Deadly ‘candy’ could create best or worst night
POLY DRUG USE IS SOMETIMES AN ISSUE IF YOU’VE TAKEN IT WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES.
DR SAMUEL BANISTER
IT’S the colourful, candy-like drug seducing festival-goers with its promise of a euphoric high that users say makes them feel at one with the universe and dance for hours.
But it is a coin flip as to whether it will lead to the best or worst night of the taker’s life.
University of Sydney clinical professor Andrew Dawson said MDMA — colloquially known as ecstasy or “Molly” — is a type of amphetamine that increases the release of certain brain chemicals that make people feel wildly happy.
“But those chemicals also interfere with the thermostat of the brain which regulates body temperature,” Professor Dawson said.
“When people take ecstasy and take multiple doses and push the dose up, that regulation of the thermostat gets much worse.”
The university’s Samuel Banister said MDMA was not inherently dangerous but could be in the wrong circumstances.
“MDMA is a small molecule structurally related to amphetamine so if people use MDMA the feelings that are reported commonly are increased empathy, desire to dance, increased warmth and some of these stimulating effects that are common to amphetamines,” Dr Banister said.
But he added it was hard to predict exactly how an individual would respond to any drug, including MDMA, because there were so many variable factors.
These range from a person’s diet and their general physical health to what activities they are undertaking that day and whether they have taken any other substances.
“Poly drug use is sometimes an issue if you’ve taken it with other substances – they can sometimes interact by several well-known mechanisms,” Dr
Banister said.
“Alcohol generally doesn’t mix with anything … it’s an inherently pretty toxic substance itself and it doesn’t play well with other drugs.”
The effects of MDMA are usually felt about 20 minutes to an hour after it’s taken and last for about six hours, according to Australia’s Alcohol and Drug Foundation.
But there is no hard and fast rule because some pills sold as ecstasy may only have contained a small amount of MDMA or none at all.
Signs and symptoms of a potential overdose can affect any part of the body, and could include headaches, blurred vision, restlessness, anxiety, paranoia and either a clenched jaw or grinding.
An elevated body temperature, chills or excessive sweating are also symptoms of a potential overdose, while some users will also experience abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting.
An overdose could also lead to seizures, a loss of consciousness, confusion and other changes in mental state as well as an irregular, rapid heart rate and chest pains.
MDMA is often mixed or “cut” with other drugs or fillers to make it go further, meaning the strength will vary from batch to batch and impact the high a person experiences.
This also makes it difficult to know whether MDMA itself is addictive and research has not yet provided a definitive answer.
Some users have reported symptoms of addiction including continued use despite negative consequences, withdrawal and craving.