PERILS OVERLOOKED IN PURSUIT OF PLEASURE

When a person takes ecstasy, the body is stimulated: the heart speeds
up, blood pressure rises.

"The subjective feeling is similar to having a strong coffee, but
magnified," said Dr Alex Wodak, director of drug and alcohol services
at St Vincent's Hospital.

"In the vast majority of cases, nothing very much does happen that is
adverse." But occasionally it does. And "it is much more risky taking
multiple drugs than a single drug", he said.

For although people pay to swallow MDMA, the active ingredient in
ecstasy, often what they get is mixtures of other psychoactive
substances, sometimes speed, LSD, even caffeine.

On its own, ecstasy, as part of its stimulating effect, can make you
excited about exercise. It is why it is so commonly taken at dance
parties, as it helps the dancers keep going. If they keep dancing for
long periods, they will get hot and sweat, and, if they don't replace
those fluids, become dehydrated.

Warning signals include thirst, a feeling a dryness, headaches,
hotness, but if a person has taken enough ecstasy or other drugs, he
or she may not feel those signals.

If rehydration does not happen, the internal organs gradually shut
down, the brain last of all.

An added risk involved with ecstasy is that users can "end up with a
whole pile of different substances", said Mr Paul Dillon, from the
National Drug and Alcohol Centre.

"It's rare that you get a truly poisonous substance. Most of the time
it's just a filler, binding agents that hold it together, like glucose
or caffeine. But more recently we've been finding other substances,
such as LSD."

Mr Dillon said it was the most dangerous time to be taking the drug
because for the first time chemical tests had shown what some of the
tablets contain.

Last month, an Australian-made version - linked to deaths in Western
Australia - hit the streets. Before that there was South-East Asian
ecstasy, containing LSD.

And last week Sydney police issued a warning to people about "fake
ecstasy", which contains a combination of contaminated MDMA and LSD
trips.