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Short and Long Term Effects

This drug affects your brain and body in bad ways and makes you an unsafe driver.

Driving

Ecstasy causes blurred vision and distorts perception, including judging distance. It gives you a false sense of confidence and energy, which may lead you to take risks, such as aggressive driving, and not be able to make quick decisions. After taking ecstasy at a party, you can be exhausted and dehydrated, causing you to be sleepy and less attentive, which can lead to a car crash if you drive. Also, driving before or after taking ecstasy is dangerous because you don�t know when its effects will happen or when they will leave.

Short-Term Effects

  • Gives you energy
  • Distorts time and perception
  • Increases enjoyment from touching
  • Inability to regulate temperature
  • Sharp increase in body temperature, hyperthermia, heatstroke
  • Liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system failure
  • Perceptual changes, anxiety, jaw-clenching, dry mouth, and appetite changes
  • Blood pressure increases
  • Headaches
  • Chills
  • Eye-twitching
  • Blurred vision
  • Nausea
  • Dehydration
  • Muscle tension
  • Severe sweating
  • Faintness
  • Seizures
  • Day-after depression
  • Death

Note: Heatstroke (hyperthermia) is the primary cause of death from ecstasy. Taking ecstasy with in combination with other drugs, such as alcohol, can increase the risk.

Long-Term Effects

  • Dramatic increase in heart rate, leading to serious complications for people with cardiovascular disease.
  • Dehydration can lead to liver and kidney failure.
  • Disturbing emotional reactions, confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, and heart palpitations. Symptoms last a long time after taking the drug.
  • Depletes the amount of serotonin in the brain and blocks uptake of serotonin.
  • Toxic to the brain.
  • Impairs memory.
  • Brain damage is directly related to amount and frequency of usage.