HERBAL 'ANTIDOTE' LEADS TO DANGEROUS ECSTASY BOOM

ECSTASY is making a comeback among British clubbers who believe they
have found a "safe" version of the drug - and also mistakenly believe
that a herbal medicine for depression can prevent the brain damage
associated with frequent Ecstasy use.

Britain's largest health-food manufacturer, Holland & Barrett, has
begun an investigation into the use of its herbal remedy 5-HTP as an
"antidote".

Senior staff are alarmed at the trend among drug takers to use 5-HTP.
The firm's scientists say that if it is mixed with anti-depressants
such as Prozac or even alcohol it can cause excessive sweating, muscle
cramps, and in extreme cases death.

Anti-drugs campaigners are also worried that people will be encouraged
to believe that there is a "safe" way to take Ecstasy, which has
caused more than 30 deaths in the past five years.

The natural herbal tablets, which have become the latest craze on the
club scene, are sold in health-food shops and are being promoted by
drug users on websites.

Although 5-HTP is the most popular of the herbal remedies, St John's
Wort is also used by clubbers convinced that it will protect them.

The attraction of 5-HTP is its ability to boost the levels in the body
of serotonin, a brain chemical that induces happiness and is depleted
by long-term Ecstasy use. A study by scientists at Edinburgh
University showed that people who use large amounts of Ecstasy suffer
memory loss because the drug damages serotonin nerve endings in the
brain.

In club circles, substances such as 5-HTP are known as "preloaders" in
the belief that they prevent the low experienced after taking Ecstasy
as well as other more serious side-effects. "E" is now fashionable
again because dealers are selling a "safer" version called Mitsubishi
which has, in turn, made preloading popular.

Tom Whitwell, features editor of Mixmag, says that natural
anti-depressants are part of the preloading culture. "This ranges from
drinking water or grapefruit juice to taking tablets such as 5-HTP,"
he said. "It's becoming a habit with the more experienced Ecstasy
users. It's all about making drug-taking safer by boosting your
serotonin levels and cushioning the 'comedown'."

Dr Janusz Knepil, a biochemist in charge of drugs toxicology at
Gartnavel Hospital, Glasgow, says it is dangerous for people to regard
5-HTP as an antidote.

"The problem with 'E' is that it can be made up of all sorts of bits
and pieces and you don't know what you are getting," he said. "If
5-HTP breaks down the wrong way it can become a toxin itself. There is
only one message and that is there is no safe way to misuse drugs."