resurfaced in 1953 when the U.S. Army tested it for possible military applications.

Psychologically, MDMA is an Empathogen-entactogen, meaning it gives you a warm sensation of well-being. It opens your heart to others; however, what people experience can vary from paranoia to sleep. Less extreme reactions are more common: Nausea, vomiting, feeling out of control, headaches, dry mouth and muscle twitches.

MDMA causes serotonin to be released from certain brain cells, thus producing a change in mood. It affects vital signs and increases blood pressure, pulse and temperature. As a rave or a dance drug, this is a problem because MDMA will cause users to dance for hours without drinking fluids or resting, causing heart rates and body temperature to get dangerously high.

In 1985, MDMA became a controlled substance. With the Food and Drug Administration watching, the materials to concoct the drug became harder to get.

With the explosion of 21-and-under clubs and raves, ecstasy became the drug of choice. These factors caused a tremendous demand for the drug. So, a pill that cost just a few pennies to make now can fetch a $20-30 tab - a lot of profit, but not enough MDMA, Sadly, profit motivates.

Many dealers manufacture pills with high doses of DXM, a cough suppressant, sometimes with 10-15 times the recommended dose. DXM inhibits sweating, which increases the likelihood of heatstroke, and it can cause hallucinations. Some mix in aspirin, caffeine and other over-the counter medications. Dance Safe, a pro-rave group, estimates that 40 percent of Ecstasy tablets are fake.

Herbal "E" - billed as a safe, legal, herbal form of Ecstasy - is actually the herb ephedra, or ma haung, that is found in many over-the-counter diet pills. Large doses can still cause problems with dehydration and overheating. Mixing any of these with alcohol or other prescription drugs enhances the danger even more.

These are just short-term problems. Research about the long-term effects of Ecstasy is ongoing. A lot of it centers on how it attacks areas in brain cells that manufacture the neurotransmitter serotonin. Ecstasy causes the nerve cells to release a rush of serotonin, which overwhelms the serotonin receptors, and this rush may cause damage to the nerve endings. Neuroscientists believe that these damaged cells grow back, but in a denser, abnormal formation.

Bottom line: Life is one big dance. Why fill it with land mines? Ecstasy is nothing to rave about.

Besante is the nurse manager at the Student Health Center. He received his nursing degree from the State University of New York. He has a BUS from UNM and is currently working toward his MPA at UNM.