Ecstasy facts
How it affects you
- First you may feel pleasure, some dizziness, disorientation, breathlessness and exhilaration, and maybe nausea.
- For the next 6-8 hours: increased pulse-rate, feeling flushed, restlessness, anxiety, paranoia, clenching of the jaw muscles, dilated pupils, increase in energy, and no appetite or desire to sleep.
- In a club or at a festival, you may have more appreciation of music and light, the energy to dance all night, and a sense of unity and friendship with other people.
Other names
MDMA, 'e', doves, mitsubishis, apples, rhubarb & custards, callies.
Is it legal?
- Class A.
- Possession carries a maximum sentence of 7 years’ imprisonment and a fine.
- Supply or production carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine.
The risks, signs and symptoms
- A few people are sensitive or allergic to ecstasy and this can cause illness or death.
- If you have a heart condition, there’s a risk of having a seizures.
- It can cause heat stroke, especially if you’re in a hot nightclub and dancing a lot. Heat stroke can cause death as internal organs stop working.
- Drinking too much water can be dangerous as restricted kidney function can cause fluid in the brain to increase, leading to unconsciousness, coma, and possible death.
- Latent conditions such as epilepsy can be triggered by taking ecstasy.
- You may develop long-term psychiatric damage and depression.
- Long-term damage to internal organs may be possible, including the liver, kidneys, heart and brain.
How you can reduce the risks
- The only way to fully reduce the risks from ecstasy is to not take it.
- The comedown from ecstasy can make you feel tired, depressed and unsociable. Your brain and body need to recover, so you’ll need food and sleep.
- Trying to soften the comedown with depressants like valium, heroin or over-the-counter drugs will only make the situation worse and greatly increases risk of developing a cycle of dependence.
- Ecstasy can inhibit the way your body absorbs water, so drink water little and often and avoid alcohol.
- Avoid ecstasy if you have epilepsy.