Major UK study examines the long-term effects of Ecstasy use

02:04 February 13, 2009 PST

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Ecstasy use is widespread in the dance music scene worldwide.

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No evidence for any effect on the dopamine system has been found - this distinguishes MDMA from other stimulants such as methylamphetamine and cocaine

One study found that 'very heavy' users who had consumed more than 700 tablets of MDMA showed changes in brain metabolism at the frontal cortex

Over 100 studies have found a small but consistent negative effect of MDMA on cognitive and psychomotor function. The effect was statistically significant but users still remained well within the 'normal' range. These effects appear to be permanent, as former users without recent exposure to the drug showed performance deficits that matched or exceeded those seen in current users. Self-rated measures of performance showed bigger negative effects, indicating a degree of self-concern in the users

The combination of available evidence shows that MDMA use is correlated with a small but significant increase in levels of clinical depression

There is little evidence for long-term physical dependence on MDMA, although there are some commonly experienced withdrawal effects in the form of depression. A small number of users develop compulsive MDMA usage habits

Ecstasy use appears to have few negative societal effects - users tend to be employed and finance their drug use with their incomes rather than through crime. Users rarely exhibit violent or risky behaviours. On the other hand, it has been widely recognised as a 'gateway drug' and its use often exposes newcomers to a variety of other illicit drugs

For more information on how Ecstasy works, please see this slideshow from

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User Comments (2)

Good to hear a fair and balanced informational news report. I have tried ecstacy, but I normally abstain from drug use. It's good to know that my experimentation will not haunt me as much as I feared it would. The propaganda out there is really something else. Thank you.

Alex Ihlo

- February 16, 2009 @ 07:02 am PST

I thank the author for all the effort he or she put to take the time and go through all that research to perfect this article. I learned a lot about E that I never did before through this very organized article. Though I never tried E, but as a chemical substance, I don't think it should be "downgraded lawfully" to class B drugs, even after the results of what the studies proved. Personally, I think it should stay the same...Marijuana, on the other hand, should be re-classified to be lawful. LOL. :P

Thanks again for a great and useful article.

Domminic

- February 16, 2009 @ 02:02 pm PST