Posts Tagged ecstasy

Study Looks into Use of Ecstasy for Treatment of PTSD

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Other Addictions on July 20th, 2010

There may be more to Ecstasy than being an illegal party drug.

According to a feature on FoxNews.com, a study that was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology dealt with the use of Ecstasy in treating patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Funding for the study was provided by the Multidisciplinary Association for Pyschedelic Studies in Santa Cruz, California.

war stressThe study used 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), more commonly known as Ecstasy, in a trial that involved a small group of 20 patients who had no history of psychosis or addiction. The patients involved underwent psychotherapy sessions that lasted for eight hours and were scheduled a few weeks apart. Eight of the patients in the trial were given placebo, while twelve were given a dose of Ecstasy.

The researchers observed that after two months, 10 of the 12 patients who were given Ecstasy responded to the treatment. Their observations indicated that Ecstasy seemed to lessen the fear of long-term patients, which in turn helped the patients get the most out of their therapy sessions.

Among the patients who were only given placebo, only two out of the eight showed improvement. There was no adverse side effects observed that could be attributed to the use of the drug, although the researchers will be following up with patients to verify the treatment’s long-term effects.

The use of Ecstasy as an aid in therapy is not new; on the contrary, psychiatrist Dr. Michael Mithoefer shared that psychiatrists and psychotherapists made use of MDMA to improve therapy long before it became popular as a party drug.

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Ecstasy: Dangerous, Deadly, Unnecessary

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction on February 14th, 2010

Sometimes called X, XTC, Adam or the Lover’s Speed, ecstasy has been an ever present threat in underground social events. But what it is exactly?

ecstasyEcstasy is a drug taken that heightens physical and sensual experience. Although it has its dangers most of its users are surely aware of, the X pill has still been prevalent in underground parties and club raves. Ecstasy is a disabling drug that causes the user to lose crucial levels of consciousness. The drug’s incapacitating power often lead to many accounts of rape, theft and even death; mixing ecstasy with other party elements like alcohol or marijuana can be a deadly cocktail.

If you find yourself to be in a situation where you or someone you know had somehow accidentally taken ecstasy, it is important to be around people you trust. Ecstasy renders a taker vulnerable. It is important that you stay with company and get medical help ASAP.  If the taker is vomiting while laying down, make him or her sit up or stand with his head down. Make sure to keep cool and encourage the taker to breath normally and to be calm as well. Ecstasy has a heating effect to the brain, and most of ecstasy-related deaths are caused by dehydration.

Ecstasy is an illegal drug and is definitely not necessary to have a good time in a party. Be smart! Make sure to be safe, and avoid any contact with illegal substances that will put you to danger.

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Drug abuse: Sleep apnea and the ecstasy users

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse, Steroid Abuse on December 9th, 2009

sleep
The dangers associated with the use of Ecstasy, the popular club drug, are also not unknown. But recently a study conducted by Dr.Una McCann and colleagues of John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore revealed a disheartening fact. The US researchers found that the widely used club drug actually increases the risks of sleep apnea– a breathing problem characterized by stopping of breath and gasping for air in deep sleep.

In sleep apnea the muscle tone in the throat becomes excessively relaxed resulting in blockage of the airway. The person struggles to breathe and this happens several times during his period of sleep often leaving 10 seconds or more within breaths. The sleeper actually fails to notice this until the next day when he might experience daytime drowsiness, headaches, irritability – all of which result from sleep apnea. Apnea might also lead to driving accidents, cognitive problems, stroke and heart disease.

The researchers monitored the sleep of 71 ecstasy users who had used it at least for 30 times but had not used it or any other illicit drugs within the previous fifteen days. 62 people who never used ecstasy served as the control group. The age of the volunteers ranged from 18 to 46 years with an average age of 24 years. None of them reported of having any sleep disturbances in the past.

Based on the number of breath stoppages per hour, the researchers rated sleep apnea as mild, moderate and severe. One of the ecstasy users had severe apnea while 8 had moderate apnea. The mild rate was more or less same within the two groups (27% between non-users and 21% within users). Longer the period of use greater the number of sleep apnea episodes.

Dr. McCarn said, “Our findings may be explained by how ecstasy damages neurons related to serotonin, a chemical in the brain that is involved in sleep regulation and breathing, among other important functions.”

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The Treatment of Ecstasy Overdose

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing on July 15th, 2009

In my last post I talked about MDMA or Ecstasy which is one of the most popular drugs available in the market. Teenagers and young adults become addicted to this dangerous drug because of its easy availability. Rave parties, rock concerts and night clubs parties seem incomplete without Ecstasy. However, an overdose of MDMA is killing and extreme care needs to be taken to treat the patients. I personally encountered many abusers who vividly describes the kind of hallucination they used to enjoy with the shot of it. But let’s find out about the treatment.

Ecstasy treatment starts with pre-hospital care. Pre-hospital care is supportive in nature but some steps need to be taken to fight the killer drug. The following may be done.

  • Addressing the ABCs
  • Administering oxygen
  • Obtaining intravenous access
  • Assessing blood sugar level
  • Regularly monitoring the patient
  • Frequently checking vital signs and assessing consciousness
  • In cases of extreme agitation, anxiety, seizures and panic reactions, intravenous or intramuscular administering of short acting benzodiazepines
  • In case the patients lose control completely, restraining them.

For severe toxicity that can be life threatening, emergency hospital care needs to be taken. The following steps are essential for emergency hospital care.

  • Addressing the ABCs, providing oxygen, obtaining intravenous access and monitoring cardiac functions
  • Glucose determination
  • Verbal counseling and support
  • GI decontamination in cases of acute toxicity by ingestion
  • Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation if patients are unable to breathe
  • Aggressive cooling measures for patients suffering from hyperthermia
  • In cases of extreme agitation, anxiety, seizures and panic reactions, intravenous or intramuscular administering of short acting benzodiazepines
  • Administering nitroprusside and nitroglycerin to lower blood pressure
  • It is essential to conduct a pregnancy test for female overdose cases. MDMA can cause miscarriage or premature labor.

In addition to all these measures, constant psychiatric consultation is required for the patients. Medical toxicologists are also required to provide information and instruction on complex ingestion.

You may visit these sites for more info:
http://www.soberliving.com/addictions/ecstasy.html, http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/treatment-centers/rehab-centers/ecstasy.htm http://www.treatment-center.com/drug-alcohol-info/ecstasy.php.

Let’s join hands to save our youth from this dangerous drug and lead them to a brighter future. I look forward to read your thoughts and suggestions.

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The Ecstasy and Agony of MDMA

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts on July 14th, 2009

Hi, this is Deb again. We have heard about of Ecstasy, the drug, right? But many of us may not know what it is exactly!

MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, is the most popular drug around. Extremely dangerous, Ecstasy is one of the most available drugs and can be bought easily by teenagers and young adults. A recent survey of teens conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that one in four questioned said they had a friend or classmate whom they knew had used Ecstasy, and 17% said they knew more than one user (http://www.drug-rehabs.com/ecstasy-rehab.htm).

Ecstasy was introduced in the USA in the 1960s as a cure for psychiatric disorders. However, it ended up worsening the condition of the patients and was soon abandoned as a therapeutic agent. It became popular in the 1980s because of its psychedelic effects and is now widely abused by teenagers and college students.

Ecstasy is believed to cause a pleasing and relaxing sensation. Other immediate effects of Ecstasy include extreme confidence, feeling of affection and well being, anxiety, dilated pupils, increase in blood pressure, body temperature and heart rate, rapid eye movements and tensing of muscles, especially in the jaws. This drug causes lack of sleep and ability to endure physical hardship.

However, the ill effects of Ecstasy are multiple. It reduces fluid intake, thereby causing dehydration, exhaustion and in extreme cases, death. It also causes maniac behavior, hallucination, paranoia, psychosis, nausea and vomiting and convulsions. Ecstasy is fatally dangerous for people suffering from hypertension, diabetes, heart ailments, liver diseases and those with panic attacks and psychotic disorders. Overdose of Ecstasy causes kidney failure, bleeding in the brain, dehydration and extremely high blood pressure.

The popularity of MDMA or Ecstasy is on the rise. It’s a must have in rave parties, rock concerts and other teenage parties. People get hooked to the pleasing sensation of the drug and by the time they realize, the damage is already done.

If you wish to know more about Ecstasy, you may visit these links:

http://www.ecstasy.org

http://www.nida.nih.gov/InfoFacts/ecstasy.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA

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