1 / 20

History

History. MDMA was first created in 1912 by two German scientists working for the Merck pharmaceutical company. The original intended use of MDMA was as an appetite suppressant and vasoconstrictor for people with low blood pressure.

loring
Download Presentation

History

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. History • MDMA was first created in 1912 by two German scientists working for the Merck pharmaceutical company. • The original intended use of MDMA was as an appetite suppressant and vasoconstrictor for people with low blood pressure.

  2. During the 1970's, an American pharmologist named Alexander Shulgin began researching the drug and concluded that it could be used to help treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. • According to Richard Doblin Ph.D of Harvard University, roughly half a million doses of MDMA were administered for medical treatment between 1977 and 1985.

  3. Street names • Ecstasy • E • Molly • Adam • Snow ball • Love drug

  4. Effects on the Brain • Ecstasy works by increasing activity of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine within the brain. • Once swallowed, an ecstasy pill is quickly dissolved in the stomach, and then absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach or the small intestine. After traveling through the liver, heart and lungs, the ecstasy is pumped to the brain • The ecstasy molecules also block the reuptake of serotonin. The serotonin molecules can then bond with receptor sites on other neurons.

  5. Acute Effects • Euphoria • An increase in energy • A mild to severe distortion of perception

  6. After Effects • Anxiousness • Lack of energy • Lack of motivation • Muscle soreness • Uncontrollable mood swings • An inability to concentrate • Memory disturbances • Temporary vision problems

  7. Chronic Effects • Depression • Insomnia • Paranioa • Extreme Anxiety • Death

  8. Dangers • Death rate is especially high among ecstasy users. • One of the most common causes of death among ecstasy users is hyperthermia or overheating of the body. • Constant physical activity will further raise the body's temperature so that it sweats more rapidly. Without extra fluid, the body will soon become dehydrated (which itself damaging on the body). • Alcoholic and caffeinated beverages which are both diuretics will only assist in dehydration.

  9. Club Drug • The main reasons that prompt ecstasy use are for the stimulation of the body/mind, the mood enhancement and the minor hallucinations. • Depending on the dosage, an ecstasy high generally lasts 3-5 hours with peak effects occurring during the second hour. • Sensations of heightened sensory, awareness and tranquility and a feeling of euphoria all take place. • Minor visual perceptual alterations can occur, where colors look brighter, and dream like visions can be seen when the eyes are closed. • Similar to alcohol, ecstasy lowers inhibitions and anxieties. The user becomes more sociable and will have stronger feelings of connection toward others.

  10. Because of these effects, ecstasy is most commonly used at parties and raves. • The drug enhances the experience of most any situation.

  11. Impurities • Because it is a synthetic drug, it is one of the most commonly mixed and impure drugs available • Many other substances have been found in ecstasy tablets including, LSD, heroin, DXM and loads of other chemicals that are detrimental and/or fatal. • Using ecstasy while at a rave club is extremely dangerous.

  12. Love Drug • Because E heightens stimulation, increases arousal, and decreases inhibition it is often mixed with sexual practices. • This can lead to irresponsibility, unplanned pregnancy, and disease.

  13. Marketability

  14. Demographic

  15. Age • Because of low prices and vast availability, ecstasy is used even by the very young. • Dealers try to market this demographic with colorful exciting designs on the pills.

  16. Works Cited • Cunningham, Jacobi I., et al. "MDMA pretreatment leads to mild chronic unpredictable stress-induced impairments in spatial learning." Behavioral Neuroscience 123.5 (2009): 1076-1084. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. Web. 3 April 2014. • Fisk, John E., Catharine Montgomery, and Philip N. Murphy "The association between the negative effects attributed to ecstasy use and measures of cognition and mood among users." Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 17.5 (2009): 326- 336. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. Web. 3 April 2014. • Hoshi, Rosa, et al. "Ecstasy (MDMA) does not have long-term effects on aggressive interpretative bias: A study comparing current and ex-ecstasy users with polydrug and drug-naive controls." Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 15.4 (2007): 351-358. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. Web. 3 April 2014. • Martins, Silvia S., Guido Mazzotti, and Howard D. Chilcoat "Recent-onset ecstasy use: Association with deviant behaviors and psychiatric comorbidity." Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 14.3 (2006): 275-286. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. Web. 3 April 2014. • Montgomery, Catharine, et al. "Syllogistic Reasoning Performance in MDMA (Ecstasy) Users." Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 13.2 (2005): 137-145. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. Web. 4 April 2014. • Rivas-Vazquez, Rafael A., and Lizbhet Delgado "Clinical and toxic effects of MDMA ("Ecstasy")." Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 33.4 (2002): 422- 425. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. Web. 3 April 2014.

More Related