Designer and look-alike drugs

What are designer drugs? Ecstasy (drug), popular term for an illegal, mood-altering drug whose chemical name is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Ecstasy is often referred to as a designer drug.

Designer drugs are produced in secret, unregulated laboratories to mimic the physical effects of common illegal drugs such as heroin. Designer drugs are sold illegally for a cost that is often far less than the drugs they are modeled after.

Chemically related to the stimulants known as amphetamines, MDMA was first synthesized by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1912, although it was never marketed for any medicinal use. In the United States from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, MDMA was legally used in psychotherapy and was openly available via mail order. When used in therapy, the drug was observed to make patients feel less anxious and more open to feelings of understanding and acceptance toward themselves and others. In 1985 the United States government outlawed MDMA because it can produce dangerous side effects and it has a high potential for abuse.

After MDMA was banned in the United States, drug dealers began manufacturing it in illegal laboratories and selling it under the street name ecstasy. The drug gained popularity in the late 1980s with the rise of raves—crowded, all-night dance parties usually held in secret locations such as warehouses. As rave culture spread through Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world, ecstasy became the drug of choice for many rave participants.

In the United States States federal sentences for ecstasy possession and sale have varied, but conviction for attempting to sell 200 g (7 oz) or more could result in upward of five years in prison, with higher prison terms given for greater quantities of the drug. Ecstasy is also illegal in a number of other nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, and China.

Effects Ecstasy is typically available in pill form. A user begins to feel the effects of ecstasy about 20 minutes after swallowing a pill. The drug affects the brain, primarily by causing the release of a neurotransmitter (chemical that carries signals between nerve cells) called serotonin. The rise in serotonin levels causes many users to experience changes in mood or mental outlook. Some users report that the drug triggers a feeling of euphoria or exhilaration, along with increased compassion and openness toward others.

Negative side effects: anxiety or agitation Nausea blurred vision Sweating jaw clenching irregular heartbeat

It can also cause a rise in body temperature, known as hyperthermia, which becomes particularly hazardous in the typically hot, crowded rave settings where ecstasy use is most common. Most deaths associated with ecstasy are complications of hyperthermia. One such complication commonly occurs when overheated users drink too much water, causing a fluid imbalance known as hyponatremia, which can be fatal. Each year in the United States ecstasy causes 30 to 40 deaths.

Other Facts It does not cause physical addiction, although some regular users develop a tolerance to the positive effects of the drugs and need to take increasingly frequent doses to re-create the drug’s effects. The drop in serotonin levels after the drug has worn off causes some users to experience feelings of depression and other mood disturbances a few days afterward.

Scientists debate whether ecstasy causes permanent damage to nerve cells in the brain. Studies in rats and other animals document damage to the nerve structures that produce and process serotonin. In humans, some brain scans of frequent ecstasy users show permanent damage to serotonin pathways. Furthermore, tests in humans indicate that the drug may negatively affect memory, learning, and other mental processes.

They point out that animal studies may not be directly applicable to humans. They also note that the pills illegally sold on the street as ecstasy have been manufactured in unregulated laboratories, and these pills often contain other illegal, dangerous compounds—including cocaine, methamphetamine, or paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA, which also drastically raises body temperature). Without evaluating the ingredients of each pill taken, critics say it is difficult to gauge the long-term effects of ecstasy alone.

Benefits? Others hope that additional investigation of MDMA will reveal that the drug has some medicinal benefits. They hope the drug might someday be approved for legitimate use in psychotherapy. Therapists have proposed, for example, that MDMA—given in low, infrequent doses under controlled conditions—could be useful in easing treatment of patients who suffer persistent depression or anxiety following a traumatic event, such as a violent crime.

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