Posts Tagged MDMA

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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