Do drugs destroy brain cells?
The only two drugs for which there is solid evidence are ecstasy and alcohol. Alcohol destroys brain cells (“neurotoxicity”) only in large, prolonged doses. But with ecstasy (MDMA), the ends of the serotonin nerve cells are simply gone (as seen in animal studies). Not only is the serotonin, gone, but all the other cell components of the nerve terminal have disappeared. Small doses of MDMA apparently produce little or no damage, moderate doses produce damage but some of the serotonin system is still functional, and large doses can completely destroy the nerve terminals.
