Teens and drugs: What you need to know

Ecstasy
Street names: Adam, E, the love drug, X, XTC

What is it?
Ecstasy is a synthetic chemical that stimulates the release of serotonin, the "feel-good" brain chemical. It can be mixed with caffeine, ephedrine or amphetamine – or with other, highly toxic drugs. "Herbal ecstasy" usually contains herbal ephedrine, a stimulant linked to increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

What does it look like?
• Tablets or capsules in different candylike shapes, sizes and colours
• May be stamped with a logo such as a butterfly or a clover leaf

Cost: $20 to $25 per hit

Who uses it?
In the 1980s ecstasy became popular at all-night dance parties, or raves. Now it's a popular party drug favoured by different groups of people, including adult urban professionals.

Physical and mental effects
Within an hour, low to moderate doses can produce feelings of well-being, confidence and increased energy. Negative effects even at low doses can include teeth grinding and jaw pain, sweating, increased blood pressure and heart rate, anxiety, blurred vision, nausea and convulsions. After four to six hours, aftereffects such as confusion, anxiety, paranoia, depression and insomnia kick in and can last for days or weeks.

Health risks
• A growing number of deaths have been attributed to ecstasy, mainly due to dehydration and overheating associated with all-night dancing.
• Use of other drugs, including alcohol, greatly increases risk of overdose
and death.
• Increased body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate can lead to kidney or heart failure, stroke
and seizure.
• May cause jaundice and liver damage.
• People who already have high blood pressure, heart or liver problems, diabetes, epilepsy or any mental disorder are most at risk of negative effects.
• Can cause a toxic interaction when mixed with other drugs, including prescription medications such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors and ritonavir -- a drug used to treat HIV.
• Although it may not cause physical dependence, tolerance builds up quickly, making it increasingly difficult to get desired effects.
• Prolonged use may interfere with the release of serotonin, the "feel-good" hormone.

Telltale signs of use
• Stays up all night
• Extremely talkative and energetic
• Sleeps for days after "coming down"
• Irritable, paranoid, confused, depressed

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