BIOLOGY

The Biological Effects and Mechanisms of MDMA Use in Humans

The Biological Effects and Mechanisms of MDMA Use in Humans

Introduction

Ecstasy is said to be a hallucinogen as it has the ability to produce stimulant effects similar to amphetamine. Ecstasy is marketing as a drug that induced positive feelings of well being as well as empathy along with elimination of anxiety and relaxation. Ecstasy tends to suppress hunger, thirst and sleeping pattern. Ecstasy is usually developed in the form of pill or capsule form.

Literature Review

History

MDMA was first synthesized in Germany in 1912, patented in 1914 and has been tested for possible use as a substance that suppresses appetite. MDMA was first released by the pharmaceutical company Merck in 1912 in Germany. The substance MDMA was first known as "Adam" and only later was the name by which it is now known to all "ecstasy”. In the fifties, the U.S. military industry made an unsuccessful trial of using MDMA as a truth serum. It was just one of many drugs tested in the early 1950s. This story of MDMA began with a research chemist called Alexander Shulgin, who tested the drug in his laboratory mid-1960s. It was not until 1970's that Ecstasy acquired popularity, when Alexander Shulgin introduced ecstasy as a drug suitable for psychotherapy. Therapists believed that the drug causes mild effects that are primarily characterized by feelings of empathy, developing understanding and release of emotions. It was also reported that the drug has the potential to recover repressed memories and can aid in gaining insights and particularly those relating to relationship. As MDMA acquired popularity it started circulating in the various states of USA specifically in Dallas and Austin. It also started circulating in night clubs of United Kingdom as well. It was sold as a Drug Holiday (Freudenmann, 2006).

In the U.S., a leading California laboratory distributed approximately 10 000 doses of MDMA per month. In 1984, the same lab increased its production to 30 000 doses per month. In the second half of the '80s, production had climbed to 500 000 doses of MDMA per month.

With higher production the quality of MDMA deteriorated. MDMA was then manufactured in clandestine laboratories and was available via the distribution and sale of illegal drugs controlled by gangs. Some sources claim that only 27% of MDMA was seized and submitted for chemical analysis in the United States. On 13 November 1986, MDMA was permanently placed in the "Schedule I" (which is the most restrictive class), meaning it creates a high risk of abuse. In Canada, MDMA is classified in Appendix H of the Food and Drug Act. It is therefore considered a restricted drug whose possession is prohibited and subject to criminal penalties.

Switzerland did not sign the International Convention of 1985. In December 1985, a group of five Swiss psychotherapists obtained permission to use certain psychoactive drugs including MDMA, LSD, mescaline and psilocybin. They formed a Society for Medical Psycholytic Therapy and were dealing with some of their patients with these ...