Okay...so my aunt accidently took ecstasy...and we need to know what the side effects are? AANYONE NO?
Thanks, Katie Chronic users of Ecstasy perform more poorly than nonusers on certain types of cognitive or memory tasks. Some of these effects may be due to the use of other drugs in combination with Ecstasy, among other factors.
Physical Effects: In high doses, Ecstasy can interfere with the body's ability to regulate temperature. On rare but unpredictable occasions, this can lead to a sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), resulting in liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system failure, and death.
Because Ecstasy can interfere with its own metabolism (breakdown within the body), potentially harmful levels can be reached by repeated drug use within short intervals.
Users of Ecstasy face many of the same risks as users of other stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines. These include increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory problems or heart disease, and other symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating.
Psychological Effects: These can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, and severe anxiety. These problems can occur during and sometimes days or weeks after taking Ecstasy.
Neurotoxicity: Research in animals links Ecstasy exposure to long-term damage to neurons that are involved in mood, thinking, and judgment. A study in nonhuman primates showed that exposure to Ecstasy for only 4 days caused damage to serotonin nerve terminals that was evident 6 to 7 years later. While similar neurotoxicity has not been definitively shown in humans, the wealth of animal research indicating Ecstasy's damaging properties suggests that Ecstasy is not a safe drug for human consumption.
Hidden Risk - Drug Purity: Other drugs chemically similar to Ecstasy, such as MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine, the parent drug of Ecstasy) and PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine, associated with fatalities in the U.S. and Australia) are sometimes sold as ecstasy. These drugs can be neurotoxic or create additional health risks to the user. Also, ecstasy tablets may contain other substances in addition to MDMA, such as ephedrine (a stimulant); dextromethorphan (DXM, a cough suppressant that has PCP-like effects at high doses); ketamine (an anesthetic used mostly by veterinarians that also has PCP-like effects); caffeine; cocaine; and methamphetamine. While the combination of Ecstasy with one or more of these drugs may be inherently dangerous, users might also combine them with substances such as marijuana and alcohol, putting themselves at further physical risk.
Extent of Ecstasy Use POSITIVE
extreme mood lift
increased willingness to communicate
increase in energy (stimulation)
ego softening
feelings of comfort, belonging, and closeness to others
feelings of love and empathy
forgiveness
increased awareness & appreciation of music
increased awareness of senses. (eating, drinking, smell)
profound life-changing spiritual experiences
neurotically based fear dissolution
sensations bright and intense
urge to hug and kiss people
NEUTRAL
appetite loss
visual distortion
rapid, involuntary eye jiggling (nystagmus)
mild visual hallucinations (uncommon)
moderately increased heart rate and blood pressure (increases with dose)
restlessness, nervousness, shivering
change in body temperature regulation
upwellings of unexpected emotion, emotional lability
strong desire to do or want more when coming down
NEGATIVE
(negative side effects increase with higher doses and frequent use)
inappropriate and/or unintended emotional bonding
tendency to say things you might feel uncomfortable about later
mild to extreme jaw clenching (trisma), tongue and cheek chewing, and teeth grinding (bruxia)
difficulty concentrating & problems with activities requiring linear focus
short-term memory scramble or loss & confusion
muscle tension
erectile disfunction and difficulty reaching orgasm
increase in body temperature, hyperthermia, dehydration (drink water)
hyponatremia (don't drink too much water)
nausea and vomiting
headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, and vertigo
sadness on coming down, sense of loss or immediate nostalgia
post-trip Crash - unpleasantly harsh comedown from the peak effect
hangover the next day, lasting days to weeks
mild depression and fatigue for up to a week
severe depression and/or fatigue (uncommon)
possible strong urge to repeat the experience, though not physically addictive
possible psychological crisis requiring hospitalization (psychotic episodes, severe panic attacks, etc) (rare)
possible liver toxicity (rare)
possible neurotoxicity (controversial)
small risk of death. Approximately 2 per 100,000 users have extreme negative reactions resulting in death. (rare) Babies, sexually transmitted deceases, and possibly jail time. dancing and gurning like a moron are among the more common ones. Seriously, if she just took it once, she'll be fine. Don't let her drink too much water and get her straight to hospital if you suspect she is ill. Elaborating on the answers here which are mostly excelent, one of the serious consequences of ecstasy use can occur from drinking too much water.
The most widely publicised death in the UK from Ecstasy use was from Leah Betts in the 90's.
She was a 17 year old girl out on a rave with some friends and consensually took an ecstasy tab.
She felt so hot she drank massive amounts of water in a short space of time. This diluted her blood so much of electrolytes (charged particles which are necessary for cell metabolism) her body couldn't respire and metabolise properly. This is what killed her rather than the ecstasy tablet itself.
She will have had to have drunk around 6 litres of water in 30 minutes in order for this to happen.
Had she not drunk so much water she probably wouldn't have died. Serotonin Syndrome.
Basically her temperature will climb waaaay too high and this can lead to problems. She might feel panicky and her heart might race as well. If she only took one, it's the first time and she doesnt make a habit of it then she'll probably have a pretty amazing time. She'll feel horrible tomorrow though.
Make sure she drinks enough water but not too much. Just sit her down and let her listen to music or watch a disney film like fantasia. I'm not going to ask how she accidentally took ecstasy, but I guess anything is possible.
I have taken ecstasy once and when I took the pill, it hit me about an hour after taking. I was the happiest I have ever been. I wanted to be around a lot of people. I kept hugging everyone. I got really hot. I kept grinding my teeth. I wanted to dance and constantly have people scratch my back or hug me.
The next day I was just strung out. REALLY dehydrated. it makes you want to dance to awful music.
actually i tried it once and it was not ecstatic it was horrible i didn't like it at all. don't worry.
Unless you're a chronic user of E then there is little to no consequences for taking it. The only risks are during the high, all you need is a sober companion with her who regulates the amount of water intake, to make sure that it isnt too high or more commonly, too low since you begin to feel active while on it and perspire a lot.
Certain drugs aren't bad when taken in moderation and cautiously. |
