http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2398818 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2398818

 

The reason it makes you feel so good is that it forces the brain to produce and retain seratonin (among other feel-good chemicals, such as dopamine and norepinephrine - maybe a real chemist can elaborate or correct here) - but I understand that the excessive production of seratonin whilst under the influence of the drug leads to a corresponding lack of production once the effects have worn off.

 

Since seratonin makes you feel good, it stands to reason that when you don't produce it, you feel less good - it's a basic law of physics - what goes up must come down.

 

http://www.drugabuse.gov/Meetings/MDMA/MDMAExSummary.html - http://www.drugabuse.gov/Meetings/MDMA/MDMAExSummary.html

 

You can become clinically depressed as a result so it's demonstrably dangerous in several ways.

 

 

It's apparent that bananas also assist the brain to produce seratonin, dopamine and norepinephrine- so don't take Ecstasy - eat a bunch of bananas instead before going clubbing!

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/6/892 - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/6/892

 

 

My own viewpoint is that I wouldn't take it at all ever.

 

I've tried other stuff, but mainly stuff that grows out of the ground.

 

It's common knowledge that there are many legal drugs with side-effects - why take something that isn't commercially produced and proven - and you have no idea of what else has been mixed in - when no-one knows what all the side effects are of the "pure" drug?

 

That doesn't make any sense to me at all - life's too short and confusing already.

 

I just came back home now to edit my post out. I feel like a bit of a heel now!

Never tried it, don't want to. I THINK it can kill you the first time too.

Isn't what anti-depressants do? SSRI    selective SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBIOTOR

  I don't like the sound of that.

 

Nah - teabags and banana peels!

 

MDMA has a substancial amount of beneficial purposes in many different subcatagories....especially psychotherapy.  This, again, goes for almost every psychoactive substance.

 

Enjoy the knowledge, or any innterest you have in these things, keep reading up on it!

 

True. But stil, they technically do the same thing then?

And Ecstasy is something I wold never try in my life...

I had to lear the hard way that just because it is prescribed it is still a drug.

I have been diagnosed with depression and was put on anti-depressants, I became addicted and I am probably worse off now than before. (the side effects are terrable)

 

I also have had similar experiances with rittalin though I have now stopped taking it (I flush it down the toilet evry morning)

 

 

 

on a similar note wow FOABP is amazing, I could really relate.

 

First, I really don't recommend it.

 

One of the dangers is that it sets up patterns of repetitive behaviour - if you're chewing gum as it kicks in, you will continue to chew manically for the next 12 hours and your jaw will ache mightily for the next few days. If you're smoking, you will go on to chain smoke for the next 12 hours and will sound like Tom Waits with laryngitis for the next few days. If you're dancing, you will dance like a bell end for the next 12 hours, possibly causing your body to overheat, suffering severe to fatal consequences (which is why raves introduced chill out rooms and encouraged people to use them). This can also cause people to overcompensate by drinking too much water - your body's natural regulating sysytems are being overridden by the e so you don't stop even when you've had too much.

 

Assuming you sidestep most of the physical side effects (and if you're not using it as a dance drug the dangers are diminished but not eliminated) it's like any psychoactive substance; you don't know how strong it is or where it's going to take you until it's in your system, and once it's in there you're stuck with the major effects for at least 12 hours and the after effects for days (at least) afterwards. So, you might feel like a conduit for all the joy in the universe, like you're channeling the spirits of Jesus, Buddha and Elvis Presley, blessing all those around you and communing with the Godhead (but you'll look a total pillock to anybody not off their heads). Alternatively, you might have a major panic attack, temporarily forget how to breathe, have to be smuggled out of a club by your frends who will spend an anxious 12 hours or so as you experience rushes of intense paranoia, totally convinced you're about to die, or possibly that you're already dead and you're on your way to hell. Or you might wind up hospitalised, sectioned or, in extreme cases, dead. Assuming none of the last 3 happen, it will take at least a week for your fragile psyche to reassemble itself, possibly longer.

 

And yes, I'm speaking from experience here (though luckily my bad experiences stopped short of hospitalisation). I had a few good nights, one blindingly good night and without a shadow of a doubt the worst night of my life - and the few weeks afterwards weren't much fun either - and ultimately it wasn't worth it; even after a good night it would take a day or two to recover, and after a bad night you don't want to think about it.

 

As I said, I really don't recommend it.

No, it's the other way around. It makes the user dehydrated but it also makes him significantly decrease his "attention to thirst," so ravers are taken to the hospital for severe dehydration because they're dancing and using a lot of water, but not not drinking anything because they don't feel thirsty. What you're talking about is people overcompensating for this fact because they don't want to be dehydrated but can't feel whether or not they have drank enough water. So it's not really a direct side effect of the drug, but an attempt to mitigate the side effect.

 

Unfortunately, I have heard that raves are coming back into fashion in England, which means they will probably spread the US, and then we'll have more kids blowing their brains out with drugs. From what I have heard, ecstasy at raves often leads to acid and other stronger drugs that cause more damage to the brain.

 

It really boils down to the person and the reason for use, but I am not denying some studies and proven information on the less desirable effects of MDMA, and the truly harmful effects, although not nearly as harmful as other drugs.

 

It is recreational vs. entheogenic use.  For me, MDMA is not a drug, it is an entheogen, as are all psychoactive substances.  Drug is such an awful word and just gives people a bad taste right away.

 

I agree with szygy, but I would say all of that is the obvious, NO drug like this should ever be taken recreationaly as you had taken it.  I certainly wouldnt recommend doing any psychoactive drug recreationaly, that goes for ALL OF THEM.

 

Well, all of the scholars ive read and people I have influenced on learning about psychedelics would most certainly have an understanding of "why" they want to experience and mystical journey or insight into these substances.

 

Artificial they are not; psychedelics are usually synthesized from natural things, like hell, MDMA comes from sassafras plants, LSD from Ergot fungus, Marijuana and Cannabis, DMT is in your damn body....the list goes on!

 

I think most of them were put here for humans to experience alternate realities, it is God and natures will.

 

Dont get me started...

 

Every theraputic drug is in that damn Schedule I...

I dont belive in god and have found that a good trip is not dissimilar to meditation or prayer (real prayer) psychedellics are easyer. Also there have been studies that sound can have the same effect, and so music addiction is a real thing. Evrything is addictive evrything is a portal to other worlds, if you call it religion, ecstacy, weed, heroin, music or whatever else it may be, I use lots of different ones personaly.

 

Seriously. The drug schedules HAVE to be politically motivated, they are totally f*ked up.

There's a lot of stuff I don't like about them but one example, weed is a schedule I and cocaine is a II? I don't think so...and that also puts weed on the same level as heroin???

 

 

 

That's true about cocaine, but exactly as you said....weed makes no sense on the list.

And what about tobacco/alcohol? Those are drugs, neither have any real medical purpose, both are addicting (and very bad for you) and where are they placed???

 

It just dosn't make much sense to me...

 

It's true. And I saw (I think it was on the Colbert Report) an interview with a psychadellic drug researcher, talking about how today we CANT even really study them as much. (No where near like how we did in the 60s).

And getting back to ecstasy....I heard once that doctors felt it should be a schedule III drug. These are medical experts, who said it should be a III. But eh, we all know the schedules are crazy.....

And for like, the next 4 days they had "moments" where they felt it alittle bit. Frankly, it scared me a lil bit.

 

I agree with all of that, but saying "dont use drugs" is just wrong, man!  Let people do what they want, and they will live, love and be peaceful if they want...I know alot of great people that engage in spiritual activity involving mind altering substances as minute as Marijuana and as intense as LSD.  It is all in good love if use entheogenically!

 

Dont use drugs recreationally like an idiot, ofcourse...but hey, if anyoen wants to live and enjoy life a think a pint of beer is a good thing to add to the equation sometimes

 

 

Very well said.

And to Rooster: I know what you mean. One person started at a Pink Floyd poster for TWO hours. He later told me he had a conversation with it. Another person was just layong on the ground crying, and later said "oh nah dude, it was awesome" I just couldn't believe what it did to them.

 

The difference between "Use" and "AbUse" - but not forgetting the informed and supported choice of "NOT Use"...