In this Article:
Ecstasy Addiction
Ecstasy Effects
Ecstasy Risks
Ecstasy Treatment
Ecstasy is actually MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a synthetic, psychoactive drug with similarities to stimulants and hallucinogens (such as methamphetamine and mescaline) that makes users feel energetic, euphoric, empathetic, and they may experience augmented sensory perception . Its effects can last for hours, and it is often used by people attending all-night or late-night clubs as well as all-night parties known as raves.
Street names for ecstasy include E, Adam, X, and Beans and it is typically distributed in pill or capsule form. The pills are generally imprinted to designate ‘brands’, such as Dolphins, Smurfs or Superman.
As many as 450,000 Americans age 12 and older have used ecstasy, and while these numbers increase through the teen years, they decline as users get older .
Although the propensity for ecstasy addiction in the clinical sense is somewhat low, some people do in fact develop an ecstasy addiction.
Although it is not especially common for most users to develop an ecstasy addiction, some users do in fact develop clinical addictions and is therefore an added risk factor for those who choose to take the drug.
Dependence and Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that surveys conducted with young adult and adolescent ecstasy users uncovered a startling reality: that a little under half of those in the survey met the accepted diagnostic criteria for dependence—meaning they continued using ecstasy despite knowing that it could cause physical or psychological harm, that it could lead to withdrawal symptoms, and that the body can develop a tolerance (or diminished response) to the drug. Another 34% of those ecstasy users met the criteria for drug abuse which in turn could lead to an ecstasy addiction.
Withdrawals
According to those same surveys by NIDA, three in five users have reported withdrawal symptoms associated with their use of ecstasy. These symptoms include severe fatigue, loss of appetite, depressed feelings, and trouble concentrating. The withdrawals associated can construe a development of an ecstasy addiction.
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