Effects of Ecstasy

Essay by thebreaststrokerCollege, Undergraduate April 2009

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This article is a health Education article on the effects of Ecstasy. It tells readers What it is, How it is used, why people take it, Short term dangers, long term dangers, help to recognizing the problem, and that it is addictive. It states that Ecstasy is classified as enactogens, drugs that have stimulant, hallucinogenic and mood-improving qualities. It was used at one point as a diet drug and then banned in 1985. It says that Ecstasy is usually swallowed in small pills, but on occasions is snorted or taken in a liquid form through injection. It warns us that all ecstasy available on the street is produced in unregulated black market laboratories, thus is not always pure or safe. The Effects of Ecstasy Lasts about 4 Hours with a rush of serotonin, the drug that makes you happy, and smaller amounts of dopamine. This extremely fast deployment of serotonin can deplete normal serotonin levels and produce depression or malaise after the drug wears off.

This warns you that pills sold are likely not 100% ecstasy. Frequently the pill is laced with other harmful drugs such as cocaine, heroine, PCP, or other toxic chemicals. Why take something if you don’t even know exactly what is in it? The short term side effects of It are Heatstroke, Nausea, Muscle tension, Blurred Vision, Faintness, chills, sweating, teeth clenching, and Depression.

Ecstasy is a club drug which is used in clubs and raves, Ecstasy raises your body temperature and heart rate, dancing for hours nonstop while on this drug in hot conditions creates the danger of a heatstroke, and could cause death. A Heatstroke is the biggest cause of death on ecstasy. It also causes Serotonin levels to drop below normal. This causes the brain to not function fully. The brain wouldn’t be able to learn, retain information, or regulate mood. It is also thought that Ecstasy causes serotonin receptors, to shrink.

I chose this article because, as a college student, new opportunities are being presented to me and my friends. One thus being ecstasy. Friends of mine have come up to me and said hey don’t you think that it would be fun to just take some ecstasy and go clubbing like the article said. And without proper information on it, could sound like it was fun. I chose this subject because I wanted to know all the negative effects on my body that it would do.

The biggest item in this article that popped out to me was that It damaged the serotonin receptors. This for me would be catastrophic. I am a person that has a pretty negative past and is quite depressed very often. With serotonin being the chemical that helps make people happy, who would want to damage it. I want to have more of it on a daily basis. If I took ecstasy and had a giant burst of serotonin and was extremely happy for a few hours, but afterwards had to take ecstasy to be happy, I would hate life. I would always be depressed because I would need the pill to be happy, and not to mention I would be completely bankrupt. I just want to naturally be happy all the time. That is just one reason this article shouts don’t do This.

Another one is that death can occur. Why would I risk my life to try ecstasy. If heatstroke is a major effect from this why would you even want to try it. If there is something in my body that could kill me I would never want it in my body. It just would seem like a poison.

Oh I forgot to mention, Ecstasy is illegal, I wouldn’t want to try something that hurt my lifestyle that also if caught would just mess up my life completely. Going to jail or getting fined doesn’t seem worth it. I would rather just live my life the way I am living it right not.

Granted It may seem like Ecstasy gives you an amazing high at the time, I don’t think that the positives of the drug outnumber the negative, to persuade me to do the drug. From this article I am completely persuaded that I will not do ecstasy and if my friends ever ask me about it I will have enough information to hopefully persuade them not to try it either.

Citationhttp://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/atod/od_ecstasy.htm