| Avoid taking ecstasy if
you're on anti-depressants, and try to avoid wolfing down cans
of Super Tennents as the alcohol will dehydrate you - as well as
weaken the effects of the E. Ecstasy puts a tremendous strain on
your heart, liver and kidneys, and it's important to take time
out in a chill-out area during the night.
Most of the dangers come from people overheating and not
replacing enough fluids while dancing, so it is essential to
keep drinking water if you're dancing. We can't stress this fact
enough. But also be careful not to drink too much - about about
a pint an hour is right if you're on the dance floor.
Remember that water is not an antidote to E, it just helps
combat the dehydrating qualities of the drug.
Always make sure that you can get home safely before taking E,
and don't try to drive.
Because E is a stimulant, the comedown is much like that from
speed. Once you've come down you might feel a bit depressed,
anxious, hungry and tired with some people getting it worse than
others. You might also notice a laxative effect. Long-term
frequent users often get run-down from exhaustion and suffer
colds, sore throats and flu. Women can be susceptible to
cystitis and thrush.
How long do the effects last? MDMA: 4-6 hours, MDEA: 3-5 hours,
MDA: 8-10 hours, MBDB: 4-6 hours. Note: These are approximate
times as duration and intensity depend on a variety of factors
including the amount of the drug taken, its strength, purity,
body weight and the physical and psychological makeup of the
individual concerned.
Health risks: There has been much hysterical speculation about
the dangers of taking Ecstasy, and although the vast majority of
these articles seem more interested in pursuing a moral agenda
than dealing with the health issues, it's important to recognise
that there are some risks involved.
Although it's true to say that E is a comparably safe drug, in
1999, Ecstasy was mentioned on 26 UK death certificates in 1999
(although on most of these other drugs were listed too).
Ecstasy use in the UK has remained constant over past 5 years,
estimated at around 300,000 people per week. Depending on
figures and assumptions made, the death rate for first time
users ranges from 1 in 10,000 (the same as road accidents) to
just 1 in 2,000 (source: Times, 6.Dec.01)
MDMA appears to disturb the body's ability to regulate its
temperature and this can lead to serious problems with
overheating and 'heat shock'. There is no conclusive evidence to
the long-term effects of ecstasy, although some experts suspect
that there may be a link between brain damage and long term
ecstasy use. See 'ecstasy: evidence increases for long term
harm'.
In 1995 Leah Betts tragically died after taking an 'E' and
drinking water to counter the drug's effect.
Detection periods: Ecstasy can be detected in the urine up to
2-4 days after use at common levels.
(UK readers may be interested in purchasing an E Testing Kit.
The basic kit consists of a liquid which tests if a scraping of
a pill is amphetamine or E based and costs £15+£4 p&p, and the
Advanced Kit which also includes a Micrometer to compare the
pill size to lab results on the net £30 + £4 p&p. For delivery
outside the UK add another £4. Send cheques/PO to Green Party
Drugs Group, 1a Waterlow Rd, London N19 5NJ. Info: 0181 678
9420)
|
