Mdma (Ecstasy) - Faculty of Pharmacy

Faculty of Pharmacy 1 12/16/2024 MDMA(Ecstasy)  2 Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  3 Introduction  MDMA (an abbreviation of 3,4-me...

Faculty of Pharmacy 1 12/16/2024 MDMA(Ecstasy)  2 Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  3 Introduction  MDMA (an abbreviation of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also called Molly or Ecstasy, is a lab-made (synthetic) drug that has effects similar to stimulants like methamphetamine, although some researchers and organizations consider MDMA to be a psychedelic drug (hallucinogen) because it can also mildly alter visual and time perception.  MDMA first became popular in nightclubs, but people now take it in a wide range of settings. Researchers are also studying MDMA as a treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in supervised clinical research trials. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  4  An illegal drug sold in black markets that gives a feeling of happiness and energy. Especially used by people who go out to dance at clubs and parties.  mood/mind altering drug and like Prozac works by effecting the chemical level of Serotonin in our brains.  available in pills and capsules, in different colors and shapes, and often with a logo.  5 Names & classifiation  Under Schedule 1 of controlled drugs. (Drugs which are not used medically)  It’s the popular name of MDMA (active ingredient).  Common nicknames.. XTC, Adam, E, X, love drug and dove.  6 What are the effect of MDMA  A person may experience the effects of MDMA within 45 minutes or so after taking a single dose.  Effects include feeling happy, energetic, alert, and closer to others.  In addition, people report increased sensitivity to sights, sounds, touch, and smells. These effects peak within 15 to 30 minutes and last an average of three hours. However, there may be side effects of using MDMA, some of them potentially dangerous Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  7 Is MDMA Safe?  MDMA can cause negative health effects, some potentially serious.  Its effects depend on the amount used, the purity of MDMA taken, and where and how a person is taking it. . Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  8  Health risks associated with using MDMA include: Effects in the Body: higher blood pressure, involuntary jaw clenching, nausea, vomiting, and restless legs, People can experience a dangerously steep rise in body temperature, called hyperpyrexia Mood and Brain Function: poor sleep, a lack of appetite, confusion, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and memory or attention problems. Contamination With Other Drugs lead to serious and fatal effect. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  9 With other drugs  Sometimes MDMA is combined with LSD, called “candyflipping,” for a more intense experience.  Using MDMA with other substances such as alcohol or some prescription drugs, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), may increase the risk of negative health effects Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  10 Distributers  According to the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP), about 90 percent of the worldwide supply of MDMA is produced in illicit laboratories in the Netherlands and Belgium, and then trafficked internationally by Israeli organized- crime groups Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  11 Not pure/ Fake  Because MDMA is produced in illegal, unprofessional laboratories, it is rarely pure. The amount of actual MDMA in a capsule or tablet can vary from 50 up to 200 or 300 milligrams—or none at all.  Many other substances have been found in pills sold as MDMA, including amphetamine, ephedrine, caffeine, ketamine, methamphetamine, acetaminophen, MDA, MDEA, PMA, or dextromethorphan.  Fake Ecstasy may have 130 milligrams of dextromethorphan—times the amount included in cough suppressants such as Robitussin and enough to cause serious side effects such as blurred vision, vomiting, hallucinations, and psychosis.  Like PMA, another toxic amphetamine sold as MDMA, dextromethorphan inhibits sweating and can easily cause heatstroke. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  12 Chemical Characteristics  MDMA increases the brain levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.  Like all amphetamines, MDMA causes neurons that release these neurotransmitters to actively dump them into the synapse space and block their re-uptake, flooding the synapse with the neurotransmitter.  Unlike the other amphetamines, MDMA releases much more serotonin than dopamine or norepinephrine. The result is less direct stimulation (an effect of norepinephrine) or addiction (a characteristic of dopamine), but more perceptual and mood effects (the serotonin).  MDMA is most potent if taken on an empty stomach. Effects are also reportedly diminished by alcohol or marijuana,  and may be intensified to a dangerous level if taken together with cocaine. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  13  MDMA seems to cause effects that are a combination of the stimulation of amphetamines and the altered perception of hallucinogens.  This similarity of a drug to both amphetamines and hallucinogens is very unusual.  The primary influence is an elevated mood state with a feeling of euphoria, intimacy, and closeness to others. The positive feelings that people report are probably due to the release of serotonin. In this way, MDMA has effects similar to those of the popular antidepressants and a number of weight- loss medications. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  14 The side effects  The side effects of MDMA include loss of appetite, rapid heart rate, jaw tension, teeth grinding, dilated pupils, and sweating.  About 10 percent of users have transitory nausea, jitteriness, and a rise in blood pressure  More alarming is an increase in sudden deaths among MDMA users.  In October 1993, the Department of Medicine and Pharmacology at Sheffield University in Britain put out an explanation of the “sudden death syndrome.” They discovered that about 1 in 12 individuals lacks the enzyme cytochrome P450-246, needed to metabolize MDMA. Without this enzyme, the person is susceptible to a fatal reaction to the drug. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  Possible Health Effects Short term  Anxiety  Restlessness  Arability  Sadness  Impulsiveness  Aggression  Thirst Increased heart rate  Nausea  Blurred vision  Chills and sweating  sharp rise in body temperature leading to liver, kidney, or heart failure and death. Some of these side effects can persist weeks after taking the drug. Long Term  Depression  Loss of appetite  Trouble sleeping  Aggression  Less interest in sex  Problems with memory  Combining with alcohol and other drugs increase the chance of damaging other organs in the body. Overdose Symptoms  High Blood Pressure  Faintness  Panic attacks  Loss of consciousness  Seizures  17 Neurotoxicity  MDMA is also different from the amphetamines in the way that it releases these neurotransmitters: it destroys the nerve terminal.  All amphetamines can be toxic to neurons in high doses, but MDMA, MDA, and the other variants appear to do this even in normal doses.  Large doses destroy the nerve completely and permanently eliminate its ability to release serotonin  Research on rats shows that neurotoxicity is prevented when MDMA is taken together with fluoxetine, perhaps because the nerve damage occurs when toxic substances are taken up into the serotonin nerve axon. Fluoxetine prevents this uptake. To achieve this protection in humans, it is suggested that the user take 40 milligrams of fluoxetine (twice the normal adult dose) about three hours after taking MDMA. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024 What makes MDMA so dangerous?  Many kids in todays society are taking molly or what they think is a pure form of molly but this has not been the case.  Many forms of molly are toxic because they contain a variety of different drugs.  Many users are unaware of what they are taking and what the dose might be.  Chemicals such as bath salts, Caffeine, cocaine, dextromethorphan, amphetamines and more are commonly found added to MDMA.  Frequent use of MDMA can damage the serotonin neurons in the brain.  Serotonin helps regulate mood, memory, sleep and appetite and heavy MDMA use can affect all of this.  MDMA users might experience similar problems that cocaine and amphetamine users might face, including addiction.  Studies showed that it takes 1 to 2 20 weeks till serotonin goes back to normal level. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  21 Withdrawal Signs  MDMA produces a rapid tolerance so that repeated use within a short time leads to the loss of desired effects.  The positive feelings in mood, selfimage, and empathy are followed by a rebound of the opposite feelings, leaving the user tired, uncaring, and miserable.  If taken again within a few days, it can cause an increase in stress and many of the problems of amphetamine overdose.  Common symptoms include muscular aches, abdominal pain, chills, tremors, voracious hunger, anxiety, prolonged sleep, lack of energy, exhaustion, deep depression, and suicidal feelings. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  22 Long-term Health Problems  Many of the long-term effects are similar to those of frequent amphetamine use.  Some users have complained of panic attacks and paranoid psychotic symptoms.  The negative effects of MDMA usually resolve after a few days, but may last for months.  Persons with psychiatric illnesses are particularly susceptible to these effects, and even a single dose can cause long-term problems.  The MDMA destruction of serotonin nerve terminals is usually unnoticeable since the brain has billions of neurons with very complex interactions.  Nevertheless, a study at Johns Hopkins showed that people who frequently used MDMA had impaired memory on standardized tests.  There is evidence that suggests a long-term, potentially irreversible effect of MDMA on the human brain. As people age and experience a normal decline in brain functioning, this damage may begin to show up as diminished brain activity. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  23 Overdose  Anyone using MDMA who develops a fever or other physical signs of overdose should be taken to the Emergency Department immediately. They will be treated with rapid cooling measures and possibly with the antispasmodic drug dantrolene. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  24 Can MDMA BE USED AS A treatment for mental disorders ?  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved MDMA as a treatment for any medical condition. However, the FDA has designated MDMA a breakthrough therapy to expedite research for it as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.  MDMA is always administered under medical supervision during research studies, usually in combination with treatments such as talk therapy. Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024  25 END Faculty of Pharmacy 12/16/2024