HE 285 Drugs and Society-Teach Back

1. 3,4-methylenedioxy-
methamphetamine
Samantha Comeau

2. What is 3,4-methylenedioxy-
methamphetamine?
 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine is a synthetic
drug
 Has the ability to change the users mood and awareness
 A stimulant and hallucinogen
 First used in the 1970s in psychotherapy
 It was legal until 1985
 May help with post-traumatic stress disorder and
anxiety
National Institute on Drug Abuse, Drug Free World

3. Other names for 3,4-methylenedioxy-
methamphetamine
 MDMA
 Molly
 Ecstasy
 E
 X
 Love Drug
National Institute on Drug Abuse

4. MDMA Usage
 Can be ingested multiple ways:
 Pills
 Injection
 Snorted (starting as a powder)
 Drinking the liquid form
 Usually used with other drugs
 National Institute on Drug Abuse

5. Population
 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Trends:
 Females are more likely to use MDMA than males
 12% of people age 18-25 have used MDMA at one point
 0.7% of those users used in the past year
 0.2% of those users used in the past month
 6.4% of people 26 or older
 0.5% of those users used in the past year
 0.1% of those users used in the past month
Wu

6. MDMA Affects
 Neurological:
 The drug causes an increase in:
 Dopamine: leads to increased energy
 Norepinephrine: increase in hearth rate and blood pressure
 Serotonin: leads to changes in mood, appetite and sleep
 Physical:
 Cramping
 Sweating
 Chills
 Problems with:
 Vision
 Memory & attention
National Institute on Drug Abuse

7. After using MDMA
 Affects last for three to six hours
 Science cannot prove that MDMA is addictive
 Some people, not all, display withdrawal symptoms
National Institute on Drug Abuse

8. Safety & Precautions
 On the streets, drug dealers use the name Ecstasy or
Molly
 Usually it is not pure MDMA
 Other drugs may be mixed with MDMA, which makes it
even more dangerous to use
 Rise in serotonin increases feeling of closeness
 Leads to a rise of STDs and HIV/AIDS
National Institute on Drug Abuse

9. Thank you!
Drug Free World. What is Ecstasy? Retrieved March 25, 2016,
from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/ecstasy/what-
is-ecstasy.html
National Institute on Drug Abuse. DrugFacts: MDMA
(ecstasy/Molly) Retrieved March 25, 2016, from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-
ecstasymolly
Wu, P., et al. Ecstasy use among U.S. adolescents from 1999
to 2008. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 112(1-2):33-38,
2010.