MDMA is 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine. It is a psychoactive drug consumed for its euphoric effects. MDMA acts as a serotonin-norephinephrine-dopamine releasing agent and reuptake inhibitor.

 Ecstasy  X or E  Molly  Candy  Thizz  Happy pill  Dancing shoes

MDMA was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a parent compound to be used to synthesize other pharmaceuticals. During the 1970s, in the United States, some psychiatrists began using MDMA as a psychotherapeutic tool, despite the fact that the drug had never undergone formal clinical trials nor received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans. In fact, it was only in late 2000 that the FDA approved the first small clinical trial for MDMA that will determine if the drug can be used safely with 2 sessions of ongoing psychotherapy under carefully monitored conditions to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It was also during this time that MDMA first started becoming available on the street. In 1985, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) banned the drug, placing it on its list of Schedule I drugs, corresponding to those substances with no proven therapeutic value.

 Young adults/Adolescents (Ravers)  White Youth  African-American adults (20’s & 30’s)  Gay and Bisexual Men.  Body builders  Models

Immediate Effects:  Dehydration  Hyperthermia  Bruxism (grinding teeth)  Increase wakefulness, sweating, heart rate and blood pressure.  Loss of appetite  Nausea and vomiting  Diarrhea  Erectile dysfunction

After-Effects (effects that last up to a week after stopping):  Lock jaw  Insomnia  Anxiety or paranoia  Depression  Irritability  Impulsiveness  Restlessness  Memory impairment

Symptoms of MDMA Overdose:  High Blood Pressure  Faintness  Panic attacks  Seizures  Loss of consciousness

Long-Term Effects:  Produce brain lesions  Neurotoxicity  Changes to brain microvasculature and white matter.  Reduce gray matter density  Immunosuppressive effects  Cognitive impairments  Memory impacted.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated in its 2014 World Drug Report that U.S. ecstasy retail prices range from US$1 to $70 per pill, or from $15,000 to $32,000 per kilogram.[119] A new research area named Drug Intelligence aims to automatically monitor distribution networks based on image processing and machine learning techniques, in which an Ecstasy pill picture is analyzed to detect correlations among different production batches.[120] These novel techniques allow police scientists to facilitate the monitoring of illicit distribution networks.

More than 11 million persons aged 12 or older reported using ecstasy at least once in their lifetimes, according to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The number of current (use in past month) users in 2004 was estimated to be 450,000

There are no specific treatments for MDMA abuse. The most effective treatments for drug abuse and addiction are cognitive behavioral interventions that are designed to help modify the patient's thinking, expectancies, and behaviors, and to increase skills in coping with life's stressors. Drug abuse recovery support groups may be effective in combination with behavioral interventions to support long-term, drug-free recovery. There are currently no pharmacological treatments for dependence on MDMA.

 Before and After Picture

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