Ecstasy Facts

It was the early to mid 1980's when the drug Ecstasy first really garnered widespread attention. Back then, when clandestine raves were all the rage among the teenagers and the early twenties clubbers, the drug of choice was Ecstasy. Today, this drug is no longer confined to the rave scene. It's everywhere, from junior high schools to the violent street gangs.

Known by street names such as XTC and Lover's Speed, Ecstasy is a chemical synthetically made from the oils of a sassafras tree. Usually taken in pill form, this drug produces effects that mimic amphetamines or hallucinogenic drugs, meaning the body is stimulated and prone to hallucinations. For a quicker high, people who use this drug have been known to crush it to a powder and sniff it like cocaine or even inject it.

Ecstasy stimulates the nervous system, making all the nerve endings more sensitive. This is where the nickname Lover's Speed comes in. The drug enhances a person's mood, making them initially feel happy and carefree and tactile. That is why you might see people who are taking Ecstasy touching each other a lot.

Within thirty minutes after popping an Ecstasy pill, the user will start to feel its initial euphoric effects that can last as long as six hours. Unfortunately, for the user, there are soon other side effects to Ecstasy that manifest themselves. Paranoia, problems sleeping, nausea, vision impairment and symptoms like fever, sweating and chills that some might liken to influenza can also be experienced.

What is so scary is that while Ecstasy has these side effects, many habitual users learn to hide their symptoms and function fairly well in their everyday lives. Unlike cocaine and other drug addicts, Ecstasy users hold down jobs and interact with family. By all outward appearances, they keep up a good façade.

Long-term use of Ecstasy gets more complicated. Users experience insomnia and other sleep problems. Their memory starts to suffer and eating habits are not consistent. Sexual dysfunction happens more often and registering physical pain can become altered as well. All of this occurs because the serotonin, a chemical in the brain that regulates most of these processes, is lost through habitual use of Ecstasy.

Because the drug interferes with each person's body differently, an overdose on Ecstasy can happen at any time. Death can come about quickly from a condition called hyperthermia, which is extreme overheating. Death can also occur from an excessively stimulated nervous system as well as from drinking too many fluids. What happens is that since the body cannot control its temperature, the user quickly overheats. Therefore, some users overcompensate by drinking too much water, which can then cause coma from swelling in the brain.

Once pigeon-holed as white suburbia's designer illegal drug, Ecstasy has reached far beyond the suburbs and into the city and countryside. It's plentiful and easy to obtain. And, because of the false sense of euphoria and self-confidence, it can quickly kill without any advanced notice.