MDMA (Ecstasy)

Brief Description:	MDMA is a synthetic drug that has stimulant and psychoactive properties. It is taken orally as a capsule or tablet.
Street Names:	XTC, X, Adam, hug, beans, love drug More at Street Terms (Office of National Drug Control Policy Web Site)
Effects:	Short-term effects include feelings of mental stimulation, emotional warmth, enhanced sensory perception, and increased physical energy. Adverse health effects can include nausea, chills, sweating, teeth clenching, muscle cramping, and blurred vision. MDMA can interfere with the body's ability to regulate temperature; on rare occasions, this can be lethal.
Statistics and Trends:	In 2008, 2.1 million Americans age 12 and older had abused MDMA at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Web Site). The NIDA-funded 2008 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 1.7% of 8th graders, 2.9% of 10th graders, and 4.3% of 12th graders had abused MDMA at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: Monitoring the Future(University of Michigan Web Site)

NIDA NOTES:

Archives

• Volume 20, No. 1 - Plant Derivative Blocks MDMA's Hyperthermic Effects
• Volume 19, No. 5 - Study Suggests Cognitive Deficits in MDMA-Only Drug Abusers

Other NIDA Resources on Ecstasy/MDMA

• Message from NIDA's Director on Ecstasy Research.
• Research on MDMA. 2002 statement before the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, Committee on Government Reform. (archives)
• Ecstasy Abuse and Control. 2001 statement before the Senate Subcommittee on Governmental Affairs. (archives)
• Scientific meeting report. Results of a July 2001 NIDA/NIH conference on Ecstasy.
• Ecstasy: What We Know and Don't Know About MDMA, A Scientific Review. Executive summary and full report.(archives)
• MDMA/Ecstasy Research: Advances, Challenges, Future Directions - A Scientific Conference. Videocast, posters, participant list, etc. (archives)