Ecstasy
Methylenedioxymethamhetamine, the compound used in the drug Ecstasy, was developed in Germany in 1914 as an intermediary substance to pave the way to alternative therapeutic medicines. Presently, MDMA is used for a subculture in America and all over the world of "ravers" who spend their weekends taking this unique drug because of its seemingly mind- expanding properties. The truth about this drug is that it fools the body's senses by releasing too much serotonin and possibly permanently damaging important nerve cells in the process.
Many studies claim that MDMA cannot be considered a narcotic because they believe it to be non-addictive. The body becomes accustomed to a substance, a criterion for addiction, so that the body requires ever-increasing amounts of the drug to maintain similar pharmacological effects when used (Encarta 99). Another form of addiction, called habituation, is defined as a psychological urge to use the substance, even when the dependence has worn off.
According to the World Health Organization, becoming dependent requires at least: "a strong desire to take the drug; difficulties controlling the behavior; a withdrawal state; tolerance; progressive neglect of alternative pleasures and persisting with use despite evidence of harm" (Jansen).
A study by Karl L. R. Jansen shows three distinct cases where these criteria are met. One subject, age 19, spent his entire disposable income on MDMA. Despite a seizure caused by use of this and other drugs, the subject "was unable to stop using MDMA without external assistance" (Jansen). Another subject exhibited an extremely high tolerance to the drug so that he was able to take 250mg with almost no effect. "Despite severe depression, he was unabl...
... middle of paper ...
...ly.edu.1995. Category: Psychoactive Drugs. July 2000 .
Jansen, Karl L. R. "Ecstasy (MDMA) Dependence." Ecstasy.org. 1999. "Drug and Alcohol Dependence." July 2000 .
McKenna, Dennis, PhD. "MDMA Neurotoxicity: An Update." Pharmacology and Toxicology Information. 12 March 1992. Sept. 2000 .
Ricaurte, George A. et al. "4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Selectively Damages Central Serotonergic Neurons in Nonhuman Primates." 1 July 1988. The Vaults of Erowid. Sept, 2000 .
Seiden, Commins. "Neurotoxicity in Dopamine and 5-Hydroxytryptamine Terminal Fields: A Regional Analysis in Nigrostriatal Projections." MuseSpace. 1988. The Mesocorticolimbic Dopamine System from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2000 .
Sferios, Emanuel. "This is Your Brain on Ecstasy Really (An MDMA Neurochemistry Slideshow.)" DanceSafe.org. July 2000. DanceSafe.org. Aug. 2000 .
The Role of Dopamine Receptors in Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 3, 2005, From Stanford University, Chemistry department web site, http://www.chem.csustan.edu/chem44x0/SJBR/Mann.htm Naheed, M., & Green, B. (2000). Focus on Clozapine. Retrieved February 7, 2005. From http://www.priory.com/focus14.htm Waddinton, J.L., & Buckley, P.F. (1996).
In brief, while ecstasy at one point may have been a facilitator in the field of psychology between therapists and patients, it soon became a facilitator in society between recreational users and death. Ever since ecstasy was introduced to the curious public back in the 1960's, it has become a popular preference among drug addicts. Till this day, teenagers all over the world are being pressured into experimenting with MDMA leading them to a life controlled and regulated by not only ecstasy but other various drugs as well. It is actually quite interesting to see what lengths society will go to in order to attain and maintain a sense of happiness and ecstasy.
Boeri, M. W., C. E. Sterk, and K. W. Elifson. "Rolling beyond Raves: Ecstasy use outside the Rave Setting." Journal of Drug Issues 34.4 (2004): 831-860. Sage Journal. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, methamphetamine, or meth as it is often referred to, is considered the fastest-growing illicit drug in the United States. The consequences of usage are detrimental to families and employers, not to mention the increasing law enforcement burden of having to find and disband labs making it illegally. (CDC, 2005) Aside from the far-reaching implications of methamphetamine use on these entities, this paper explores the effect methamphetamine has on the structure and function of the human brain.
In the brainstem, the most primitive part of the brain, lie clusters of serotonin neurons. The nerve fiber terminals of the serotonergic neurons extend all throughout the central nervous system from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord. This neurotransmitter is responsible for controlling fundamental physiological aspects of the body. In the central nervous system (CNS), serotonin has widespread and often profound implications, including a role in sleep, appetite, memory, learning, temperature regulation, mood, sexual behavior, cardiovascular function, muscle contraction, and endocrine regulation. Not only does this bioamine control physiological aspects of the body, but it also has an involvement in behaviors like eating, sleeping and aggression. Serotonin has been noted to produce an inhibitory effect on the nervous system that calms, soothes and generates feelings of general contentment and satiation.
Hofmann, A. (1970, January 1). The Discovery of LSD. The Discovery of LSD. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://www.psychedelic-library.org/hofmann.htm
George F. Koob defines addiction as a compulsion to take a drug without control over the intake and a chronic relapse disorder (1). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association defined "substance dependence" as a syndrome basically equivalent to addiction, and the diagnostic criteria used to describe the symptoms of substance dependence to a large extent define compulsion and loss of control of drug intake (1). Considering drug addiction as a disorder implies that there are some biological factors as well as social factors.
Even the most clueless among us know about “ecstasy” today; thanks to news and the media who have labeled it a “thrill pill” and “love drug,” and proclaimed it America’s newest “drug problem.” Although many therapists are praising it, researchers are also knocking it. All together, they have found that ecstasy, a drug similar to MDMA, has short and long term effects on the brain that vary from person to person.
A girl named Sarah who was interviewed by channel 6 “true life on ecstasy “ had done ecstasy for 3 years. However, the mistake in her part was that she had done it almost EVERY day. When she had gotten her brain scanned, she had a brain of a 75-year-old woman who had multiple strokes. Sarah at the time was only 25, but take into consideration that she more than “abused ” the drug.
The story starts with the initial, utopic discovery of Ecstasy and its boundary-lowering qualities, and ends, with varying degrees of speed, with the descent into polydrug abuse and depression.
N,N-dimethyltryptamine(DMT) is a psychoactive chemical in the tryptamine family, which causes intense visuals and strong psychedelic mental affects when smoked, injected, snorted, or when swallowed orally (with an MAOI such as haramaline). DMT was first synthesized in 1931, and demonstrated to be hallucinogenic in 1956. It has been shown to be present in many plant genera (Acacia, Anadenanthera, Mimosa, Piptadenia, Virola) and is a major component of several hallucinogenic snuffs (cohoba, parica, yopo). It is also present in the intoxicating beverage ayahuasca made from banisteriopsis caapi. This drink inspired much rock art and paintings drawn on the walls of native shelters in tribal Africa- what would be called 'psychedelic' art today (Bindal, 1983). The mechanism of action of DMT and related compounds is still a scientific mystery, however DMT has been identified as an endogenous psychadelic- it is a neurotransmitter found naturally in the human body and takes part in normal brain metabolism. Twenty-five years ago, Japanese scientists discovered that the brain actively transports DMT across the blood-brain barrier into its tissues. "I know of no other psychedelic drug that the brain treats with such eagerness," said one of the scientists. What intrigued me were the questions, how and why does DMT alter our percep...
Watanabe-Galloway, S., Ryan, S., M.D., Hansen, K., M.P.H., Wullsiek B., B.A., Muli, V., M.P.A., & Malone, A.C. (2009). Effect of Methamphetamine abuse beyond individual users Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 4131, 241-8.Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207970885?accountid=41057
Nichols, D. E., & Chemel, B. R. (2011). LSD and the serotonin system's effects on human
Ecstasy Effects | Information on Ecstasy,Club. Drugs,Pills and MDMA. Web. The Web. The Web.