Gutierrez 1

Claudia Gutierrez
Health
(8:00 a.m. 8:50 a.m.)
Ecstasy Essay
Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) or more popularly known as, Ecstasy, is a
synthetic drug that will alter ones mood and perception of their surroundings. The chemical
makeup of MDMA is similar to both, hallucinogens and stimulants. This causes the effects of
Ecstasy to increase the users feeling of energy, distort their senses, affects their perception of
time, and increase their emotional warmth.
Although Ecstasy has had an increase in popularity in the past few decades, it has been
around since the early 1900s. MDMA was first developed in Germany, for the purpose of being
a parent compound (A compound from which derivatives may be obtained) with other
pharmaceuticals. It was not until the 1970s that Ecstasy first came to the United States. It was
given by some psychiatrists to be used a therapeutic tool. However, the drug had not undergone
any clinical trials and neither was it approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ecstasy received a small following of psychiatrists.
Some psychiatrists said that it help their patients communicate about traumatic experiences, and
users said that MDMA allowed for them to have an insight on their problems. Contrary to the
drug having a positive stigma when spoken about from psychiatrists, Ecstasy first started coming
available on the streets during this time as well. Then in 1985, the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) listed MDMA as a Schedule I drug. Ironically enough, they said that they
drug did not offer any therapeutic values.

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Moving on towards Ecstasy and its impact on the brain. There are three neurotransmitters
(Chemical messengers of brain cells that transport information) that Ecstasy increases activity in:
Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in your brain that
affects highly used and important functions and behaviors such as: mood, social behavior,
digestion and appetite, sleep, memory, and sexual desire. Dopamine is commonly referred to as
the feel good piece of our brain. Dopamine affects our use of the following: movement,
memory, pleasure, cognitive behavior, attention, sleep, mood, and learning. Norepinephrine is a
chemical, as well as a neurotransmitter, that is released whenever stress is present. It is because
of this why norepinephrine is known as the stress hormone. The functions of Norepinephrine
include: increase in blood pressure, increase in heart rate, and increase in glucose production
from energy storage. When compared to Methamphetamine, Ecstasy releases greater serotonin
levels and somewhat lesser dopamine amounts. However, because of the high quantity release of
serotonin, the users serotonin storage becomes depleted, causing extreme withdrawals lasting
several days after the drug has been ingested.
There are many aftereffects of MDMA on the brain that will affect the user overtime.
Ecstasy is desired for their mood to be improved to a state of euphoria, heightened sexuality and
arousal, increased energy, and alertness are some of the more common sought after effects.
However, most users do not know or do not expect what happens after you take Ecstasy. Due to
the flooding release of chemicals from the brain, after the curtain of the good effects that MDMA
provides lifts, the horrible withdrawals set in. The user begins to feel feelings and disorders such
as: depression, insomnia, poor memory, wariness, confusion, and an increased desire for the
drug. These symptoms increase in their level of severances with continued use of the drug.

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There are many things that Ecstasy does. This drug will affect your perception of time.
Things will either happen fairly quickly in life or they will happen very slowly. An estimate of 15
minutes after you take the drug it will enter your blood stream, then reach the brain and cause a
high. This is all based on the person and how they will trip. One thing that ecstasy will do for
everyone is elevate their blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature. These conditions are
just a few of what nurses or police officers look off by if they would like to determine if anyone
is on that kind of drug. Those effects are some acute effects that will not necessarily prove to be
dangerous depending on how you trip.
Some of the dangerous complications to taking Ecstasy for common drug addicts can
include a very serious case of depression. This will affect them a lot when they try to get off the
drug and it will reel them back in to take it. Another long term effect that this drug along with
other drugs can cause is heart problems. It can cause sudden heart failure and it is truly not worth
it to die over a substance. One other chronic effect that is very serious is that it can cause long
term confusion which will lead up to having difficulty in remembering things. Many drug addicts
that over abused this drug have reported to have early signs of amnesia. It was not prominent to a
certain age all it proved was that no matter how old you are, if you over abuse this drug it will
permanently effect your brain. Another very serious effect that could affect you for the rest of
your life is overdosing on this drug and having sudden heart failure or any other factor that could
lead you to take your last breath on this earth.
There have been many questioning as opposed to why young people within the ages of
13+ are most curious to try this drug. This drug usually starts its popularity at raves and parties
where high school or junior high students are not satisfied with alcohol or marijuana and want to
take something that will give them that desired high. Ecstasy is going to affect the users energy

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level and leave them in an euphoric stage where everything seems awesome until the drug starts
reaching its peak where it will leave users at their lowest. Some negative effects of this drug
include: it can make you anxious, sweaty, dizzy, cause you to have chills or even faint.
There are a few ways that one can obtain ecstasy which is by obtaining it illegally from a
drug seller that could possibly be involved with the Mexican Cartels which means you could be
contributing to the harassment and exploitation of the Mexican people. One way that people take
ecstasy is wrapping the powder up in a napkin before they chose to swallow it. This helps users
save their drug for whenever they please to take it. Another way is snorting the cocaine where
they would crush it up typically with something hard like a credit card and snort it through their
nose. There is however, another procedure on how to take this drug, although it is fairly
uncommon. The practice some people do is called plugging which is where the MDMA user
will take it anally. This way of taking this drug will have side effects such as trouble producing
bowel movements and can even damage your internal organs.
Throughout the years there has been some incidents with Ecstasy and it has caused many
fatalities. One incident happened when a girl in her teenage years disobeyed her family and
snuck out to a party at her friends house that they decided to throw when they found out the
girls parents would be out of town. The teenage girls name was Isobel Jones- Reilly. She had
taken about 9.96mg per kg of ecstasy which is a very high dosage especially to a teenager.
Isobels friends reportedly told the police officers that when they notices Isobel turning purple
and swaying while she walked they asked her if she was alright and Isobel said she did not feel
good but begged her friends to not call the ambulance for fear of getting caught by her parents.
Those were Isobels last words. After Isobels death her parents now go and speak at High
Schools, Jr. High, and especially Colleges to inform students about the dangers of drugs and

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what they are truly getting into. Isobels mother says there cannot be anything done about
Isobels death because there is no way to bring back her baby, but she can prevent and gear
students into double thinking about taking drugs even if it is just a one time thing.
Another horrible incident gone wrong was when a toddler of about a year and 2 months
accidentally consumed an ecstasy pill. The parents reported using ecstasy for medical use and the
baby swallowed it. The parents started noticing uncontrollable sweating and the toddlers eyeballs
started rolling back. That is when the parents rushed their toddler to the emergency room and
got him there 40 minutes after consumption. Luckily the Doctor was able to save the toddler but
the risk a lot of innocent children face on accidentally taking drugs should be absolutely 0%.
However not all the uses of Ecstasy are bad. There have been new research and studies
related to using Ecstasy medically wise for cancer patients treating anxiety or pain. These drugs
become very potent and help patients very much when they are in that much pain.
People who are drug abusers or users of MDMA need to realize that they are not alone
that there are therapys and help to quit their addiction. Because Ecstasy is a very hard drug to
get away from and stop addictions towards it is important to not even experiment with this drug
at all. No matter how high you think your tolerance is to drugs and you just want to experiment
you have to realize that this will usually result in addiction within the first try of MDMA. If one
is attending a rave or a dance they must acknowledge that they do not need to take drugs to have
a good time there are so many other things one can do.
Another way that you could seek treatment is going to rehab. Although it may be
difficult to accept that you or your family members or loved one has a problem, it is very
necessary to get them to agree to get help. Ecstasy is a hardcore drug that can result in chronic

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effects that will damage your brain, or worse you can overdose and die. Think twice before
saying yes to a Molly, or any kind of drug in that matter.

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Citations:

Lancher, Aubrey B. "Drugs, Inc. Facts: Ecstasy." National Geographic Channel. Drugs
Inc, 12 Oct. 2014. Web. 177 Feb. 2016. <http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/drugsinc/articles/drugs-inc-facts-ecstasy/>.
Espinoza, Loren. "11 Facts About MDMA." Do Something.Org. Do Something. Org, 4
Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-mdma>.

"MDMA (Ecstasy or Molly)." NIDA For Teens. National Institute On Drug Abuse, 11
Feb. 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/mdma-ecstasy-or-molly>.

Davis, Caroline. "Girl, 15, Who Died after Ecstasy Overdose Told Her Friends Not to
Call Ambulance." The Guardian. The Guardian News, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/aug/01/isobel-jones-reilly-inquest-ecstasy-party>.

"Accidental Ecstasy Poisoning in a Toddler." Public Med.Gov. National Library of

Medicine, 20 Aug. 2004. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15295251>.