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Ecstasy: Worth Raving About?

Meet Sara Aeschlimann. This typical 18 year old was one of the casualties of the rave drug Ecstasy.

This was not her first time taking Ecstasy so she knew what she was getting into. Little did she know that this little pill would ultimately end her young life. She was staying over at a friends house for the night. This “friend” offered her a “new type” of ecstasy. This new type was supposed to give you the effects of ecstasy multiplied by two. She took it and waited for the effects to kick in.

Two hours later she was on the ground having convulsions. She was admitted to hospital shortly after. Her body just started to heat up and break down. Her temperature reached 108 F and she was bleeding everywhere. She was dying from the inside – out. Her stomach and intestines were bleeding and blood was coming out of her mouth. The next day, Mother’s Day, she died. She did not actually die from regular ecstasy. She died from a more potent paramethoxymethamphetamine. This was the cause of her death. It was an overdose.

Little did she know that it was a pill that packed the punch of two or three regular ecstasy pills and look where it ended her ... ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK?

Ecstasy is a drug which inhibits the reuptake of the neurotransmitter Serotonin. Serotonin is released into the synapse normally and then ecstasy attaches to the transport, which takes the serotonin back into the neuron. When ecstasy does this the synapse is totally overwhelmed with serotonin.

If you look at this Venn diagram you will see what serotonin does to your body. It controls appetite, emotions, and sleeping. An excess amount of serotonin reduces appetite, makes your emotions change sporadically, and allows you to stay up longer. Serotonin is known for the sense of well being it gives, this is why an ecstasy user feels peaceful, happy, and just an overwhelming sense of friendship.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS OF ECSTASY

SO CALLED "GOOD EFFECTS”
• Feeling of well-being
• Feeling of Peacefulness
• Feeling of Friendship
• Reduced Inhibitions
• Increased Energy
• More sensuality

BAD EFFECTS
• Vomiting
• Chills
• Blurred Vision
• Sweating
• Anxiety
• Sleeplessness
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Arrhythmia
• Muscle Seizures, including jaw clenching
• Irrationality
• Overheating and Water-loss

LONG TERM EFFECTS OF ECSTASY

SO CALLED “GOOD EFFECTS”
• There are no good long term effects

BAD EFFECTS
• Birth Defects (If taken during pregnancy)
• Kidney Failure
• Liver Damage
• Heart Attacks
• Internal Bleeding
• Depression
• Severe Mental Problems
• Convulsions
• Permanent memory and learning problem