Ecstasy Extremely Dangerous to Healthy Youths

Recent research for the UK suggests that club drugs like ecstasy pose great risks even for otherwise healthy teens.

One of the reasons that “club drugs” like ecstasy have become so popular with teens is because of the perception that they are not dangerous. Teens believe that club drugs do not carry the same risks as “hard drugs” such as cocaine or heroin and therefore are more comfortable experimenting with it. They simply do not believe that dropping some ecstasy before a dance party will cause them to have a drug addiction.

However, club drugs are some of the most addicting and dangerous drugs available for teens today. Many teens in drug and alcohol rehab are either dealing with addiction to club drugs or started using these illicit substances before moving on to other drugs. And a new study from the United Kingdom suggests that teens are placing themselves in great risk by continuing to take club drugs.

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire studied deaths related to stimulants in Britain from 1997 to 2007. The results showed that people who died after taking ecstasy were generally younger and healthier than people who died after taking other stimulants such as speed and crystal meth. The findings suggest that all teens could benefit from a rehab program if they use club drugs and not just those who use regularly or have already seen serious effects to their health.

According to the study published in the journal Neuropsychobiology, ecstasy deaths were more common in “victims who were young, healthy, and less likely to be known as drug users” who were already or previously in drug treatment. The results suggest that young people “seem to suffer extreme consequences after excessive intake of ecstasy” — increasing the need for them to get addiction treatment if they use club drugs like ecstasy on a regular basis.

Lead researcher Fabrizio Schifano told Reuters Health that the reasons why ecstasy is unclear, although it appears to show an intrinsic toxicity that is higher than that of amphetamines.” One suggestion is that the brains of young people, which are still developing, might be more vulnerable to the effects of the drug. Other studies have recently shown that drug addiction can be stronger and the chances of relapse greater after drug rehab for this very reason.