El incremento del consumo de éxtasis (MDMA) por parte de los jóvenes ha obligado al estudio de efectos a corto y medio plazo sobre el SNC. En la última década, se demostró la existencia de neurotoxicidad serotoninérgica en el SNC. Recientemente aparecieron estudios tendentes a demostrar también daño dopaminérgico que se ha evidenciado en experimentación animal. Las diferentes técnicas de...
AdiccionesDecember 15, 2003Pedro Lorenzo Fernández, Ignacio Lizasoain Hernández
En este capítulo hacemos una revisión de las características farmacológicas de las principales drogas recreativas englobadas en 2 grupos: drogas de diseño y alucinógenos. Las drogas de diseño (término acuñado por G Henderson) comprenden: el grupo de los derivados de las feniletilaminas (derivados de anfetaminas) como el MDMA (éxtasis), el grupo de los opiáceos sean derivados del fentanilo o de...
AdiccionesDecember 15, 2003Pilar A. Sáiz Martínez, Paz García-Portilla González, Begoña Paredes Ojanguren et al.3 citations
La MDMA (éxtasis), es sin duda, la droga que mayor popularidad ha alcanzado durante la última década. A pesar de haber sido sintetizada en 1912, no es hasta finales de los años 70 cuando comienza a ser utilizada por diversos grupos poblacionales en Estados Unidos (estudiantes, yuppies, gays y new agers). En el año 1985 es incluida en la Lista I de la Comprehensive Substances Act americana y en...
A 25-year-old man was brought to the emergency department from a late-night dance club. A friend reported that the patient commonly used designer drugs that he purchased over the Internet. While at the club, he started to vomit and experience visual hallucinations. He had no previous medical history and took no prescription medications. On searching the patient's clothing, medical staff found...
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) is a psychoactive recreational drug widely used by young people visiting dance parties, and has been associated with poor cognitive function. The current study assessed the influence of a single dose of MDMA 75 mg and alcohol 0.5 g/kg on cognition, psychomotor performance and driving-related task performance. Twelve healthy recreational ecstasy...
AnesthesiologyNovember 2003Marko Fiege, Frank Wappler, Ralf Weisshorn et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") can mediate acute toxic effects such as muscle rigidity, metabolic acidosis, and hyperthermia. Because of close clinical similarities, an association between MDMA intoxication and malignant hyperthermia (MH) was suggested. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MDMA is a trigger of MH in susceptible swine. MH-nontriggering general...
In the face of escalating recreational use of 'Ecstasy' (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA), physicians need to be aware of its possible adverse effects. We report two young patients who suffered subarachnoid haemorrhage following ingestion of 'Ecstasy' tablets. Angiographic studies demonstrated features consistent with vasculitis in both cases. Recognition of this association is...
Enantiomers of amphetamine (AM), methamphetamine (MA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) exhibit different pharmacological properties. This may be important for the interpretation of analytical results. Plasma samples were analyzed using validated negative ion chemical ionization gas chromatography-mass...
While neuropsychological studies on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) users have been emerging, results have been inconsistent, possibly due to methodological issues. The current study examined the performance of 22 recreational MDMA users compared to 28 age, education, and IQ comparable normal control subjects on a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. Results...
Little is known about the cellular effects induced by 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), although changes in gene expression have been observed following treatments with other psychostimulants. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate in mice, the relationships between the ras‐dependent protein kinase ERK and MDMA‐induced reinforcement using the conditioned place...
Administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) to rats produces serotonergic nerve terminal degeneration. However, they are not neurotoxic when injected directly into the brain, suggesting the requirement for peripheral metabolism of MDMA to a neurotoxic metabolite. Alpha-methyldopamine (alpha-MeDA) is a major metabolite of MDA. There are...
Ecstasy [3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)] was shown to prolong the action of l -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ( l -DOPA) while suppressing dyskinesia in a single patient with Parkinson's disease (PD). The clinical basis of this effect of MDMA is unknown but may relate to its actions on either dopaminergic or serotoninergic systems in brain. In normal, drug-naive common marmosets, MDMA...
To evaluate the DanceSafe Complete Adulterant Screening Kit for Ecstasy with regard to its accuracy in identifying 3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine (MDMA) and methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) derivatives and its ability to detect certain contaminants. In part 1, 39 street-grade tablets purported to be MDMA were tested with the Marquis, Mecke, and Simon's reagents provided by the DanceSafe...
Poor cognitive performance in ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) users has been related to the well-recognized neurotoxic effects of the drug upon central serotonergic and possibly also dopaminergic systems. However, concomitant use of other drugs has been a critical confound in most investigations. In this study we used an n-back task and fMRI to investigate working memory...
Abstract This study examined the reported psychological effects of different patterns of MDMA use in men and women, and how they are modified by use of other psychoactive substances. A semi‐structured interview was conducted with 466 regular MDMA users, exploring the perceived acute, sub‐acute and long‐term subjective effects of this drug. Factor analysis established three main categories of...
Although British drugs policy has become increasingly contested, debate in this area has continued along well-established lines. Recent reviews, including those conducted by the independent inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Select Committee on Home Affairs, have called for reform largely on the basis of the established medicalized philosophy. While the related notions of...
Fifteen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') users who did not have other drug dependencies or prolonged alcohol abuse and 15 control subjects were studied. All the subjects were exposed to the same psychosocial stressor (Stroop Color-Word Interference Task, public speaking and mental arithmetic in front of an audience) 3 weeks after MDMA discontinuation. Plasma concentrations of...
Abstract The present study reports on all deaths related to taking ecstasy (alone, or in a polydrug combination) occurring in England and Wales in the time frame August 1996–April 2002. Data presented here are based on all information recorded in the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (np‐SAD) database. The np‐SAD regularly receives all information on drug related deaths in addicts...
The amphetamine derivative (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a popular recreational drug among young people, particularly those involved in the dance culture. MDMA produces an acute, rapid enhancement in the release of both serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine from nerve endings in the brains of experimental animals. It produces increased locomotor activity and the serotonin...