According to a recent survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, high schoolers' use of some illicit drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, is finally decreasing. But use of Ecstasy is up, and that increase has some health officials worried. Although many people think Ecstasy is a safe drug, it can have some risky side effects. Users can experience confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia for weeks after taking Ecstasy. It increases heart rate and blood pressure, which can have dangerous consequences for people with cardiovascular disease.
Users are also at risk of taking a dangerous drug which has been passed off as Ecstasy.
A more serious danger for Ecstasy users is the drug s effects on the brain and memory. Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers compared brain scans of Ecstasy users with non-users who were matched for age and educational background. Those who used Ecstasy had a significant loss in the number of serotonin transporters, the sites in the brain which regulate memory and other functions. Doctors say similar brain scans are seen in 60 year-old stroke patients. But the Ecstasy users are young, and doctors are worried the brain damage will be permanent.