Researchers in Australia wanted to learn exactly how ecstasy affected the brain of people who used the drug. The researchers learned that the ecstasy pills often found at raves and house parties contained a variety of other drugs, posing a health danger to the users.
"What's concerning is that most studies looking at toxicity in people or animals look at a single drug," said Dr. Thomas Newton, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "We have no idea what happens when you start mixing like this."
For the study, the researchers collected a sample of the pills that 56 participants took at house parties. The researchers then measured the levels of MDMA in the users' blood every hour for five hours after using the drug. In some people, the researchers learned that the amount of MDMA was high enough to cause injury or death in primates.
What was particularly unsettling was that the researchers found only half of pills had just MDMA. The other half of the pills contained methamphetamine or chemicals similar to MDMA. Some of the pills had no MDMA.
"This highlights a significant public health concern, particularly regarding the existence of pills containing more than 200 mg of MDMA," wrote the study authors.
Ecstasy use can cause problems with heart rhythms, regulation of body temperature, and brain damage. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, seven of every 100 high school seniors admit to trying ecstasy at least once.
