Ecstasy Addiction, Abuse, and Symptoms

How ecstasy affects the brain

Ecstasy and other versions of MDMA have an impact on three specific chemicals in the brain. This impact is what causes the high associated with the drug.

• Serotonin is the chemical that helps to impact how you feel emotionally; it also helps regulate functions such as sleep, hunger, and sexual arousal.
• Norepinephrine can increase your blood pressure and heart rate when increased levels of it occur in your body.
• Dopamine is normally how your body rewards itself for good behaviors; it’s a pleasure hormone that helps you feel energized and happy.

Ecstasy causes unnaturally high releases of all three of these chemicals, so you feel increased pleasure, energy, and happiness without the natural triggers to which your body normally responds. Additionally, if those triggers are present, then you may experience a greater-than-normal reaction to them. While that sounds nice, it does have an unnatural impact on your brain and body.

Behavioral signs of Ecstasy usage and abuse

Individuals currently abusing ecstasy may demonstrate heightened perceptions and increased feelings of a positive nature, especially in response to sensations. They might have an unnaturally long level of energy, still going strong after everyone else has grown physically and mentally tired of the activity at hand. Because of the increase in sensory response, individuals on MDMA may seek out activities that increase sensations, including physical touch and intimacy.

Behavioral signs of regular ecstasy abuse can include staying up for days at a time, becoming paranoid or impulsive, and problems with cognitive function, including memory or focus. Some people may start to clench their teeth regularly or display other tension around the mouth.

How Ecstasy affects the body

MDMA’s effect on the “pleasure” chemicals of the brain reaches throughout the entire body. The drug can make you feel warm, both physically and emotionally. Since it ramps up norepinephrine, it can lead to increases in blood pressure and heart rate. The results can range from mild, such as physical flushing, to extreme and severe, such as cardiac arrest.

Ecstasy often causes someone to feel so much extra energy that they’re abnormally active for longer periods of time — whether or not their body is in the right shape to sustain that type of activity without health concerns. That can drive up body temperature, especially since MDMA itself interferes with your body’s ability to naturally regulate temperature.

While ecstasy tends to increase your perception of sensations, it doesn’t actually heighten your overall awareness and ability to respond. In fact, in the hours after taking the drug, these functions in your body can actually suffer, and you may not be able to perceive and respond to motion as well as you normally are. This can make operating machinery, such as driving a car, very dangerous and even add risk to everyday physical activity, such as walking or running.

Early physical effects of ecstasy

The effect of ecstasy may begin around 45 minutes after taking the drug. Typically the first physical effects are a feeling of warmth, well-being, and sensory perception. Potential adverse health effects may be seen as early as the first hour of taking ecstasy, depending on how big the dose is, your own health and unique personal factors, and what else might be included in the drug you take.

Severe and long-term physical effects of ecstasy

Long-term or heavy use of MDMA, including ecstasy, can lead to severe physical consequences. In fact, even occasional recreational use of ecstasy can have far-reaching implications for your brain and body.

One concern when using ecstasy is the impact from “stacking.” Your body metabolizes ecstasy in a certain way that creates secondary chemicals, and those chemicals then remain in your body for some time. Simultaneously, the changes that occurred to your serotonin levels aren’t corrected right away. Both of these factors mean that if you use ecstasy within a few days of the last time you used it, the impact to your body can be compounded by a stacking effect — that doesn’t mean you get a better high, but it does mean you put yourself at greater risk of long-term complications.

Some of those physical effects can include damage to your heart or an irregular heartbeat, depression and anxiety, problems with memory and cognition, inability to sleep well, changes in your appetite, and kidney problems.

MDMA used more often in wealthier nations

According to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, ecstasy is most prevalent in nations in Europe and in Australia. UNODC maps indicate that nations with the highest prevalence of ecstasy use include the Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Typically, MDMA use tends to be higher in westernized or wealthier nations, as the drug tends to align with leisure and party scenes.

UNODC estimates that between 8.4 million and 40.3 million people across the globe have abused ecstasy. That’s between 0.41% and 0.78% of the global population, although, obviously, rates of ecstasy use are higher in some areas.

Adolescent ecstasy use has decreased but still exists

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens, teen use of ecstasy has decreased since 2014. However, it’s still a drug of choice for older adolescents who want to use an illicit drug socially or at parties. In part, this may be because adolescents perceive ecstasy as a “low-harm” drug, as it’s less addictive than substances such as opioids or cocaine.

The NIMH notes that the most likely demographic to use MDMA is males who are age 18 to 25. In fact, use typically begins after the age of 21 as individuals are old enough to enter college-age drinking and party scenes where ecstasy is more likely to be available.