Kontakt 2006, 8(1):149-153 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2006.025

Is ecstasy a dangerous drug?Biomedicine

Polák Robert

Jihočeská univerzita České Budějovice, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie

Ecstasy, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine) is a synthetic, psychoactive substance, chemically similar to the stimulant metamphetamine and hallucinogen mescaline. MDMA exerts its effects particularly in the brain or in neurons, which use serotonin for their communication with other neurons. The serotonin system plays an important role in the control of the mood, aggressivity, sexual activity, sleep and sensitivity to the pain. The research on animals demonstrated that MDMA exerts neurotoxic effects; the question, if this also holds for man is currently being intensively studied. MDMA can be dangerous and it also can rarely cause the death. In high doses, MDMA disturbs the ability of the organism to control the body temperature. This can lead to a rapid increase in the body temperature (hyperthermia) with subsequent failures of the liver, kidney and cardiovascular systems. Thus, consumers of MDMA face the same danger as consumers of other stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamines. They increase the heart frequency and blood pressure, which can be dangerous particularly for persons with circulation problems and myocardium diseases and they also induce further symptoms, such as muscular tone, twitching of teeth, vomiting, blurred vision, faints, tremor and sweating.

Keywords: Ecstasy; MDMA; metamphetamine; stimulant; hyperthemia; risk

Published: May 26, 2006  Show citation