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Facts on Drugs: Ecstasy
In general, NIDA-supported research shows that abuse of any club drugs can cause serious health problems and, in rare instances, even death. Many drug abusers take combinations of drugs, including alcohol, which may further increase their danger.
For most abusers, a "hit" of ecstasy lasts for 3 to 6 hours. Once the pill is swallowed, it takes only about 15 minutes for MDMA to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain. About 45 minutes later, a user experiences MDMA's peak level (high). It's downhill from there, unless the user "bumps" and takes more MDMA. But even if a person takes only one pill, the side effects of MDMA-including feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression, and memory difficulties-can last for several days to a week (or longer in regular MDMA users). [1] [2] [3]
MDMA abusers might feel very alert or "hyper" at first. At raves, they can keep on dancing for hours at a time. They may also experience distortions in time and other changes in perception, such as an enhanced sense of touch. Some, however, can become anxious and agitated. Sweating or chills may occur, and MDMA abusers may feel faint or dizzy. [3]
MDMA abusers can also become dehydrated through vigorous activity in a hot environment. MDMA can interfere with the body's ability to regulate its temperature, which can cause dangerous overheating (hyperthermia.) This, in turn, can lead to serious heart, kidney, or liver problems-or, rarely, death. MDMA can be extremely dangerous in high doses, or when multiple small doses are taken within a short time period to maintain the high. Blood levels of the drug can reach very high levels, increasing the risk of hyperthermia and other health risks of MDMA. [3]
MDMA can also cause muscle tension, clenching of teeth, nausea, blurred vision, fainting, and chills or sweating. It increases heart rate and blood pressure.
MDMA can cause confusion, depression, sleep problems, intense fear, and anxiety. In regular abusers, some of these side effects can last for days or weeks after taking MDMA.
MDMA can be dangerous in high doses. It can cause a noticeable increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), which also has been associated with dehydration. Hyperthermia can lead to cardiovascular problems, seizures, liver failure, and muscle breakdown that can cause kidney failure. These have been reported in some fatal cases at raves. [1]
MDMA has been shown to be neurotoxic (damage nerve tissue) in studies using animals. It's not yet known whether this drug is neurotoxic in humans. However, regular users of MDMA have demonstrated memory loss, and this may reflect damage to the neurons that release serotonin, which affects the ability to sleep and helps to regulate mood.
Although it is not yet known whether MDMA causes long-term brain damage in humans, or whether the effects are reversible when someone stops using the drug, a study of non-human primates showed that exposure to high doses of MDMA for 4 days produced brain damage that was evident 6 to 7 years later. The study researchers found that some of the damaged nerve fibers grew back, but not necessarily in the same parts of the brain. It's like cutting off a branch of a fruit tree: The tree is still alive and can sprout a new limb somewhere else, but it may not bear as much fruit as the old one.
Brain imaging research in humans indicates that MDMA may affect neurons that use serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The serotonin system plays a direct role in regulating mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain. [5] [6]
