He had slipped into a coma and pretty much every major organ in his body was bleeding quite profusely. Jason Austin is dead. According to Duke University pharmacology professor Wilkie Wilson, an overheating human body begins to go through epilepsy-like seizures. Despite its reputation for safety, Ecstasy can be deeply harmful, Wilson says. Because it makes them feel so good, Wilson says, users are reluctant to believe that the drug can hurt them.
Ecstasy works by affecting one of the brain's key chemicals.
It causes the brain to release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps control mood. Lack of serotonin can contribute to depression, and can harm areas of the brain responsible for thought and memory. Recent studies suggest that even one dose of Ecstasy can damage the brain. It creates a wonderful environment, but that's only for the time the serotonin's being released. When the drug effect wears off, you have a brain that has spilled a lot of serotonin, and now it doesn't have enough to release the next time that you need it.