MDMA by Carol Schoiber https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43 Drugs in our Culture en-us 2019-10-21 01:06:12 UTC 2019-10-21 02:00:03 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f48a.png What is MDMA? c_schoiber https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400083220 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) is a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception (awareness of surrounding objects and conditions). It is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens, producing feelings of increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth, and distorted sensory and time perception. People who use MDMA typically take it as a capsule or tablet. Many people take it in combination with other drugs. ]]> 2019-10-21 01:12:23 UTC https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400083220 How does MDMA affect people? How does it make a person feel? Hows does it impact the person's body system? c_schoiber https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400087850 When MDMA is taken in tablet or capsule form, a person begins feeling the effects 45 minutes later, on average. These effects peak 15 to 30 minutes after they are first felt and last an average of 3 hours, though side effects could be experienced up to days later. People typically take one to two tablets on each occasion, with each tablet generally containing between 50 and 150 milligrams of MDMA. People often take a second dose of the drug as the effects of the first dose begin to fade, increasing the risk of adverse side effects as doses combine. MDMA increases the activity of three brain chemicals. Dopamine—produces increased energy/activity and acts in the reward system to reinforce behavior Norepinephrine—increases heart rate and blood pressure, which are particularly risky for people with heart and blood vessel problems Serotonin—affects mood, appetite, sleep, and other functions. It also triggers hormones that affect sexual arousal and trust. The release of large amounts of serotonin likely causes the emotional closeness, elevated mood, and empathy felt by those who use MDMA.
Other health effects include:

  • nausea
  • muscle cramping
  • involuntary teeth clenching
  • blurred vision
  • chills
  • sweating
]]> 2019-10-21 01:30:27 UTC https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400087850 What are the current trends of MDMA? How many people use this drug? Has anyone died as a result of this drug? c_schoiber https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400089460 MDMA is popular in many dance clubs and is associated with the rave scene. Users claim that it "creates a loving presence and improves orientation toward intimate relationships. And it deepens meditative calmness. Additionally, many young adults take MDMA because of its pro-social and pro-sexual effects.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that in 2014 more than 17 million persons aged 12 or older reported using MDMA at least once in their lifetimes. This is an increase from 11 million reported 10 years prior.  In 2014, the number of people who used in the past month was estimated to be 660,000, up from 450,000 in 2004.
The Drug Abuse Warning Network, maintained until 2011 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), reported that mentions of MDMA in drug-related hospital emergency department visits were 22,498 for 2011, equating to approximately 1.8 percent of all drug-related emergency department visits. The majority of patients who came to emergency departments with recent MDMA use as a factor in their admissions during that time were aged 18 to 20. In addition, of those seeking treatment for a substance use disorder in 2015, 3,510 people reported MDMA as a factor.]]> 2019-10-21 01:36:57 UTC https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400089460 Frankie, 37, the CFO for a software company in Cupertino, California c_schoiber https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400091904
My first time: I was in LA around 1998. It was Halloween and I was going to the parade with my then-girlfriend. She was really against drugs, so I didn’t tell her I’d done a pill. I was dressed in this ridiculous cow outfit, with these hideous rubber udders. When the pill kicked in I felt utterly incredible. I remember how clean the air tasted and how beautiful everyone looked. We ended up at a club and I remember turning to [my girlfriend] and saying, “I’m a cow on ecstasy.” It felt as if I were imparting some great cosmic secret. She laughed and we kissed. It felt like kissing for the first time. Even though she wasn’t high and she didn’t know I was high, we kissed for like an hour. The sex was incredible and I remember thinking, “This is the greatest drug I have ever done. I wish I could feel like this all the time.”

Where it went from there: I did E pretty regularly for a few years. Then the quality started getting bad and a lot of pills started feeling really speedy. It was never as good as that first time, and I kinda got bored with it. As I’ve gotten older the comedowns have become harder to deal with. I can’t just take a whole day off to recover any more. The last time I did it was at a New Year’s Eve party and I hadn’t done it in a while so I just took half a pill. It was disappointing, kind of weak, and I felt horrible the next day. I’ve not stopped, but I’ve not been in a hurry to do it again.

]]> 2019-10-21 01:46:49 UTC https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400091904 References c_schoiber https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400094640
Drugs Across The Spectrum (Class Textbook)

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-ecstasymolly

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/mdma-ecstasy-abuse/what-mdma

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/mdma-ecstasy-abuse/what-is-the-scope-of-mdma-use-in-the-united-states

https://www.alternet.org/2014/05/my-first-time-ecstasy-10-true-mdma-stories/]]> 2019-10-21 01:57:49 UTC https://padlet.com/c_schoiber/xcbcc594mt43/wish/400094640