What Effects Does Ecstacy Have on Your Body?

The drug Ecstasy has been available since the 1980s when it surfaced as a street drug, according the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The number of people using Ecstasy increased in the 1990s when young adults and students began using it to participate in partying. Users may take tablets orally or crush them into a fine powder and then inject or snort it. It is impossible to predict how any drug or medication will affect every individual. However, through compiled information regarding the effects of ecstasy on the human body, it is possible to reasonably predict what a person ingesting this drug can expect to experience.

Euphoria

• The name "Ecstasy" is a description of the pleasurable feelings and sensations users may experience. An overwhelming feeling of calm, self confidence and increased energy are among possible effects. Users may lose normal inhibitions and feel increased sexual desire and the desire to touch others and be touched.

Cell Damage

• Ecstasy usage may be damaging to cells that produce serotonin. Serotonin is a bodily chemical that enables the nervous system to communicate with brain cells. Too little serotonin may lead to bouts of depression. Excessive levels of serotonin can lead to nerve cell activity that is excessive. When serotonin levels are out of proportion appetite, pain and mood regulation can be thrown into disarray.

Temperature Regulation

• Ecstasy can disrupt the ability the ability of the body to regulate its temperature. This side effect can be especially harmful when the drug is used in a location with high temperatures such as crowded dance venues and raves. When high temperatures are coupled with Ecstasy use, the result can be increased blood pressure, dehydration or even heart or kidney failure.

Stimulation and Hallucinations

• Ecstasy's chemical makeup has similarities to methamphetamine and a hallucinogen called mescaline. Because of this it is able to produce psychedelic as well as stimulant effects for users. The hallucinations caused by Ecstasy are not as intense as those produced by hallucinogens such as LSD. The stimulant and psychedelic effects that Ecstasy causes are reported by the Drug Enforcement Administration to level off and plateau approximately two hours after ingestion but can continue for as long as six hours after taking the drug.

Other Mental Effects

• Other mental effects that can result from using ecstasy are paranoia, depression, confusion, distortions in perception and time, problems sleeping and bodily craving for more of the drug. The DEA advises that these effects generally happen within 30 to 45 minutes of swallowing an Ecstasy tablet and can last between four and six hours thereafter. In some cases these effects can occur or last for weeks following ingestion.