MDMA, ecstasy, speed - a drug that has been used by young people more and more recently. This is one of the most relatively safe stimulants on the market today, which makes its sales extremely high. A "party drug" is still a psychotropic substance that is addictive and also develops tolerance, which causes more and more to increase the dose.
What is ecstasy?
Before proceeding to the most terrible consequence of using this drug, you need to understand what it is. Ecstasy is a semi-synthetic substance that is in the chemical series of amphetamine compounds. It is referred to as phenylethylamine. It follows from this that an overdose of drugs of this type is similar to amphetamine, methamphetamine and other overdoses of euphoric type stimulants.
The compound acts on several neurotransmitters at once, which enhances the effect of the experience, but acts in such a way that they begin to seem pleasant. It has a euphoric effect, and this in turn increases the sociability of the user, reduces the level of stiffness and fear. It is this action that releases substances from its chemical series. The combination of stimulating and euphoric functions and provided the connection popularity. An overdose of ecstasy in this way has become more common. Never use the substance!
Drug overdose
An overdose of ecstasy is one of the most common causes of death from a chemical compound. Mostly the substances contained in the tablets affect the brain, causing serotonin syndrome. You must understand that the average dose of methylenedioxymethamphetamine is about 100-150 mg. This amount is not enough for death. Nevertheless, a person who has taken this amount may think that it is not enough for him, and will use it again. The effect of the narcotic effect will not increase, but the likelihood of a fatal outcome will increase. For minor children, an overdose of ecstasy occurs with the use of a dose of an adult. It is impossible to accurately calculate how much substance can be fatal to any person. Each person has an overdose of drugs of this type is different and depends on a mass of factors. Based on ecstasy studies, there is evidence that a dose of more than 25 micrograms per kilogram of body weight is fatal.
There is also a group of people who are more prone to the effects of drug overdose. These include hypersensitive people to whom it was transmitted through hereditary relationships. Extremely rare are people who have an allergic reaction to methylenedioxymethamphetamine. In those who use the drug with such an ailment, there is the possibility of anaphylactic shock. For those who have noticed such features, under no circumstances should you use MDMA, including for the prevention of mental disorders, since an overdose of ecstasy can occur after using any amount of the drug.
How the drug interacts with other substances
It is known for certain that, in addition to the main harm of methylenedioxymethamphetamine use, when combined with other substances, the likelihood of symptoms of drug overdose increases several times. Thus, if, for example, rinatavir is taken together with MDMA tablets, the concentration of amphetamines in the blood increases, but the desired effect is weakened. Side effects of ecstasy are amplified.
When the drug is combined with other amphetamine-type substances, the effect is synergistic, the toxicity and concentration of both substances increase, and the consequences of an overdose of drugs can become irreversible. At the same time, measures must be taken extremely quickly. It is necessary to apply first aid in case of an overdose of drugs, as well as call an ambulance.
When using ecstasy with antidepressants, the risk of serotonin syndrome is highest. Because of the opposite effects of the latter, it may seem that antidepressants should reduce the harmful effects of MDMA, but in reality this only causes a worsening of the condition, which leads to death.
What to do in case of drug overdose?
In cases where you, your friends or relatives have been exposed to excessive exposure to the drug, it is urgent to take measures to neutralize the substance in the blood. Help with a drug overdose must be given immediately after the symptoms are identified even before the ambulance arrives. The use of other drugs is highly not recommended. First of all, you should lower the patient’s body temperature with a compress using cold water or alcohol. The next step should be a procedure that will cause vomiting. To do this, give the patient drink salt water, provoking urges after each liter. This action will contribute to the speedy removal of the stimulant from the body. So that the patient does not die from dehydration, it is necessary to continue to give him plain water or tea. If the patient's condition is still serious, then you should put several cold objects on his body and limbs. It is imperative that the patient remains conscious. If the person is still disconnected, then it is necessary to make artificial respiration and lower the body temperature by rubbing it with cold water.
Side effects of consumption
The effects of ecstasy are similar to the side effects of other substances in a number of amphetamine compounds. They are elevated activity, increased muscle activity, blood pressure becomes what it is after moderate or high physical exertion, difficulty in using the jaw muscles may appear, uncontrolled grinding of teeth (in which drug addicts usually use chewing gum). The ability to stay in one place is lost, because of which the user begins to "fidget" and shake. Dryness of the skin and mucous membrane of a person, tinnitus, headaches, sleep disturbance, appetite, and perception of the senses can also be much less likely to occur.
Addiction to ecstasy
One of the main reasons why ecstasy pills are harmful is called the high level of appearance of the body's tolerance to the active substance, which occurs immediately after the first use and lasts about a day. Fans of rave parties do not always understand that it is necessary to take long pauses in the use of the drug, and instead of stopping the dose, they increase the dose.
Psychological consequences
After intoxication of the body, for two or three days, patients experience sharp changes in mood, from elevated to apathetic and depressive, reaching suicidal seizures. Moreover, the greater the experience of using ecstasy in a patient, the higher the likelihood of these symptoms.
In practice, such cases are called "serotonin explosions." This is explained by the fact that after an artificial increase of this compound in the human body, its concentration becomes many times lower. Abrupt mood swings are common among MDMA users.
Impact on human cognitive abilities
Many researchers of the drug believe that the consequence of prolonged use of the drug is a decrease in mental abilities. Deterioration of short-term memory, sleep disturbance, aggression, decreased alertness, referring to the detrimental effect of methylenedioxymethamphetamine on the neurotoxicity, are also noted.
Proponents of the introduction into the circulation of the drug MDMA do not agree with this, calling these side effects the action of impurities that are contained in the tablets. Also, cognitive impairment is attributed to the combination of ecstasy with other narcotic drugs. The most famous MDMA studies suggest that with moderate use of a pure product, harm to mental abilities was not found.
Current Ecstasy Research Data
After the ban on MDMA, many scientists began to advocate the return of the drug in circulation for use as a therapeutic method to combat personality disorders. From 1985 to the present, there is an independent organization of scientists MAPS, which has been promoting the idea of legalizing ecstasy. Their work seems rather symbolic, since it is simply impossible to get funding for a substance that has been officially recognized as a hard drug. Because of this, a group of researchers is criticized, calling them self-confident, since they believe that the drug has only properties that are beneficial to the body. This opinion is extremely wrong. This is supported by the fact that many official studies have been carried out by government organizations. According to this completely different data, the question of the dangers of MDMA is simply undeniable, and not in favor of MAPS.
Ecstasy is used in the treatment of various mental disorders, post-traumatic syndrome, suppression of Parkinson's disease and other cases. But only control of the distribution of the drug allows you to protect the population from the harmful effects of the drug.