Does ecstasy make the immune system happy?
The popular recreational drug ecstasy — or more simply “E” — causes users to experience feelings of bliss. Although ecstasy is perceived by users as safe, this drug does have a dark side. There have been worrying reports of long-term memory problems among some former ecstasy users. More recently, researchers in the European Union have been studying the impact of ecstasy on the immune systems of mice and people and have found some troubling data. Study details Researchers enrolled 17 healthy male subjects for a series of short, placebo-controlled studies of ecstasy. Subjects received 100 mg ecstasy once or twice over a period of 24 hours. Blood samples were collected before, during and after the study. Results – a single dose The researchers found that a single dose of ecstasy (100 mg) taken by mouth caused a dramatic fall in the level of immune system cells called T cells, which are needed to help fight infections. The number of a specific group of T cells, called CD4+ cells, decreased
