MDMA and Other “Club Drugs”
María Isabel Colado, Esther O'Shea, Alfred Richard Green
Handbook of Contemporary Neuropharmacology March 2, 2007 DOI: 10.1002/9780470101001.hcn039 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Argues that club drugs have diverse pharmacological classes and effects, with MDMA posing potential long-term serotonin damage based on animal and neuroimaging evidence, and that addiction is a concern for several of these substances. |
Abstract
AbstractThe use of the club drugs 3, 4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”), gamma‐hydroxybutyrate (GHB), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), ketamine and LSD is a popular practice among young people especially during all‐night dance parties or “raves“ due to their ability to enhance social experiences and/or alter perception. These substances belong to different classes of drugs: MDMA is an amphetamine derived psychomotor stimulant, Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine, GHB and ketamine are anesthetic drugs while LSD is a hallucinogenic agent and therefore the immediate consequences of their abuse and intoxication can be very different. The long‐term consequences of the abuse of the different club drugs are of great concern. Animal studies indicate that MDMA causes long‐term 5‐HT damage and neuroimaging studies suggest this may also occur in humans. The development of addiction following the use of club drugs is also of concern since several of these drugs have been shown covers the most important aspects of the pharmacology of MDMA and the other club drugs and highlights some of the most important consequences of their abuse.
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
Cites 96
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
- Amphetamine-type central nervous system stimulants release norepinephrine more potently than they release dopamine and serotonin Synapse 2000
- Positron emission tomographic evidence of toxic effect of MDMA (“Ecstasy”) on brain serotonin neurons in human beings The Lancet October 1, 1998
- Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) cause selective ablation of serotonergic axon terminals in forebrain: immunocytochemical evidence for neurotoxicity Journal of Neuroscience August 1, 1988
- Neurotoxicity of the psychedelic amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 1987
and 91 more in the library