EUPHORIA CAN HAVE ITS DRAWBACKS

Ecstasy is the street alias for one of the longest names in the
chemical cookbook - methylenedioxymethamphetamine, known as MDMA.

It is a form of amphetamine that releases large amounts of serotonin
in the brain, producing feelings of empathy, confidence and
well-being, even euphoria. Sensitivity to touch, sight, sound and
smell are all heightened, along with the loss of inhibitions - and the
urge to move, hence the need to dance.

The signs of ecstasy use - grinding teeth, dilated pupils, high
temperature and blood pressure - are classic symptoms of the
amphetamine group. So are the feelings of confusion, depression,
anxiety and paranoia that can follow it, especially in heavy users.

The Internet is awash with MDMA research from Britain, America and
Europe. Research into the drug's effects on laboratory animals
indicates that frequent use of ecstasy may be neurotoxic - permanently
poisoning brain serotonin neurons.

An author of a 1996 study on ecstasy use in Australia, Dr Libby Topp,
from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, says that, in
humans, such serotonergic neurotoxicity is likely to produce long-term
effects such as depression, as well as mood, sleep and sexual
dysfunction.

This, however, is educated speculation. Ecstasy has only been widely
used for about a decade. For all the animal experiments, the long-term
effects of ecstasy on people are unknown, Dr Topp says.

"The people using now and using regularly, they are the guinea pigs.
We will be looking (at the long-term effects) on those people."

Serotonin is a mental stability regulator. When the drug wears off,
the serotonin levels in the brain are depleted, resulting in bouts of
depression. In laboratory rats, MDMA can cause chronic sleeplessness,
which can be fatal.

A major problem encountered by researchers is that testing on animals
has been done with high doses of pure MDMA, whereas "testing" on
humans must rely on anecdotal accounts of what has been taken, how
much and over what period.

The illicit nature of the drug creates problems with what is actually
in the ecstasy sold on the street. It can be laced with varying
quantities of amphetamines, "acid" (LSD), heroin and other substances,
making for inconclusive research on the effects of MDMA in humans.

However, Dr Topp says the observed short-term side-effects of ecstasy
use include psychological effects ranging from depression, anxiety,
irritation, trouble sleeping and hallucinations to suicidal thoughts.
Physical effects can include muscle aches, blurred vision, sweating,
energy loss, weight loss, dizziness, tremors, headaches, vomiting and
inability to urinate.

The evidence on whether ecstasy is addictive is equivocal, Dr Topp
says. Her suspicion is that it is, even though it fails to follow
addiction patterns seen in other drugs, such as heroin and alcohol.

"No one uses ecstasy every day, but still some people can't go out
without it. If they can't have a good time without it, that's a
dysfunctional pattern of use," she says.

However, Dr Topp estimates that fewer than 30 people have died from
the drug in the past decade in Australia. "Really, the chances of
dying are really small ... it's fair to say that, on a scale, if harm
reduction measures are used, ecstasy use can be safer than some other
forms of drug use."

Better public education could help minimise the risks for ecstasy
users, she says. Harm minimisation measures include:

Buying only from people you know and trust;

Only taking ecstasy pills from batches already tried by people you
know and trust;

Not mixing ecstasy with other drugs, such as alcohol or
speed;

Using ecstasy infrequently (not every week, or even every
month);

If dancing, sitting down for 15-minute breaks every hour;
and

Maintaining a good fluid intake - 500 millilitres of liquid
(alternating orange juice and water) every hour if dancing and 250
millilitres an hour if engaging in non-strenuous activity.

There are many similarities between the current generation of ecstasy
users and the psychedelic "acid" users of the 1960s. With both, the
emphasis is on bright colors, feelings of love and peace and
friendship induced by the drug, and new forms of music to accompany
it.

But the most important similarity between Earthcore festivals now and
Woodstock 30 years ago is that each represents a generation
experimenting with drugs carrying unknown long-term effects.

There is one difference, however: ecstasy has become a lot more
popular than "acid" ever was. If it proves more harmful than most
users presently believe it to be, the damage could affect many
thousands of people.

In January this year, Dutch police seized an ecstasy tablet containing
eight milligrams of strychnine, a dose that could have been fatal in
humans.

Ecstasy was used as a mind-altering drug in psychotherapy in the early
1970s to overcome emotional blocks and became a recreational drug in
the 1980s.

A brief period of come-down after using ecstasy is common, although
many users turn to other drugs to avoid it.

Experts say that the use of ecstasy increases the desire to
smoke.