MDMA or
ecstasy, is a synthetic, psychoactive drug with hallucinogenic
and amphetamine like properties. MDMA is a very powerful drug
that is a common drug of abuse today. MDMA causes the user to
feel a very intense rush of euphoria, of well being. As well, it
can causes hallucination, both visual and auditory. MDMA is a
very dangerous drug that can kill people the first time they use
it due to an allergic reaction. Prolonged MDMA use can lead to
serious brain damage, memory loss, and motor skill impediment.
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) is a designer drug first
synthesized in 1914 by a German drug company for the treatment
of obesity.8 Those who take the drug frequently
report adverse effects, such as increased muscle tension and
sweating. MDMA is not clearly a stimulant, although it
has, in common with amphetamine drugs, a capacity to increase
blood pressure and heart rate. MDMA does produce some
perceptual changes in the form of increased sensitivity to
light, difficulty in focusing, and blurred vision in some users.
Its mechanism of action is thought to be via release of the
neurotransmitter serotonin. MDMA may also release dopamine,
although the general opinion is that this is a secondary effect
of the drug (Nichols and Oberlender, 1990). The most pervasive
effect of MDMA, occurring in virtually all people who took a
reasonable dose of the drug, was to produce a clenching of the
jaws.
