What is ecstasy?

What is ecstasy? also known as “Molly”, is a synthetic drug best known for its hallucinogenic and stimulant effects. It is known to induce feelings of increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth and distorted perception of the senses and time.

The chemical name for ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). It is a derivative of amphetamine and is structurally similar to methamphetamine (“meth”).

Some of the more colorful slang terms for (MDMA) that refer to the name, effects and appearance of the drug are:

Adam
beans
sweet
clarity
Y
essence
good pill
drug hug
girl
Scooby snack
lover’s speed
X
XTC
While ecstasy was initially consumed primarily in nightclubs and raves, its use has now spread to a wide range of populations.

Signs of Ecstasy use
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, MDMA causes several effects, including:

anxiety states
attention problems
confusion
decreased libido
depression
impulsive
insomnia
irritability
memory problems
reduced appetite
The effects of MDMA usually last from three to six hours.

How long does MDMA stay in the body?

types of ecstasy

Ecstasy is usually taken in tablet or capsule form, but it can also be taken in liquid form or snorted in powder form.

Tablets: Ecstasy is usually available in tablet form, often imprinted with graphic designs or commercial logos.
Powder: Ecstasy, popularly known as Molly (slang for “molecular”), is often used to refer to the supposedly “pure” crystalline powder form of MDMA. However, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, molly is often combined with other substances, such as synthetic cathinone (bath salts).
Unlike other recreational drugs such as cocaine and nicotine, which are derived from plants, ecstasy is synthesized by altering the structure of the amphetamine molecule. Because of the way it is manufactured, the degree of purity can vary greatly and other compounds can easily be combined in a single tablet. Common additives and impurities in ecstasy include methamphetamine, caffeine, ephedrine and ketamine.

Would you recognize an ecstasy pill if you saw one?

use
Although ecstasy is best known today as a recreational drug, it has also been used in a medical setting. Ecstasy was briefly explored as a therapeutic drug because some psychotherapists believed it opened people up and increased their potential for empathy and mutual understanding.

This use was halted by the criminalization of MDMA. The idea that ecstasy can reliably enhance the therapeutic process has fallen out of favor in the psychotherapeutic community.

Ecstasy was classified as a Schedule I drug in 1985, meaning that the substance has a high potential for abuse and cannot be used to treat any disease.

effects of ecstasy

Ecstasy acts by affecting the activity of three chemicals in the brain: dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. These chemicals play a role in various bodily functions such as: B. Energy level, mood, emotions and sleep.

Ecstasy takes effect approximately 45 minutes after taking the dose. People often experience an increased sense of well-being and emotional warmth. Other effects include greater empathy for others and improved sensory perception.

scratches
Although people who use ecstasy experience these heightened feelings of euphoria and alertness, taking the drug also has a number of adverse effects, including:

disorganized thoughts
feelings of strangeness
Increased anxiety levels
increased heart rate
irritation
nausea
poor appetite
sweating and hot flashes

Overdose is rare but can be fatal. Symptoms of overdose can include fainting, panic attacks or extreme anxiety, high blood pressure, and seizures. Vigorous exercise after taking molly can cause a potentially dangerous rise in body temperature, known as hyperthermia.

Another major danger is the fact that people who use MDMA don’t really know what they are using. In one study, researchers found that only 60% of the samples tested contained MDMA and many were mixed with so-called “fake cocaine.” In nearly 25% of the samples, researchers were unable to determine what was actually in the pills.

history of ecstasy
MDMA was originally developed in 1912 as a pharmaceutical compound that could be used to make other drugs and was patented in 1914. However, when the drug’s hallucinogenic properties were discovered, development stalled for several decades.

This drug was one of many drugs tested in a military context decades later. It was later synthesized again, first by Gordon Alles and then by Alexander Shulgin, who tested it on himself, his wife and friends. Shulgin then developed a series of new compounds with varying effects and risks, including MDMA and PMMA (paramethoxymethamphetamine), many of which eventually emerged as street versions of ecstasy. It wasn’t until several years later that MDMA finally hit the streets as a recreational drug.

MDMA, an earlier version of ecstasy, became popular as a recreational drug in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, MDMA became fashionable as a party drug in nightclubs and the rave scene, and its use increased among students, “yuppies,” and the homosexual community.

However, due to concerns about the health risks associated with ecstasy, it was banned in the United Kingdom in 1977, long before it became popular there. In the United States, ecstasy was banned in 1985 and classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

To circumvent the law, different versions of ecstasy were synthesized over several years, forming the basis of the synthetic drug movement. This production was eventually banned, but re-emerged as a problem around 2000 with the popularity of homemade methamphetamine.