Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2002
Franz X. Vollenweider, Matthias E. Liechti, Alex Gamma et al.
92 citations
Since the mid 1990s, MDMA has been increasingly used as a recreational drug called "Ecstasy" by young people in Europe and the United States. However, despite the widespread recreational use of Ecstasy, systematic data on the psychological and neurobiological effects of MDMA have been scant. To further our understanding of the mechanism of action of MDMA, the authors conducted several studies...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2002
Mim J. Landry
87 citations
This article reviews recent surveys and reports that provide insight regarding prevalence, frequency, trends, perceptions, and seizures of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or "Ecstasy." An estimated 6.4 million individuals have used MDMA. Among students in the eighth, 10th, and 12th grades, MDMA use has substantially increased from mid-1990 levels to 2001, with sharp increases noted in 2000...
The Analyst
May 14, 2002
James F. Carter, Emma L. Titterton, Martin Murray et al.
70 citations
Combined delta2H, delta13C and delta15N isotopic analysis of MDA and MDMA extracted from seized "ecstasy" tablets provides an isotopic "fingerprint" of the active ingredient allowing individual tablets to be linked to a common batch. Correlating these data with 2H NMR analysis of the extracts has the potential to study both the natural precursor materials and synthetic pathways used in the...
The Anatomical record
May 1, 2002
Marco Gesi, Paola Lenzi, Paola Soldani et al.
Early toxicity occurring during or immediately after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or "ecstasy") administration has not been investigated in detail, although in humans it is responsible for marked side effects, and even death. Acute toxicity induced by MDMA produces rhabdomyolysis involving the myocardium (myocytolysis). Cardiac symptoms, such as tachycardia, hypertension, and...
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
April 1, 2002
Thomas Kræmer, Hans H Maurer
232 citations
This paper reviews the toxicokinetics of amphetamines. The designer drugs MDA (methylenedioxy-amphetamine, R,S-1-(3;,4;-methylenedioxyphenyl)2-propanamine), MDMA (R,S-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and MDE (R,S-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine), as well as BDB (benzodioxolylbutanamine; R,S-1-(1;,3;-benzodioxol-5;-yl)-2-butanamine or R,S-1-(3;,4;-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine) and MBDB...
Psychopharmacology
April 1, 2002
Suzanne L. Verheyden, J. A. Hadfield, Tara Calin et al.
118 citations
RationaleResearch with animals suggests that central 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) function may be attenuated for a period following a single dose of +/-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy'). If the same is true in humans, then functions thought to be modulated by 5-HT may differ in MDMA users compared with non-users a few days after the drug is taken.AimsThe present study therefore...
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
April 1, 2002
Manfred R. Moeller, Thomas Kræmer
98 citations
Driving under the influence of drugs is an issue of growing concern in the industrialized countries as a risk and a cause for road accidents. In forensic toxicology, the increasing number of samples for determination of drugs in blood is mainly due to zero-tolerance laws in several countries and well-trained police officers who can better recognize drivers under the influence of drugs of abuse....
Drug and Alcohol Review
March 2002
Linda R Gowing, Susan M Henry-Edwards, Rodney J. Irvine et al.
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) is the third most used illicit drug, after cannabis and amphetamines. There has been considerable interest in the adverse effects of use, with particular attention given to a small number of deaths related to ecstasy use, and the neurotoxic effects of MDMA. This paper reviews case reports of adverse effects attributed to ecstasy use, and the...
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 1, 2002
Els A. de Letter, Karine M. Clauwaert, Willy E. Lambert et al.
47 citations
In this study, regional tissue distributions of the amphetamine analogue 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") and its metabolite 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) in a fatal overdose are presented. Quantitation of MDMA and MDA levels occurred in blood samples taken centrally (right and left heart and main adjacent great vessels) and peripherally (subclavian and femoral blood)....
Contemporary Drug Problems
March 1, 2002
Tom F. M. Ter Bogt, Rutger C. M. E. Engels, Belinda Hibbel et al.
46 citations
“House” is the main youth subculture of the 1980s and 1990s in the Netherlands. For the members of this youth culture scene, house is a combination of going to parties and dancing all night while being high on MDMA, a drug better known as XTC/Ecstasy. This article is a review of the history of house and the Dutch house scene. It considers some of the psychological effects of dancing combined...
British Journal of Pharmacology
February 1, 2002
Mary L. Forsling, John K. Fallon, Darshna Shah et al.
77 citations
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”), widely used as a recreational drug, can produce hyponatraemia. The possibility that this could result from stimulation of vasopressin by MDMA or one of its metabolites has been investigated in vitro . Release of both oxytocin and vasopressin from isolated hypothalami obtained from male Wistar rats was determined under basal conditions and...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2002
Marsha Rosenbaum
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) was first used as a legal adjunct to psychotherapy in the 1970s. By the early 1980s, "Ecstasy" had become a tiny part of the recreational American drug scene, and was ultimately criminalized in 1986. For a decade use continued, but remained quiet. By the end of the 1990s, increased supply, demand, seizures of pills, arrests of distributors associated...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2002
Matthew J. Baggott
Increasing use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") has been accompanied by concern about acute and possible long-term toxicity. This article discusses acute serious toxicity, chronic toxicity, and common problems associated with Ecstasy use, as well as the implications of these areas for prevention programs targeted at current Ecstasy users. The low incidence of serious...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2002
Gregory N Hayner
The demand for MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has increased, especially among teenagers 12 to 18 years old. It is estimated that approximately 2.8 million teens have at least tried this drug. Coincident with this trend has been an increasing body of literature that questions the safety of MDMA consumption in terms of possibly permanent neurological damage, associated with behavioral and...
The Journal of Laryngology and Otology
January 2002
Darius Rejali, Paul Glen, Nicholas Odom
Ecstasy is a class A controlled drug often consumed by the young population for recreational purposes. Documented complications of its use include hyperpyrexia, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), renal failure and rhabdomyolysis. We report on two patients who developed pneumomediastinum after Ecstasy abuse. Both patients obtained and consumed the drug at the same establishment and...
Substance Use & Misuse
2002
Paolo Nencini
17 citations
Current psychobiological models of drug addiction are focused on the capability of drugs to cause a pathological exploitation of the neural rewarding system. This approach has emphasized the role of hedonistic factors in the etiology of drug addiction. Comparing primitive and modern settings of intoxication, such as shamanic rituals and rave parties, it is possible to confute this assumption....
Addiction Research & Theory
2002
Diana L. Martinez-Price, Kirsten Krebs-Thomson, Mark A. Geyer
16 citations
Since being classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine; "ecstasy") has been the subject of controversy regarding its potential therapeutic usage, increased use by young people in the "Rave" culture, and issues of potential neurotoxicity. This review article summarizes much of the animal and human studies of the general behavioral effects of...
European Addiction Research
2002
Julio Bobes, Pilar A. Sáiz, María Paz García‐portilla et al.
34 citations
<i>Aim: </i>To measure the prevalence of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and other drug use in young males entering compulsory military service in Asturias (northern Spain) and to define trends in MDMA use in this group during the period from 1995 to 1999. We also sought to determine whether MDMA users have distinct personality features or higher levels of sensation seeking....
Journal of Forensic Sciences
2002
James R. Gill, Jude R. Hayes, Ian S. Desouza et al.
77 citations
Abstract MDMA (“ecstasy”) has gained renewed popularity as a drug of abuse. To access the epidemiology and causes of death of MDMA-positive fatalities, all deaths investigated by the OCME that tested positive for MDMA (22 deaths) between January 1997 and June 2000 were reviewed. There were three deaths in each 1997 and 1998, eleven in 1999, and five in the first part of 2000. Of these 22...
Harvard Review of Psychiatry
2002
Alonso Montoya, Renée Sorrentino, Scott E Lukas et al.
102 citations
The recreational drug "ecstasy" (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA) is widely used by young people throughout the world. Experimental studies indicate that MDMA damages serotonergic neurons in animals and possibly in humans. Repeated use may induce long-term neurotoxic effects, with cognitive and behavioral implications. We reviewed both the preclinical and the clinical literature to...