Ecstasy is also known as X, Adam, Clarity, Lover’s Speed, Rolls, Green Triangle and bunches of other things.  The official name for Ecstasy is MDMA, which stands for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Long yah?  We’ll just call it Ecstasy).  Ecstasy comes in the form of a tablet or capsule and people usually swallow it.  The pill comes in different shapes and colors and there’s often a logo on it (like the Nike swoosh, or a happy face, the Mercedes logo, or other things). 

      This drug is a type of amphetamine (ice or meth is also an amphetamine) and affects your brain with stimulant and psychedelic effects.  So basically you go into double time and your perception of reality is altered.  Ecstasy increases your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, and makes your eyes dilate (the middle part gets real big and lets in too much light).  The effects last about 3 to 6 hours but bad side effects like confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety and paranoia have been reported after the drug wears off. 

      Some signs to look for when someone uses Ecstasy is muscle tension, teeth clenching and grinding (this is one reason why pacifiers are associated with Ecstasy), nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills or sweating, confusion, sleep problems, severe anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations.  Same as with other drugs, the more you use the more chances for worse and worse side effects and serious damage.

      A big danger with Ecstasy is that it dehydrates the body; this means all the water in your body is getting used up and can lead to serious problems if you just leave it that way.  To function normally the body needs water, so often you will see people on Ecstasy with water bottles to re-hydrate themselves when high.  This is also why mixing alcohol and Ecstasy is really dangerous; both things dehydrate the body, and you’re less likely to drink water if you’re drinking alcohol.

      Another danger with Ecstasy is you never really know what you’re taking.  People can call anything Ecstasy, all they have to do is put it in pill form and have a logo on it, then boom, they sell it as Ecstasy.  More often Ecstasy is cut with other things that range from harmless to deadly.  Here’s some examples of what Ecstasy has been found to be cut with:  caffeine, ice (meth), cocaine, Ketamine (animal tranquilizer), and codeine.  People can take it expecting to get the high associated with Ecstasy and get something terribly and sometimes tragically different. 

      Also, research shows that long-term use of Ecstasy damages the part of the brain that is crucial for thought, memory, mood and pleasure…these effects are similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

      Maybe not every single person who uses Ecstasy gets addicted, but some out there do.  Basically, you don’t want to have to keep taking Ecstasy to feel normal or happy, because that’s what happens to an Ecstasy addict’s brain.  Their brain stops making the chemicals that tell them to be happy, so the only time they feel happy is when they take the drug.  This is addiction.     

      Think about it this way, Ecstasy affects everyone differently.  Brain chemistry, other drugs taken, the amount, tolerance level, state of health, and other things determine how people react to Ecstasy.  The reality of using any drug is not knowing how your body will react and what could happen.