Transcript Ecstasy and Consciousness

Ecstasy and
Consciousness
How taking a drug can alter your look
on life
Introduction - Jocelyn
Physiology (How it works) - Robin
Acute response – Kristen
Long term effects – Quinn
Ecstasy and Society – Jocelyn
Conclusion – Jocelyn
What is consciousness?
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Consciousness: a state of awareness; the totality
of impressions, thoughts, and feelings
Drugs act on the chemicals in the brain
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By altering or mimicking neurotransmitters,
psychoactive drugs can substantially change how we
feel
Ecstasy Pharmacokinetics &
Pharmacodymanics
Pharmacokinetics
General Effects:
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Combination of stimulant effects, mild
hallucinogen-like effects, plus more unique
emotional effects
Dosage: 80 - 150 mg. (500 mg fatal)
Duration: 4 - 6 hours
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Absorption:
-Primarily oral
administration (pill form)
-Onset of clinical effect is
15 to 30 minutes
-Peak effects occur at ~ 1
to 2 hours
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Biotransformation:
 65% of the drug is cleared
in the urine as the parent drug
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Elimination:
 Elimination half-life is reported to be 3 to 7
hours
 In the abuse setting (i.e. at Raves) patients
frequently may take a second "booster dose" after
about 3 to 4 hours, as some of the hallucinogenic
effects begin to "wear off".
Pharmacodynamics:
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MDMA is an indirect agonist for Serotonin (5-HT)
& for Dopamine (DA) and Norepinephrine (NE) to
a lesser degree.
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MDMA has a high affinity for 5-HT 2 receptors
Ecstasy elicits amphetamine-like effects
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Mechanism:
The primary mechanism of
action of MDMA is a potent
release of brain serotonin as
well as inhibition of
serotonin reuptake
 MDMA uses a unique
mechanism which causes a
rapid and profound acute
depletion of serotonin within
3 to 6 hours
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Acute effects of Ecstasy
and
personal experiences
“The Love Drug”
Changes individual state of
awareness or consciousness
for ~3-12 hours
 Increased sensory
perceptions
 General feeling of openness
 Increased empathogenesis
 Increased entactogenesis
all features are extensions of
normal reality
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Acute Effects
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Physiological effects
INCREASED
heart rate
 blood pressure
 body temperature
seen in other forms of alternate
states
of consciousness
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Common Situations for usage
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Personal experience
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small group setting
Spiritual expansion
Treatment of PTSD—
especially female rape
victims
Helps people deal with
diseases
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e.g. cancer
Personal Experiences
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One person said, “It takes away your fear response.
You feel open, clear, loving. I can’t imagine being
angry under its influence, or feeling selfish or mean
or even defensive. You have a lot of insights into
yourself, real insights, that stay with you after the
experience is over. It doesn’t give you anything that
isn’t already there. It is not a trip. You don’t lose
touch with the world. You could pick up the phone,
call your mother, and she’d never know.”
Personal Experiences (cont.)
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“With Ecstasy, I had simply stepped outside the
worn paths in my brain and in the process, gained
some perspective on my life.”
“Ecstasy nudges you to think, very deeply, about
one thing at a time.”
“Ecstasy creates not just a rush but a singular kind
of emotional elevation—you are launched on a
hot-air balloon ride that floats over the pitfalls of
typical humanity.”
Long Term Effects
Physiological effects first . . .
• Long term neurotoxic effects
• Depletion of serotonin in central
serotonergic pathways
-Specifically, neurotoxic lesions
Physiological effects first . . .
•High levels of serotonin release in long-term use
seem to exhaust neurons involved with it
•Neuro-imaging studies show a subsequent loss in
serotonin transporters
•Subsequent death of involved nerve endings
Physiological effects first . . .
Important to add that long-term effects are still
unclear.
•Some scientists even state these long term
effects are imaginary
•Are brain imaging results iatrogenic?
•Doctors discuss a cause-and-effect relationship as
if it were fact
Psychological effects as they relate to
consciousness . . .
How do serotonergic effects manifest themselves in
behavior?
Learning and Memory:
•immediate and delayed recall tasks
Psychological effects as they relate to
consciousness . . .
Beyond selective impairment in episodic memory,
working memory, and attention . . .
Associated with:
•Sleep disorders
•Depressed mood
•Persistent elevation of anxiety
•Impulsiveness
•Hostility
Psychological effects as they relate to
consciousness . . .
Possible reasons for these other
alterations in consciousness:
•PET results also show alterations in metabolic uptake
within amygdala, hippocampus, and Brodmann’s II area.
•keep in mind all of the implications on consciousness
associated with these areas
Psychological effects as they relate to
consciousness . . .
•Sleep disorders : Anxiety?
•Depressed mood: Serotonin? Or is it elevated FDG in
Amygdala?
•Persistent elevation of anxiety: related again to serotonin
and SSRI anti-depressants?
•Impulsiveness: reduced level of serotonergic function?
•Hostility: Amygdala FDG levels?
Ecstasy and Society
Can a drug change society’s
consciousness?
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Marijuana – 1960’s
Cocaine – 1980’s
Ecstasy – 1990’s
Perspectives Change
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The most obvious users are young
 Looking for fun, new experiences
 Aware of, but not so worried about risks
and consequences
Older people get scared
 Skepticism and misunderstanding
 How safe are these drugs, anyway?
 Everything’s addictive
“The Media Effect”
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Major publicity and media frenzy
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More harmful than helpful?
“He who uses ecstasy destroys himself and dies.”
- Corriere di Romagna, Italy, October 19, 1996
Ecstasy: The Truth About the Enemy Behind the Mask
- “No to drugs, Yes to life” website
Fighting the `ecstasy' epidemic
- San Diego Union Tribune
Ecstasy Rising
- ABC News
Conclusions
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Ecstasy changes brain chemistry  subjective
experience is altered
Ecstasy may cause long lasting brain
reorganization  a permanently altered state of
consciousness (?)
Wide cultural impact despite fairly limited use 
collective consciousness changes as a product of
the media attention and publicity
References
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Klam, Matthew. "Experiencing Ecstasy." The New York Times Magazine 05 June 2001: 38-49.
Kuhn, Cynthia , Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Buzzed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003.
74-82.
Morgan, MJ. "Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of its possible persistent psychological effects."
Psychopharmocology. 2000, October < http://mdma.net/longterm/ > Obrocki, J et al. "Ecstasy--long-term
effects on the human central nervous system revealed by positron emission tomography" The British Journal
of Psychiatry. Germany, 1999. < http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/175/2/186 > Reaney, Patricia.
"Scientists Say Long-Term Effects of Ecstasy Unclear." Reuter's News Service.London: Sept, 2002. <
http://www.maps.org/media/reaney9.2.02.html >
www.ecstasy.org
www.projectghb.org/ecstasy.htm
www.clubdrugs.org
Wallace, Benjamin, Leslie E. Fisher. Consciousness and Behavior. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc.,
2003.
Memory deficit and reduced anxiety in young adult rats given repeated intermittent MDMA treatment during
the periadolescent period. Piper, Brian J; Meyer, Jerrold S, Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior. Vol 79(4),
Dec 2004, pp. 723-731
“Ecstasy” or MDMA. http://www.krpc.com/proffed/mdma%5Cmdma.cfm
Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheet : Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy)
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/job185drugs/methylenedioxymetham phetamine.htm