Ecstasy is the street name or trade name of MDMA (Methylene-dioxy-methamphetamine), a designer drug or psychoactive synthetic drug manufactured in clandestine laboratories and whose use is not pharmacological or therapeutic. It is called the drug of love because it facilitates empathy (entactogenesis), sociability, closeness and interpersonal contact.
In other words, ecstasy is composed of Methamphetamine, a very powerful stimulant of the Central Nervous System, to which free radicals have been added to enhance the stimulating effect and also cause hallucinogenic effects.
MDMA (ecstasy or ecstasy) is not so recent, as it was already used in the United States in the 1970s. But it was from the '90s when its use began to become widespread in that same country..
Contents
This drug is mainly presented in tablets or lozenges for oral administration. Said tablet may contain only MDMA or have other chemical elements added, controlled or not controlled, such as: caffeine, ketamine or ephedrine.
In the vast majority of tablets, MDMA is presented pure, although it has been determined that in 10% of seizures made in the USA, tablets also contain other components.
There may be 10 to 200 milligrams of methamphetamine content in each tablet. The common thing is to find 60 to 110 milligrams. It is important to mention that the clinical dose of Methamphetamine is 5 to 10 milligrams, that is, an ecstasy pill can contain up to 20 times more Methamphetamine than a clinical dose.
The tablets come in different colors, shapes and designs, which are fun and attractive to young people, such as: car brands, acronyms of internationally famous institutions, Disney figures, happy faces, pacifist symbols, etc. This makes it clear that these tablets have not been manufactured in pharmaceutical laboratories and that their target audience is young people. The sizes of the tablets are variable and range from very small tablets, to some the size of a 10 Chilean peso coin..
Tablets with the same size, color or logo do not imply that they contain the same content of MDMA, since when they are made in different clandestine laboratories, the content of MDMA and whether or not the compound contains additives will depend on them. Pills with the same logos and shapes have been seized in different countries, where analyzes have shown that despite the same appearance, the contents of chemical compounds are highly variable.
Usually in the USA, the use of ecstasy occurs at RAVE-type parties, clubs and discos, although its use in private situations has also been registered, to a lesser extent..
In general practice, RAVE refers to a party that lasts all night, open to all audiences, where “techno” music predominates. The number of people in these events is variable, it can go from 50 people to 25,000. The cost of access to these events is also variable. The term "RAVE" means: to speak irrationally or as if in delirium. Frantic, accelerated, rowdy. Speak with extreme enthusiasm. Move or act violently, aggressively. A typical RAVE is a young man between 15 and 25 years of age, white, urban and who does not perceive risk in the use of drugs.
In the USA, many devices used by ecstasy users have been detected, which is associated with the effects of the drug. Rubber (baby) pacifiers, gum, mentholatum tubes, candy or other candy pacifiers, body massage devices, as well as phosphorescent sticks are common..
Although it may seem strange, everything mentioned above has a meaning. Because MDMA is a very powerful stimulant, some of its side effects are bruxism (clenching of the jaws and grinding of teeth), great muscle tension, accelerated increase in body temperature, among others. Pacifiers and candies are used to control bruxism. Massage devices help control muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and back. The phosphorescent tubes or sticks are shaken by consumers, which plays a role in the hallucinogenic effects, given the increased visual perception triggered by the stimulating effect of MDMA. Menthol artifacts cool the face to control high body temperature.
It is also usual that in places where RAVE parties are held, the water supply is cut off so that it is necessary to pay for it, that "cooling" rooms are enabled to go to lower the body temperature and that there are massage tables to relieve the muscle tension. All this is part of the business of those who rent their premises for this type of event.
As already mentioned, Ecstasy is used in tablets with Methamphetamine concentration ranges from 10 to 200 milligrams. In a single night, users consume 3 to 4 pills. It is used orally, although it is possible to smoke it or grind the tablets to inhale or even inject them, although it is not the usual.
The effects are achieved 30 to 45 minutes after ingestion. The maximum effect appears between 60 to 90 minutes after ingestion. The total duration of the effects fluctuates between 4 to 6 hours.
The higher the doses, the higher the concentration of MDMA in the blood, thus greatly increasing toxicity. The half-life of MDMA metabolites in the blood is 8 to 10 hours. In this way, the staggered use of tablets, for example, 3 tablets of 110 mg. in a single night, it could mean reaching a concentration of 330 mg. of MDMA in the blood, since the half-life is longer, the substance is concentrated.
The stimulating effects of MDMA cause a rapid and increasing increase in body temperature, to which is added the high concentration of people in an enclosed area. All this causes rapid dehydration.
It also greatly increases the perception of the visual, auditory and tactile senses. For this reason, the presence of many colored lights, techno music and caresses between the participants are a complement and an effect of the activation of the drug..
There is greater euphoria, energy and excitement, but nausea and vomiting, muscle contractures and arrhythmias are observed as adverse effects.
Experiencing adverse effects does not depend on the dose or concentration of MDMA in the blood, but rather on the tolerance of each organism. A person who consumes high doses may not suffer the adverse effects, as someone who has used low doses can. In other words, there is no correlation between the concentration of the drug in the body and its adverse effects..
MDMA triggers the release of serotonin and hinders the recovery of this neurotransmitter. The consumption of the drug causes the "serotonin syndrome" having a high concentration of it in the brain, causing: hyperthermia, arrhythmias, mental confusion and psychomotor agitation.
The results of hyperthermia caused by the use of MDMA are: dehydration, seizures, release of hemoglobin in the blood, kidney damage, liver damage and intravascular coagulation (the blood forms clots in different organs with a consequent loss of oxygen).
The use of MDMA can cause water intoxication (hyponatremia), the clinical effects of which are: nausea, vomiting, weakness and confusion.
MDMA-induced hepatotoxicity can range from minor liver dysfunction to complete liver damage..
There may also be dental damage from bruxism.
The next day after ingestion, a great deficiency of serotonin can be observed in the brain, drowsiness, muscle pain, anguish, paranoia and isolation.
The effects a few days later may be MDMA-induced neurotoxicity, with long-term irreversible damage to brain cells..
Animal studies at John Hoskyns University have shown the effects of MDMA on brain cells. Damage to the cortex of serotonergic axons is observed in neurons. These experiments on "lower" animals (rats and monkeys) can be extrapolated to the use and effects of the substance in humans..
Some observations have also been made in humans by brain scan and imaging. It has been possible to observe that in the brains of MDMA users there is a reduction of serotonin, which is below the normal level. These neurotoxic effects are recorded even in individuals who once used MDMA, but who have stopped for a long time.
Finally, there is some evidence of memory damage, although it has not been possible to determine whether it is due to the exclusive use of MDMA or the effect of the consumption of other drugs, such as cannabis for example.
Juan Carlos Araneda Ferrer
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