According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the drug was created by a German company in 1912 to be used as a possible appetite suppressant. In the 1970s, some psychotherapists began prescribing it in small amounts for therapy. MDA is a variation on Ecstasy. MDMA is called the love drug and MDA is the hug drug. Ecstasy, known in medical circles as MDMA and on the street as XTC, Go and X, was popular at nightclubs and rock concerts during the 1980s, and more recently at raves and all-night parties.
Users report feelings of euphoria, alertness, sensory awareness and increased empathy for others.
MDMA increases the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Ecstasy is something everybody is doing now. But Plaisted had become concerned that McDaniel was going overboard with the drug. He was spending less time with his old high school buddies and more time with a new group of friends, often getting high. The problem is that the first Ecstasy high is so good that it's hard to replicate, Plaisted said.