Human Deaths and Toxic Reactions Attributed to MDMA and MDEA
Ecstasy: The Clinical, Pharmacological and Neurotoxicological Effects of the Drug MDMA 1990 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4613-1485-1_5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Psychoactive drug Toxic reaction Multiple injury Idiosyncratic reaction Human death |
| Citations | 24 |
| Key findings | Despite widespread recreational use of MDMA and MDEA, emergency room admissions and deaths related to these drugs have been remarkably low. |
Abstract
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 3,4- Methylenedioxyethamphetamine (MDEA) are synthetic amphetamine analogues that have received considerable media attention as recreational drugs popular among college students and young professionals. MDMA, more commonly known as “Ecstasy,” has been available on the illicit drug market since 1968 (1). with increasing popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On the other hand, MDEA, also known as “Eve,” has only started to gain prominence since the placement of MDMA on Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on July 1, 1985. MDMA has been investigated by a small number of psychiatrists for its potential use as a psychotherapeutic agent. Uncontrolled trials of MDMA in clinical settings seem to indicate that it helps to facilitate therapeutic communication and increase patient insight and self-esteem [2,3]. MDMA in the hands of psychiatrists and both MDMA and MDEA among those who use them recreationally have generally seen regarded as safe drugs with some minor short-term side effects [3–5]. Indeed, from 1977 to 1985 the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported only eight admissions to emergency rooms, across the United States, for treatment of individuals who claimed they had taken MDMA [6]. When one considers that the prevalence of MDMA use has been estimated at 10,000 doses nationally in 1976 to more current estimates of 30.000 doses nationally per month in 1985 [7] (and perhaps as high as 30,000 doses per month in one city, as reported by the DEA [8], then the low number of emergency room admissions is remarkable, to say the least. Likewise, well-documented deaths related to the use of these two drugs are exceptionally rare [9,10].
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Pharmacology of MDMA | 2004 | Review | |
| Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research | 2001 | Review | |
| 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans | 1994 | Review | |
| (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals | 2000 | Review | |
| Amphetamine toxicities | 2010 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Recreational MDMA use in Sydney: a profile of ‘Ecstasy’ users and their experiences with the drug British Journal of Addiction August 1, 1992
- An Exploration of the History and Controversies Surrounding MDMA and MDA Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 1, 2001
- Psychedelic and Entactogenic Drugs in the Treatment of Depression Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1994
- Rhabdomyolysis in MDMA intoxication: a rapid and underestimated killer. "Clean" Ecstasy, a safe party drug? Journal of Emergency Medicine June 2012
- Is ecstasy MDMA? A review of the proportion of ecstasy tablets containing MDMA, their dosage levels, and the changing perceptions of purity. Psychopharmacology May 2004
and 4 more in the library
Cites 15
- Neurotoxicity of the psychedelic amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 1987
- Subjective Reports of the Effects of MDMA in a Clinical Setting Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 1, 1986
- 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy'. A report of five deaths associated with the use of MDEA and MDMA JAMA March 27, 1987
- (±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Selectively Damages Central Serotonergic Neurons in Nonhuman Primates JAMA July 1, 1988
- The Psychological and Physiological Effects of MDMA on Normal Volunteers Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 1, 1986
and 10 more in the library