If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
Small ecstasy use 'harms brain'
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Even small amounts of the illegal drug ecstasy can be harmful to the brains of first time users, researchers say.
The University of Amsterdam team took brain scans and carried out memory tests on 188 people with no history of ecstasy use but at risk in the future.
They repeated the tests 18 months later, and found for the 59 people who had used ecstasy there was evidence of decreased blood flow and memory loss.
Long-term ecstasy use is already known to be harmful.
The class A drug is used by about 500,000 people in the UK, mostly on the club scene.
We know long-term use has a lasting impact so it makes sense that damage starts as soon as someone starts to use the drug
Dr Fabrizio Schifano, of the University of Hertfordshire
Lead researcher Maartje de Win said: "We do not know if these effects are transient or permanent.
"Therefore, we cannot conclude that ecstasy, even in small doses, is safe for the brain, and people should be informed of this risk."
Research has shown that long-term or heavy ecstasy use can damage neurons and cause depression, anxiety, confusion, difficulty sleeping and decrease memory.
However, no previous studies have looked at the side-effects of low doses of the drug on first time users.
The study, presented to the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, said there was no evidence of damage to the neurons or alteration to mood and it was unclear whether the effect of early use of the drug was permanent.
Blood provides the brain with energy, and decreased flow can lead to memory loss and attention problems.
Of the people who were tested who had taken ecstasy, the average use was six tablets.
Dr Fabrizio Schifano, professor of pharmacology at the University of Hertfordshire, said it was clear that early use of the drug did have some effect, but what there was not a consensus on was how long that would last.
He said: "We know long-term use has a lasting impact, so it makes sense that damage starts as soon as someone starts to use the drug.
"But we cannot say exactly how much damage is sustained at the start and need more research to be categorical about this."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6190538.stm
The University of Amsterdam team took brain scans and carried out memory tests on 188 people with no history of ecstasy use but at risk in the future.
They repeated the tests 18 months later, and found for the 59 people who had used ecstasy there was evidence of decreased blood flow and memory loss.
Long-term ecstasy use is already known to be harmful.
The class A drug is used by about 500,000 people in the UK, mostly on the club scene.
We know long-term use has a lasting impact so it makes sense that damage starts as soon as someone starts to use the drug
Dr Fabrizio Schifano, of the University of Hertfordshire
Lead researcher Maartje de Win said: "We do not know if these effects are transient or permanent.
"Therefore, we cannot conclude that ecstasy, even in small doses, is safe for the brain, and people should be informed of this risk."
Research has shown that long-term or heavy ecstasy use can damage neurons and cause depression, anxiety, confusion, difficulty sleeping and decrease memory.
However, no previous studies have looked at the side-effects of low doses of the drug on first time users.
The study, presented to the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, said there was no evidence of damage to the neurons or alteration to mood and it was unclear whether the effect of early use of the drug was permanent.
Blood provides the brain with energy, and decreased flow can lead to memory loss and attention problems.
Of the people who were tested who had taken ecstasy, the average use was six tablets.
Dr Fabrizio Schifano, professor of pharmacology at the University of Hertfordshire, said it was clear that early use of the drug did have some effect, but what there was not a consensus on was how long that would last.
He said: "We know long-term use has a lasting impact, so it makes sense that damage starts as soon as someone starts to use the drug.
"But we cannot say exactly how much damage is sustained at the start and need more research to be categorical about this."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6190538.stm
0
Comments
There's no escape for any of our brains, so fuck it, let's all go and get mashed...
Is it? To whom? This baseless statement nicely show's up the BBC reporting of drugs. The evidence is mixed to say the least.
Ask any scientist to say absolutely anything is 'safe' and they will tell you its impossible.
Well, sort of, that is certainly what appears to happen, though why it happens to some and not others and how much it is the MDMA is up for debate.
I'd be interested to look at the actual study to see the specifics like the criterion for the sample and the significance of the results etc. Surely there are so many other factors that can affect blood flow to areas of the brain, I just don't understand how they could single it out to be the effect of ecstacy.
how many times have we heard similar?!!! ...
Tells you something about either the scientists or progressing technology...
I feel like this is just some slanted lab work to give ecstasy a bad name. They do this with every drug. It's like an "acid burning holes in your brain" theory. It is just in response to the massive use of MDMA.
I know around here, a lot of the times pills aren't even amphetamines, and alot aren't vasoconstrictive.
But bloodflow in the brain is so dependent on alot of things. They only tested these people twice, and they only tested a few people. This is hardly enough evidence to come to conclusions with.