The Evidence - Science Doesn't Lie
Ecstasy: Can E Be Used Safely?
There are a lot of people out there who think that ecstasy is relatively safe. There are even some groups on the Web that encourage its use and tell you that swallowing a 'clean pill' (or pure ecstasy), is virtually risk-free. Science tells us otherwise - plain and simple.
Scientists have already shown that in primates (mainly monkeys), Ecstasy causes a depletion and damage to serotonin nerve terminals. Serotonin is known in the brain to control mood, sleep, pain, emotion, and appetite. So, when a user swallows a pill of MDMA, an unnatural amount of serotonin flushes to the brain and produces a euphoric effect. This effect, over time, has shown in primates to have damaging and toxic effects (Insel et al. 1989; Kleven et al. 1989; Slikker Jr. et al. 1988). Just one dose of ecstasy injured rat brains in laboratory studies, resulting in learning and memory impairment (Schmued 2003).
Long-term memory impairment and brain damage were also found in human studies researching ecstasy. A Marie Curie-award winning researcher in the Netherlands concluded from brain scans of users that the memories of ecstasy users were less good than those of non-users, and that users suffered a depletion of serotonin brain cells. One year later, memory-damage was still apparent (Reneman et al 2001). Ecstasy use has also shown to lead to long-lasting confusion and depression (Boot et al 2000).
Research carried out by academics in the UK revealed that Ecstasy users have significantly impaired memory when compared with non-Ecstasy users. In a paper called "Ecstasy (MDMA) and memory function: a meta-analytic update," professors analysed memory data from 26 studies involving over 600 ecstasy users. They found that in over 75% of ecstasy users, long and short-term verbal memory is below the average of non-ecstasy using controls.
Researchers in Canada have also found that Ecstasy users with hyperthyroidism and/or Graves' disease should also exercise caution. According to research reported on in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, these conditions may be a factor in fatal reactions to ecstasy.
Evidence suggests that cognitive deficits can last for 6 months or longer after abstinence from ecstasy, whereas the anxiety and hostility may remain for at least a year (Morgan 2000).
Additional Scientific Research about Ecstasy
- Boot, B.; McGregor, I.; Hall, W. (2000). MDMA neurotoxicity: Assessing and communicating the risks. Lancet, 355: 1818-21.
- Insel, T.; Battaglia, G.; Johannessen, J.; Marra, S.; DeSouza, E. (1989). 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) selectively destroys brain serotonin terminals in rhesus monkeys. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 249(3): 713-20.
- Kleven, M.; Woolverton, W.; Seiden, L. (1989). Evidence that both intragastric and subcutaneous administration of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produce serotonin meurotoxicity in rhesus monkeys. Brain Research, 488(1-2): 121-25.
- Morgan, M. (2000). Ecstasy (MDMA): A review of its possible persistent psychological effects. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 152(3):230-48.
- Reneman L, Majoie CB, Flick H, den Heeten GJ (2002). Reduced N-acetylaspartate levels in the frontal cortex of 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) users: preliminary results. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 23: 231-237
- Schmued, L. (2003). Demonstration and localization of neuronal degeneration in the rat forebrain following a single exposure to MDMA. Brain Research, 974(1-2):127-33.
- Slikker, W. Jr.; Ali, S.; Scallet, A.; Frith, C.; Newport, G.; Bailey, J. (1988). Neurochemical and neurohistological alterations in the rat and monkey produced by orally administered methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 94(3): 448-57.
