Why Ecstasy is Such a Dangerous Drug

Often considered a "safe drug", ecstasy has many hidden dangers that aren't immediately apparent. A party drug, or "designer drug", it is popular among young adults active in the party and rave scene . Referred to by many names including X, E, and XTC among others, the pill gives the user a feeling of euphoria as well as decreasing inhibitions. While the drug is not as physically addicting as other illegal drugs, ecstasy addiction is well documented and its use has several short term and long term dangers, many of which have the possibility of death.

Lack of Regulation

Ecstasy is federally classified as a Schedule 1 drug, along with many other illegal substances. As such, the sale of it is unregulated and occasionally it is mixed with other substances before being sold on the street. Contamination with other substances can lead to serious side effects and many deaths have been traced to batches of contaminated ecstasy pills. While efforts are made to trace down the sources of contaminated ecstasy, it is often too late to prevent loss of life.

Short-Term Effects

Ecstasy users generally begin to feel the effect of ecstasy within 20 minutes of taking the pill. The high generally increases for one to two hours and then wears off several hours later. During the high, users have an increased amount of energy, feel euphoric and will experience an altered perception of time. Other reported effects are mania, hallucinations, increased self-confidence, and hyper-physical sensitivity. Other physical effects include difficulty concentrating, jaw clenching, teeth grinding, and loss of appetite. Due to the fact that ecstasy is most often used in a party or rave situation, overheating is a common side effect, and in the most extreme cases heatstroke can occur, leading to death. Extended periods of dancing can lead to severe dehydration, hyperthermia and a rise in body temperature. An increase in body temperature can lead to muscle breakdown and kidney, liver and cardiovascular failure.

The addition of alcohol use with ecstasy worsens the dehydration and can increase the risk of overheating. Hyponatremia, also called "water intoxication" is another risk associated with ecstasy use. Hyponatremia occurs when excessive water is consumed without the proper balance of electrolytes. This can occur in situations where ecstasy is used in a sedentary situation or when users are dancing hard, consuming a lot of water, but not eating anything due to decreased appetite caused by the drug. In the most extreme cases, hyponatremia can cause death. Because ecstasy will lead to decreased inhibitions and a feeling of connectedness to others, users often partake in activities that they would avoid when not high on the drug.

Long-Term Effects

The long-term effects of ecstasy use are still being studied but it has already been linked to long-term changes in brain chemistry. It is believed that ecstasy reduces the concentration of serotonin transporters in the brain, the chemical responsible for feelings of happiness. Oftentimes the brain cannot recover from damage caused by the long-term use ecstasy and people with ecstasy addictions suffer from a lifetime of emotional and mental problems such as depression and anxiety even after the user has quit using the drug.

Ecstasy Addiction

Ecstasy is not a physically addicting drug like other illegal substances such as methamphetamine and cocaine, but users often become psychologically addicted to the high associated with the drug. While it has fewer deaths associated with it than many other illegal drugs, ecstasy is far from the safe drug that many consider it to be.