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Ecstasy

Classification: Entactogenic Amphetamine

Common Names/Nicknames: E, X, XTC, Adam, Eve, love, lover’s speed, upper’s, clarity

Active Compound: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDE)

Found in: Ecstasy tablets

Mode of Consumption: Ingestion, insufflation, injection

DEA Scheduling/Legal Status (in US): Schedule I, illegal in all states

Effects:

Euphoria, psychedelia, analgesia, hyperactivity, altered consciousness, calmness, pleasurable sensitivity to physical stimulation

Risks:

Acute: Anxiety, paranoia, hypersensitivity, dehydration, hyperthermia, muscle twitching, seizures, coma, permanent brain damage, fatal overdose

Chronic: Depression, anxiety, dental damage, significant memory impairment, decreased brain function, liver damage, muscle damage, brain damage

Dangerous Drug Combinations:

Potentially fatal combination with antidepressants that are monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.

Special Considerations:

Approximately half of all purported ecstasy tablets contain no ecstasy. Common substitutes include caffeine, dextromethorphan, amphetamine, ephedrine, and ketamine.

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And remember, if somebody may need help, play it safe and call for medical assistance.

“Students may bring an intoxicated or drug-impaired friend to University Health Services or to a hospital, or seek assistance from College residential life staff or HUPD, and by doing this, neither they nor the friend will face disciplinary action from the College for having used or provided alcohol or drugs.”

                                                                                    The Amnesty Policy

                                                                                    Harvard College Student Handbook

 

Sources:

Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (Third Edition), by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Published 2008 by W. W. Norton & Company.

 

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

http://www.nida.nih.gov/DrugPages/

 

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

http://www.justice.gov/dea/

 

Erowid Organization

http://www.erowid.org/

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