ecstasy - California State University

ECSTASY
The THIZZ Epidemic
Teen Use of Ecstasy and Related Mimic
Drugs
George Mageles, MA
Community Resources Coordinator
West Valley College
Saratoga, California
2012 Alcohol and Other Drugs Educational Conference
MOST OF LIFE
B
L
A
C
K
Grey
W
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Message to Teens
“It’s not how you screw up,
it’s what you do after you screw up
that’s important, because everyone screws up.
So forgive yourself, learn from it, and move forward!
If you do that you will find balance in your life”
Let’s Talk
• Who am I?
• What is MDMA (Ecstasy)?
• The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
MDMA Use by Students
Monitoring the Future Survey, 2010
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
Lifetime**
3.3% [2.2](2.4)
6.4% [5.5](4.3)
7.3% [6.5%](6.2)
Past Year
2.4% [1.3] (1.7)
4.7% [3.7](2.9)
4.5% [4.3](4.3)
Past Month
1.1% [0.6](0.8)
1.9% [1.3](1.1)
1.4% [1.8](1.8)
( ) = 2008, [ ] = 2009
• With 150 students: Only 11 have ever
taken it.
Findings: Ever Use
100
90
80
Etoh
70
MJ
XTC
60
Cocaine
50
Rxion
40
Shrooms
30
Salvia
20
Nitrous
Meth
10
0
Ever Use:All Teen Respondents CFCS Survey 2010
Recent Raves in California
Pop 2010: The Dream
• Annual Electronic Festival, 13th year
• 16,500 teens and young adults attended
• Eleven young persons ages 17-25 were
admitted to Bay Area Hospitals
• A 23 year old and a 25 year old died from drug
OD
• Both lived in Santa Clara County
Evil 105 Subsonic
Halloween 2010 Spookfest
• Held at the Cow
Palace on 10/29/2010
• 12, 670 attended
• 16 taken to the ED for
OD’s
• 2 in critical condition
• 2 from San Jose died
The Evolution of an Epidemic
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
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MDMA
Ecstasy
E
X
Molly
XTC
Thizz
Thizzle
Thizz
Bay Area Rappers
• “Thizz” is a word coined by the late Mac Dre
• Wrote the Thizzelle Dance in 1993 but currently
well known by teens
• Mac Dre was murdered in 2004
• BAR transitioned from underground to
mainstream Hip Hop in 2005
• Apparently popular in Washington, Oregon,
California, parts of Texas and parts of Florida
MDMA
• First synthesized in 1912 by chemist
Anton KÖllisch for Merck Pharmaceuticals
• Looking for a compound to stop abnormal
bleeding and evade Bayer’s existing
patent.
Sassafras Tree
• KÖllisch took
Safrole (an oil
from the bark
and fruit of the
Sassafras Tree)
and MDMA was
the intermediate
compound
MDMA
• Merck patented it.
• It was essentially
forgotten for 65 years
• KÖllisch died 1916 as
a soldier in WW I.
MDMA
• Early 1970’s chemists started making it
after MDA was outlawed and military
experiments conducted in the ’50s were
declassified.
• Alexander Shulgin, a UC professor, found
out about the drug from his students
• They reported it even cured a student’s
stuttering.
MDMA
• In 1974 Shulgin
started making it.
• Called it his “Low
calorie Martini.”
• Gave it to his
friends and fellow
researchers.
MDMA
• Leo Zeff, a
psychologist, after
taking “Adam” or
“Empathy”, thought
it could be used in
psychotherapy -especially with
couples, to
improve intimate
communication.
MDMA
• In the early ’80s, as a
recreational drug, it
spread to trendy clubs
and gay dance clubs in
Dallas
• It then spread nationally
and was first coined
“Ecstasy” in California
• It was outlawed and
classified as a Schedule I
controlled substance on
May 31, 1985
Ecstasy
Ecstasy: Triple & Quad Stacks
Molly
Another Place For Info
Phenylpiperazines
• These drugs mimic the effects of MDMA
• They have psychoactive, stimulating, and
euphoric effects
Caveat emptor
Piperazine Derivatives Used to
Mimic MDMA
• Benzylpiperazine (BZP)
• Trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP)
• meta-Chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP)
Piperazine Side Effects
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Insomnia
Anxiety
Headaches
Nausea
Seizures
Migraine
Nasty hangover effects
like alcohol
• Above worsened when
you add alcohol
BTW
Questions?
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Have you been using cocaine?
Do you think you’re having a good time?
Do you have a sore throat?
Sudden fever?
Headache
Rash?
Vomiting?
Change in taste and smell
Weakness
Flu-like symptoms
Congratulations
Cocaine
Levamisole
• De-wormer for cattle, pigs, and sheep
• Kills ringworm in fresh water tropical fish
• Is currently found in 70-90% of all the
currently available cocaine.
• This drug leads to the medical condition:
Agranulocytosis (Dangerously lowers your
white blood cell count.)
DJ AM
Rip
Tested Positive
for Levamisole
and Cocaine
What’s Good About It?
MDMA is currently being studied in
the treatment of:
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Autism
Asperger’s Syndrome
Cancer and End-of-Life Anxiety
PTSD
Ecstasy: Ingestion
• By Mouth
• Snorting (nose)
• If Taken Orally
– First effects in 30 Minutes
– Peak effects in 1 ½ hours
– Total effects 6-8 Hours
• MDMA increases Serotonin, Norepinepherine, &
Dopamine in the brain
Ecstasy: Subjective Effects
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A general and subjective alteration in consciousness
A strong sense of inner peace
Diminished aggression, hostility, and jealousy
Diminished fear, anxiety, and insecurity
You feel real happy
Feelings of empathy, compassion, and forgiveness
towards others
Feelings of intimacy and even love for others
Feelings of insightfulness
An intensification of perception, particularly tactile
sensation or touch
Mild psychedelia, consisting of mental imagery and
auditory and visual distortions
Pupil Dilation
Ecstasy: Subjective Effects
• Stimulation
• Increased energy and endurance
• Increased alertness, awareness, and
wakefulness
• Increased desire, drive, and motivation
• Hypersexuality and aphrodisiac effects
• Analgesia or decreased pain sensitivity
Most “E” users are not glamorous Rave
Party Animals
Ecstasy: Acute Side Effects
• Difficulty
concentrating
• Muscle tension
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Increase heart
rate and blood
pressure
• Forceful
clenching of the
teeth
Ecstasy: Overdose
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Acute delirium (Total Confusion)
Intense muscle twitching
Rapid breathing
Palpitations or abnormal awareness of the beating of the
heart
Angina pectoris (Chest Pain)
Cardiac arrhythmia (Heart beats in different ways)
Circulatory shock or cardiogenic shock
Vasculitis or destruction of blood vessels
Damage to the heart
Cardiac arrest
Hemorrhage and/or stroke
Severe hyperthermia, potentially resulting in organ failure
Coma and Death
MDMA: After Effects
AKA: The Price You Have To Pay
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Anxiety, even panic attacks
Depression
Irritability or aggression
Fatigue
Impaired attention, focus, and concentration
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or vertigo
Gastrointestinal disturbances, such as diarrhea or
constipation
Headache or migraine
Insomnia
Aches and pains, from excessive physical activity (e.g.,
dancing)
Jaw soreness
Ecstasy is Known to be
“Neurotoxic”
NEURO
+ TOXIC
BRAIN
+
POISON
MDMA: Long Term Effects
• Depression
MDMA: Long Term Effects
• Anxiety
MDMA: Long Term Effects
• Long term memory Loss
MDMA: Long Term Effects
• Problems paying attention and
concentrating.
MDMA
• A study of animals showed that exposure
to high doses of MDMA for 4 days
produced brain damage that could still be
seen 6 to 7 years later.
Effect of MDMA on serotonin
neurons in the monkey brain.
“E-tarded”
It’s Time To Ask
Dr Jorden
?
So What is Causing This Problem?
• The drug’s euphoric effects
• Teenage developmental stage
• A society that preaches no waiting and
more is better
• Availability and cost of the drug
• Lack of information
• Because it is “Entactogenic.”
• Lack of prevention interventions
Our Three Main Messages To
Teens
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When it comes to Ecstasy/Thizz pills,
you never know what you will get
Ecstasy and other drugs in ecstasy pills
can kill you
Ecstasy/Thizz is brain poison and can
leave you depressed, anxious,
unfocused, and forgetful for a long, long
time
How Do We Deal With This Problem?
• Poll kids on their use and knowledge
• Tell students about the effects/risks
• Believe in yourselves to just do the right
thing.