What is certain is that taking MDMA can prove fatal. A few people are particularly chemically sensitive to the drug and just one dose may be enough to kill them. Some of those who have suffered liver failure have required liver transplants, but the transplants have not always been successful. Other fatalities associated with MDMA have been due to an overdose, the signs of which include vomiting, dizziness, head pains and strong muscle cramps. The most common cause of MDMA-related death, however, is due to the drug inducing a rise in body temperature to the point of hyperthermia (overheating). The potential danger of hyperthermia is all the greater for clubbers. Part of the drug's appeal to clubbers is that the paradoxical relaxation effect, the unawareness ingredient, allows them to dance for a long time without feeling tired. But in doing so they are pushing their body temperatures up further. The loss of body fluids through sweating and the often crowded, perhaps airless environment are factors, too. The result can be extreme heatstroke. To add another possible problem to the pile, the paradoxical relaxation effect also means that most of those in danger of overheating don't even realise it. In the same way that their legs don't seem to feel tired, they're oblivious to the normal warning signs that their temperature is soaring and their pulse is racing. Some of those who have died of MDMA-induced hyperthermia have registered body temperatures as high as 43 degrees C (almost 110 degrees F). Normal body temperature is 37 degrees C (98.6 degrees F). As the body starts to overheat, small clots form in the bloodstream, leading to a condition called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). The clots cause a depletion of the blood's essential coagulation agent, which is normally used to stem internal bleeding from the hundreds of tiny cuts constantly present in body and brain tissue due to damage caused in the day-to-day running of the body. A depletion of coagulation agent can be extremely dangerous. If bleeding occurs in the brain, for example, it can lead to a stroke. It's also possible to bleed to death. What's more, this whole process can occur in just a few hours. Clubbers taking MDMA should replace body fluids lost through dehydration by drinking plenty of water. One pint every hour or so is a common guide, but it's better to sip small amounts regularly rather than gulp down a huge volume in one go. Be aware that you don't need to drink so much if you're not dancing and that drinking an excessive amount can lead to acute water intoxication, which can itself be fatal. Water is not an antidote to MDMA, it just helps combat dehydration and overheating, and a large intake can produce an imbalance in body fluids, including a dilution of the salt in the blood. Salt holds water in the blood system and, with a reduced level, water is lost into the surrounding body tissue. The tissue then swells. The brain is unable to swell, though, because of the skull. In some cases, the result is a dangerous compression of the brain. With this in mind, isotonic sports drinks are also recommended as they help to replace lost body salts. Alcohol, however, is best avoided because it can cause further dehydration. Other advice is to take regular breaks away from the dancefloor (every 30 minutes, say) and wear light, loose clothes. Even if you own the funkiest woolly hat in history, it's perhaps best to stuff it in your pocket - you give out more heat at the extremities of the body. Keep in contact with your friends and tell them if you start feeling unwell or even just uneasy. And don't mix MDMA with other drugs. A fair few of the deaths associated with MDMA have involved another substance. New users should also consider taking half rather than a whole pill. Almost all doctors would advise anybody with heart, liver, kidney or blood circulation problems to stay away from MDMA. The same goes for those suffering from hypertension, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes or glaucoma, anybody who is prone to panic attacks and anybody with a history of mental illness. Taking MDMA while on certain anti-depressants can also be dangerous. This is especially so of anti-depressants which are MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), as the combination invites the risk of fatal hypertensive crisis. Combining MDMA and anti-AIDS drugs which are protease inhibitors is another potentially deadly mix. Popping a pill isn't a very clever idea if you're pregnant, either. Anybody not wanting to break the law should also stay away from MDMA. The manufacturing, trafficking and possession of the drug are outlawed pretty much worldwide. It is a Class A substance in the UK and Schedule I in the US, these categories being the most restrictive in their respective countries. In the UK, the maximum sentence for possession of a Class A substance is seven years in prison and an unlimited fine. The maximum sentence for trafficking is life in prison and an unlimited fine. Other Class A drugs include heroin, acid, cocaine and speed which has been prepared for injection. MDMA is not addictive in the same way as, say, heroin. There are no heroin-type physical withdrawal symptoms. There have, however, been cases of users becoming dependent on the drug. But while it's perhaps only human nature that people often want to relive the good times they've had on MDMA by taking it again, frequent use results in a significant decrease in the loved-up 'ecstasy feeling' and an increase in the amphetamine-like effects. This is probably why most people who take MDMA say their first experiences were more enjoyable than later ones. It may also be why some users complain about the purity of ecstasy even during those times when police analyses indicate that a lot of unadulterated MDMA pills are in circulation. The reason for the drug becoming less effective with continued use isn't clear. Some suggest it could be psychological, it could be that the novelty simply wears off. Others say it's physical, it's because of changes to the neurons in the brain caused by use of MDMA itself. One theory is that it's a result of some kind of unconscious self-defence mechanism acting to curb excessive use by depriving the drug of its more attractive features. The lack of certain knowledge in so many areas is further complicated by the endless misconceptions surrounding MDMA. The one about it being a designer drug, for instance. A common misunderstanding is that this means it's chic and expensive. Another is that designer drugs are modelled to produce a particular set of effects - yet this could be said of any synthetic or part-synthetic drug. The original American definition of the term was a drug which has undergone molecular modifications to change its status from illegal to legal while retaining the psychoactive properties of the original compound. A chemical remix, if you like. Under this definition, then, no illegal drug can be considered as a designer drug. The confusion over the term in Britain is perhaps understandable given that the very practice of 'drug design' has long been effectively prohibited under UK law, which bans whole families of drugs rather than dealing with them one at a time. There are countless myths about MDMA, too, including that it is an aphrodisiac. The earliest media reports on the drug said this was why ecstasy was popular with young people. But the bond felt with others is more fraternal than sexual, more of a warm glow than a raging fire. Although MDMA makes people more sociable and the enhancement of touch, taste and smell can give the sex act a few fresh twists, there's nothing to suggest users get their bells rung louder or more often than others. The reverse may actually be true, as a proportion of men experience erection problems with the drug - as much as 40 per cent according to some sources. Some men also find the size of their penis is sometimes reduced when on MDMA. Shrivelled willies are common among male speed freaks, so this effect could just be down to amphetamine-heavy tablets. © 2000 Omnibus Press. "the book of E - all about ecstasy" is written by Push and Mireille Silcott and published by www.omnibuspress.com complete story here http://www.urban75.com/Drugs/e_guide.html

i have been a user of ecstasy and i have found lots of different side effects like unwanted body movements, memory loss, asthma has got worse, and i now get really bad hangovers due to the ecstasy dammaging my liver so my liver isnt too clever either everyone gets different long term effects think i have the worse ones! so stop now before its too late xx