long term effects of Ecstasy?

Question

Hello i take ecstasy about once a month posibally twice a month if im going nuts what do you think the long term effects are of this?

Answer 1

short term effects are nausea, hallucinations, chills, sweating, increases in body temperature, tremors, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping, and blurred vision, anxiety, paranoia, and depression, and in some cases after it wears off, suicidal thoughts.

XTC users may be at risk of developing permanent brain damage that may manifest itself in depression, anxiety, memory loss, and other neuropsychotic and psychological disorders. Taking XTC damages neurons in the brain that involve critical functions including learning, sleep, and integration of emotion.

Also you can get lovely holes on your brain...scary thought

Answer 2

The problem with asking this question is you are just going to get a whole load of arm chair experts most of which have no real idea what there talking about just repeating the things they have heard in the media and from the anti drugs movement.
I then won't claim to be an expert except I will say this. It is obvious that it is not good for you, it's has a huge effect on your body and brain and it is going to lead to things like depression if you abuse it, same as any drug especially alchol.
On the flip side Ecstasy kill's far less people a year than playing sport does and no one suggests banning that, and if you compare it to car fatalities then it pales into insignificance.
My advice, don't take it, failing that, party while your young but not to often and stop when your still quite young, say 25 or so... but thats just my opinion..

Answer 3

Make sure you don't take it more than a once a month and try to have only 1 -2 a night. It is vital you have periods of NO ecstasy use where you can sleep and re build your seotonin levels.

Scientists still don't fully understand the side effects, but some say it damages the serotonin receptors in your brain which could lead to you becoming a cabbage. I am not sure if the serotonin receptors are capable of repair.

Bottom line : take in moderation and if you feel unwell or mad then stop using the drugs.

Answer 4

To everyone who just went 'it will kill you', I'm sure you meant well with your answer, but why don't you find out some actual facts instead of just repeating some crap you have been told when you don't actually know anything.

The other thing is, you can't just cite one anecdote (e.g. Leah Betts, who in any case didn't die because of the pills she took, but the amount of water her parents made her drink) or even one study to prove anything. One study is not sufficient, they have to conduct many studies to get proof either way. (Another thing - weed for some people can be much more destructive to their mental state than pills or alcohol).

The jury is still out on E. It wouldn't surprise me if it does make you more a) depressed and/or b)stupid in later life. But there is no particularly conclusive proof either way. A lot of the scare stories about it have turned out to be bullshit.

Once or twice a month is reasonably frequent, if you want to be really safe, then limit it to once every couple of months maybe. Also, if you feel it is affecting your mental health in a negative way then maybe don't do it.

One other thing, don't keep taking 5,6,7+ pills in a night for no reason when the extra one only has a minor effect, a lot of people do this, the damage to your brain and the comedown keeps increasing the more you do, but you don't actually get much more high when you've already had loads.

The guy who took 40,000 pills (20 a day for 4 years) was pretty fooked, he couldn't move his jaw properly cos of all the gurning. But really, what do you expect if you do something as over the top as that. The real surprise is that he is isn't in an even worse state than he is. Think how many people f*ck themselves up worse than this with alcohol.

Answer 5

Have you seen the states of Bez and Shaun Ryder from The Happy Mondays recently? Do you want that to happen to you? I know you will not accept this but you are playing with psychological fire. Your mind is a very sensitive and finely tuned organism and like all things, will only take so much. I know it is a good buzz but there is a downside to all things. Trust me on this, I am a 60's acid casualty and have only just come out of a horrible long term psychosis in the last 5 years. And I am one of the lucky ones. It is not pleasant to say the least, I bitterly regret frying my brains and wasting the best years that were given me. Don't go down that road, you will regret it.

Answer 6

Recent studies in London have found that the long term effects of moderate Ecstasy use are very moderate. One or two E's a month are not going to cause you significant long term damage but associated life style choices might well do.

The same London studies unearthed a man who had being doing 20 E's + for 5 years! His profound depression and psychosis reduced dramatically when he stopped smoking dope which appears to compound a lot of psychological problems.

I would not worry too much about your moderate E habit.

Answer 7

omg, ecstasy does not burn or put holes in your brain and it doesnt kill braincells. it leaves serrotonin cells open to dopamine wich could create small amount of damage, unoticable. dont take ecstasy more then once or twice a month, it takes three weeks for all your serrotonin to regenerate and regrow itself. and you can take 5-htp supplements twice daily whi is actually used to produce serrotonin in your brain. i have done ecstasy 11 times in the past 5 months and i havnt felt any difference in my life. one time i took 2 and a half and felt depressed the next day and sad, and one time i took 6 and half and one or two days later at night i was so depressed i was crying i didnt even know why, then the next day i had a HUGE headache and couldnt get out of bed for three days, didnt pee or eat for three days and lost 5 pounds, but that past no longer then 3 days. but no ecstasy hasnt changed my daily life, no long term effects.

Answer 8

As far as I know ecstacy is actually one of the safest drugs around, despite all the media coverage. Millions of tabs are taken every Saturday night, yet you rarely hear about anyone having serious side effects. I think the main problems arise when people do not take precautions such as staying cool and hydrated and not mixing with other drugs or alcahol. I am not sure of the long term effects but I would think that if you only take once or twice a month this would not be too much of a problem.

Answer 9

you may flip out and totally loose it some day - you may be fine

I never have taken Ecstacy or MDMA as I am scared to death of having a heart attack (Google "Leah Betts" - took it once as a birthday present from a friend a died 4 days later)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4440438.stm

I know a few people who only take MDMA (100% percent pure MDMA is different to Ecstacy tablets) and refuse to take Ecstacy because it is cut with loads of crap (additives the people who make it add to the mix to make it a little heavier so they can make more tabs per batch of MDMA)

It hasn't really been around long enough for the white coats to really see what happens to an ecstacy user when they are 80 !!!

I just relax with a spliff - I also party with spliff - I don't drink alchohol - now that stuffs a killer !!! And it's legal ?!?!?!

Answer 10

Holden is right, you will not be able to get happy.
There has recently been a study done at a hospital in Boston and even moderate use 1-3 tabs a month cause this result.