MDMA, commonly called ecstasy, was developed more than 80 years ago, but only in the past decade has it gained notoriety as the party drug of choice among young adults. Popularity of the drug among this group has been skyrocketing, with increasingly devastating effects on the mental and physical health of its users as well as on their family lives. As usage of ecstasy grows it also places a growing burden on the health care, law enforcement and criminal justice systems.

MDMA, which stands for methylenedioxymethamphetamine, produces behavioral effects and toxicity similar to methamphetamine, according to medical experts. Ecstasy, like mescaline, can cause mild auditory and visual hallucinations mimicking natural occurring psychosis, as well as stimulant effects similar to amphetamine. An ecstasy-induced high is called "rolling," and typically lasts 3-5 hours.

Contrary to widespread belief among users that it's relatively safe and non-addictive, ecstasy poses serious health risk for its users. Indeed, some of ecstasy's short-term side effects can be fatal. Users have died from heart attacks, dehydration and hypothermia and seizures. But in many respects the drug's greater dangers are its more subtle and longer-term effects which include brain damage. Moreover, higher dosages of the drug can produce dependence as with methamphetamine. It was banned in the United States in 1985 and is classified as a schedule I drug.

Usage Skyrocketing

Ecstasy has become especially popular among young adults in their late teens and mid-20s involved in the club/dance and rave scene. Between 1993 and 1998, ecstasy use rose 500 percent, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. In a 1999 survey of high school students conducted by the University of Michigan and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found eight percent of 12th-graders experimented with Ecstasy, while six percent of 10th-graders and nearly three percent of 8th-graders have tried ecstasy. A University of Florida study found that in 1991, only two percent of UF students reported using ecstasy within the previous 30 days. By 1999, that number more than doubled to 4.3 percent.

Psychologists, users and others familiar with the drug say its undeserved reputation for safety and relatively low price make it attractive for first-time users. Because of ecstasy's wide acceptance the "cool" drug by clubbers, peer pressure also plays a major role in enticing young people to try it. The euphoric feeling ecstasy can produce a strong dependence on the drug.

Ecstasy, also known as E, generally is used 100-200 milligram tablets that sell for $20 to $30 a tablet. Typically, tablets are light brown or greenish in color and bear stamped images, often of pop culture icons such as Popeye, Superman and Gorbys. Ecstasy also can be snorted, smoked or injected intravenously.

Perhaps the most problematic aspect of ecstasy is its unpredictability. Unlike some drugs, dosage does not appear to correlate consistently with the severity of symptoms or medical reactions. A dose that produces a mild high in one person may kill another.

"Cocktailing" Commonplace

"Cocktailing," combining ecstasy with other drugs such as GHB and ketamine, has become common practice at parties. Depressants such as GHB (gamma hydroxybutryrate), alcohol, marijuana or even heroin often are used to counteract the affects of ecstasy, a stimulant. A group of five California teenagers killed when their car plunged off a cliff after they left an all-night rave in the Angeles National Forest were found to have traces of ecstasy and other rave drugs in their blood.

MDMA is a psychoactive chemical with molecular similarities to amphetamine and mescaline, a psychedelic compound derived from the peyote cactus. Researchers for Merck Pharmaceuticals were looking for an appetite suppressant when they first synthesized the drug in 1914. Scientists began experimenting with MDMA for use in psychotherapy in the early 1970s, and the drug eventually joined LSD and mescaline as part of the psychedelic drug scene. In the 1980s, ecstasy moved into the youth drug/club culture. Its popularity increased gradually until its use began skyrocketing within the past five years.

Ecstasy generally increases feelings of restlessness and anxiety and decreases the ability and desire to perform mental or physical tasks. It can decrease libido and sexual function, leading some users to combine it with the use of Viagra. Ecstasy reduces serotonin levels in the brain, and researchers have found that - over time and in sufficient doses - it can cause long-lasting brain abnormalities and make users more prone to depression.

Ecstasy also can cause serious and sometimes fatal medical problems ranging from damaged teeth to dangerously elevated body temperature. The Reuters news agency reported in August 2000 that a 19-year-old woman had a temperature of 104 degrees five hours after she died.