Some ecstasy users are using a variety of pharmaceutical drugs to increase the effect of ecstasy or to combat the negative effects of the drug a new study released today has found. The results suggest that some of these combinations are potentially lethal and could result in 'serotonin syndrome'.
About 25 per cent of a sample of ecstasy users had deliberately taken a pharmaceutical substance to increase the euphoric effects of, or recovery from, ecstasy use. Viagra and benzodiazepines were the most commonly used pharmaceutical substances, the former almost always used for sexual purposes and the latter for their calming properties. Anti-depressant medications were also commonly used by this sub-group of people, as many of those interviewed believed that they were beneficial in increasing the strength of the ecstasy 'high' and/or in assisting with the 'comedown' period.
The survey conducted by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing interviewed 216 ecstasy users, the majority of whom were from the Sydney metropolitan area.
Those who reported using pharmaceuticals were significantly more likely to be male, had more reported years of use and were more likely to have injected ecstasy and related drugs.
The mixing of ecstasy with other drugs that act on serotonin is a topic that urgently needs addressing explained Mr Paul Dillon, one of the investigators of the study. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is released when ecstasy is taken. The functions of serotonin are numerous and appear to involve control of appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, mood, behavior (including sexual behavior), cardiovascular function, muscle contraction, and depression. Many other substances, most particularly antidepressants, also act on serotonin.