Ecstacy: Worse than you think...
By: Liliana A.
Some History
It was first created in 1913 as an appetite suppressor. In the 50's and 60's it was claimed that it could benefit people in psychotherapy. It would create trust between therapist and patient. By the 1980s it was being used at parties.
All colors of the rainbow
Symptoms
- Anxiety and Paranoia
- Depression
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Trouble focusing
- Dizziness
- Loss of appetite
- False sense of Affection
- Sleep problems
- and many more...
How it affects the brain
Brain damage that affects:
- Thought
- Memory
- Learning
- Sleep
- Emotion
The Endocrine System
Ecstasy squeezes endorphins in the body. It increases the activity of neurotransmitters. this releases greater amounts of serotonin and less dopamine. This causes negative behavior for several days. Ecstasy can eventually cause hyponatremia. This is when the body absorbs less water so most of it stays in the kidneys . This will lead to dehydration and will be fatal.
Heredity
When women take ecstasy serotonin neurons are damaged. serotonin releases hormones such as prolactin and vasopressin. This would impact a womans ability to breast feed her child later on.
percentages
0.8% of people who use ecstasy are 18-25 years old. Half a million of adults in 2014 were users. 7% of people of the age 12+ have used it at least once in their life time. 1% of those people have used it in the past year.
Facts
- More than 12 million people have taken ecstasy in their lifetime
- There was a 123% increase in ER visits caused by ecstasy from 2004 to 2009
- Ranked 4th most used drug after alcohol, cannabis and amphetamines