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Ecstasy and Consciousness How taking a drug can alter your look on life Introduction - Jocelyn Physiology (How it works) - Robin Acute response – Kristen Long term effects – Quinn Ecstasy and Society – Jocelyn Conclusion – Jocelyn What is consciousness? Consciousness: a state of awareness; the totality of impressions, thoughts, and feelings Drugs act on the chemicals in the brain By altering or mimicking neurotransmitters, psychoactive drugs can substantially change how we feel Ecstasy Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodymanics Pharmacokinetics General Effects: Combination of stimulant effects, mild hallucinogen-like effects, plus more unique emotional effects Dosage: 80 - 150 mg. (500 mg fatal) Duration: 4 - 6 hours Absorption: -Primarily oral administration (pill form) -Onset of clinical effect is 15 to 30 minutes -Peak effects occur at ~ 1 to 2 hours Biotransformation: 65% of the drug is cleared in the urine as the parent drug Elimination: Elimination half-life is reported to be 3 to 7 hours In the abuse setting (i.e. at Raves) patients frequently may take a second "booster dose" after about 3 to 4 hours, as some of the hallucinogenic effects begin to "wear off". Pharmacodynamics: MDMA is an indirect agonist for Serotonin (5-HT) & for Dopamine (DA) and Norepinephrine (NE) to a lesser degree. MDMA has a high affinity for 5-HT 2 receptors Ecstasy elicits amphetamine-like effects Mechanism: The primary mechanism of action of MDMA is a potent release of brain serotonin as well as inhibition of serotonin reuptake MDMA uses a unique mechanism which causes a rapid and profound acute depletion of serotonin within 3 to 6 hours Acute effects of Ecstasy and personal experiences “The Love Drug” Changes individual state of awareness or consciousness for ~3-12 hours Increased sensory perceptions General feeling of openness Increased empathogenesis Increased entactogenesis all features are extensions of normal reality Acute Effects Physiological effects INCREASED heart rate blood pressure body temperature seen in other forms of alternate states of consciousness Common Situations for usage Personal experience small group setting Spiritual expansion Treatment of PTSD— especially female rape victims Helps people deal with diseases e.g. cancer Personal Experiences One person said, “It takes away your fear response. You feel open, clear, loving. I can’t imagine being angry under its influence, or feeling selfish or mean or even defensive. You have a lot of insights into yourself, real insights, that stay with you after the experience is over. It doesn’t give you anything that isn’t already there. It is not a trip. You don’t lose touch with the world. You could pick up the phone, call your mother, and she’d never know.” Personal Experiences (cont.) “With Ecstasy, I had simply stepped outside the worn paths in my brain and in the process, gained some perspective on my life.” “Ecstasy nudges you to think, very deeply, about one thing at a time.” “Ecstasy creates not just a rush but a singular kind of emotional elevation—you are launched on a hot-air balloon ride that floats over the pitfalls of typical humanity.” Long Term Effects Physiological effects first . . . • Long term neurotoxic effects • Depletion of serotonin in central serotonergic pathways -Specifically, neurotoxic lesions Physiological effects first . . . •High levels of serotonin release in long-term use seem to exhaust neurons involved with it •Neuro-imaging studies show a subsequent loss in serotonin transporters •Subsequent death of involved nerve endings Physiological effects first . . . Important to add that long-term effects are still unclear. •Some scientists even state these long term effects are imaginary •Are brain imaging results iatrogenic? •Doctors discuss a cause-and-effect relationship as if it were fact Psychological effects as they relate to consciousness . . . How do serotonergic effects manifest themselves in behavior? Learning and Memory: •immediate and delayed recall tasks Psychological effects as they relate to consciousness . . . Beyond selective impairment in episodic memory, working memory, and attention . . . Associated with: •Sleep disorders •Depressed mood •Persistent elevation of anxiety •Impulsiveness •Hostility Psychological effects as they relate to consciousness . . . Possible reasons for these other alterations in consciousness: •PET results also show alterations in metabolic uptake within amygdala, hippocampus, and Brodmann’s II area. •keep in mind all of the implications on consciousness associated with these areas Psychological effects as they relate to consciousness . . . •Sleep disorders : Anxiety? •Depressed mood: Serotonin? Or is it elevated FDG in Amygdala? •Persistent elevation of anxiety: related again to serotonin and SSRI anti-depressants? •Impulsiveness: reduced level of serotonergic function? •Hostility: Amygdala FDG levels? Ecstasy and Society Can a drug change society’s consciousness? Marijuana – 1960’s Cocaine – 1980’s Ecstasy – 1990’s Perspectives Change The most obvious users are young Looking for fun, new experiences Aware of, but not so worried about risks and consequences Older people get scared Skepticism and misunderstanding How safe are these drugs, anyway? Everything’s addictive “The Media Effect” Major publicity and media frenzy More harmful than helpful? “He who uses ecstasy destroys himself and dies.” - Corriere di Romagna, Italy, October 19, 1996 Ecstasy: The Truth About the Enemy Behind the Mask - “No to drugs, Yes to life” website Fighting the `ecstasy' epidemic - San Diego Union Tribune Ecstasy Rising - ABC News Conclusions Ecstasy changes brain chemistry subjective experience is altered Ecstasy may cause long lasting brain reorganization a permanently altered state of consciousness (?) Wide cultural impact despite fairly limited use collective consciousness changes as a product of the media attention and publicity References Klam, Matthew. "Experiencing Ecstasy." The New York Times Magazine 05 June 2001: 38-49. Kuhn, Cynthia , Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Buzzed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 74-82. Morgan, MJ. "Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of its possible persistent psychological effects." Psychopharmocology. 2000, October < http://mdma.net/longterm/ > Obrocki, J et al. "Ecstasy--long-term effects on the human central nervous system revealed by positron emission tomography" The British Journal of Psychiatry. Germany, 1999. < http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/175/2/186 > Reaney, Patricia. "Scientists Say Long-Term Effects of Ecstasy Unclear." Reuter's News Service.London: Sept, 2002. < http://www.maps.org/media/reaney9.2.02.html > www.ecstasy.org www.projectghb.org/ecstasy.htm www.clubdrugs.org Wallace, Benjamin, Leslie E. Fisher. Consciousness and Behavior. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc., 2003. Memory deficit and reduced anxiety in young adult rats given repeated intermittent MDMA treatment during the periadolescent period. Piper, Brian J; Meyer, Jerrold S, Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior. Vol 79(4), Dec 2004, pp. 723-731 “Ecstasy” or MDMA. http://www.krpc.com/proffed/mdma%5Cmdma.cfm Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheet : Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/job185drugs/methylenedioxymetham phetamine.htm