The Dangerous Ecstasy of MDMA By Victor Tran MDMA, called Adam, or XTC on the street, is a synthetic, mind altering drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. It is an 80 year old illegal drug that is gaining popularity among young adults. In 1941, the drug was tested as a relief for Parkinson s Disease but dropped as an appetite suppressant because strange side effects were noted. In the 1960s, it was widely used as the love drug . Some therapists in the United States used it as a means of reducing hostility in marriage counseling sessions but recreational use because so widespread that it was banned in 1985.
Ecstasy takes the form of pills and capsules, though there are many different types.
Ecstasy is taken because of its reputation of producing a feeling of expansive well-being in the user. Any drug that enters the body gets to the brain, which is the control center for all our thoughts, actions, and sensations. Different chemical messengers called neurotransmitters control all these. Ecstasy affects a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which controls ours sensations of hunger and fatigue when our bodies need nourishment or rest and will feel emotionally stable. If the brain produces too little serotonin, we feel depressed and will not tend to our body s needs of nourishment and rest.