What are the long-term effects of ecstasy use?
Many problems users encounter with Ecstasy are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine. Ecstasy’s chemical cousin, MDA, destroys cells that produce serotonin in the brain. These cells play a direct roll in regulating aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain. Methamphetamine, also similar to Ecstasy, damages brain cells that produce dopamine. Scientists have now shown that ecstasy not only makes the brain’s nerve branches and endings degenerate, but also makes them “re-grow abnormally – failing to reconnect with some brain areas and connecting elsewhere with the wrong areas. These reconnections may be permanent, resulting in cognitive impairments, changes in emotion, learning, memory, or hormone-like chemical abnormalities. If you would like to speak to a professional counselor please call the Freehold Community Counseling Service at (732)409-6260. This material used was borrowed from http://www.addictiontreatmentcenter.com and http://www
