"DISCO BISCUIT"
MDMA -an account from an "e-tard"
by R.Marcus Gaudry
July, 2009

*AUTHOURS NOTE:

The following is ultimately a fictional expression reflecting the amphetamine derivative MDMA, the party drug most popularly known as ecstasy, but also known by many other aliases, such as "E", "X", "XTC", and one of my personal favourites, "disco biscuits", hence the title of this effort.

Although often referred to as a "designer drug", the truth is that MDMA was originally synthesized over 90 years ago by a legitimate pharmaceutical company. A common popular account would suggest it was intended originally as a possible appetite suppressant. Though it was synthesized in Germany by the Merck Company in 1912 and patented in 1914, Merck records indicate it was initially regarded as little more than an unimportant by-product from an attempt to synthesize another drug to work around a competitors' patent. In order to discuss the nature of this drug, it's short and long term effects, and its pharmacological implications, part of this paper is a reflection of an associate who has on more than one occasion described himself as an "e-tard", meaning an ecstasy user. I sat down with this associate in a local coffee shop and engaged in the following discussion, based on the idea that the people most likely to best understand this drug would be those who use it. I was actually fairly surprised with what a valuable source he turned out to be.

I started off with inquires as to what precisely MDMA was. Without hesitation he explained that it was a derivative of amphetamine with minor hallucinogenic properties. He then pulled out a hand held device and pulled up some pictures to illustrate the chemical structure of MDMA, and showed me how similar it really was to amphetamines and the hallucinogen mescaline in particular. "It's almost like they took amphetamines and mixed it with a little bit of mesc!" he said:



amphetamine MDMA(note methyl addition) mescaline



methamphetamine

For my part I noticed a remarkable similarity in structure to methamphetamine, to which my associate (who has asked to remain anonymous, and has asked to be referred to as "the e-tard" for the purposes of this project) readily agreed. We chatted at some length about that. For some reason, this aspect was of particular to interest to him, and felt it necessary to explore what that meant. I later learned he had taken a disco bisuit shortly before our talk began, and the effects were starting to kick in. I will get into the effects shortly.

We also started to talk about what precisely the drug does to the body, and more importantly, he insisted, what the body does to the drug. When I informed him that the DEA (drug enforcement agency) had classified the drug as a schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning that it had no therapeutic value, was deemed to have a high dependence rating, and was therefore considered to have legal basis for its presence, he indicated that came as no surprise to him, then went on a bit of a soapbox about how the authorities are always trying to "put a stop to the harmless fun of the youth". Once we got past his soapbox, he did concede that classification of MDMA is at best difficult. It is definitely a strong stimulant with minor hallucinogenic properties. It releases high levels of serotonin, which is a hormone responsible for regulation of mood, sexual activity, sleep and sensitivity to pain. The drug also releases dopamine and norapenephrine. This, combined with how the body responds, determines much of what sort of effects the drug will have on the person who takes it.

In the case of MDMA, the drug is rapidly absorbed, and usually has a half life of approximately seven hours. It is broken down into what is often termed as its parent drug MDA, which accumulates in the blood, where it gets broken down even farther. "The e-tard" told me that the disco biscuit is most often taken orally (swallowed), in the form of a small tablet, often with a designer label or a logo of sorts (Calvin Klein, Volkswagen, smiley face, yin yang symbol) on it. He also commented that it can be found in a capsule form, also taken orally, or it can be found in powder or crystal form. I inquired if it can then be administered by injection, or smoked, or snorted. He told me that he never has, but had heard of it being snorted and in some cases smoked, and had heard the effects kick in a lot quicker that way. Once swallowed, the means in which the drug takes action is rather unique. It both releases serotonin into the brain and inhibits serotonin reuptake. The effect is basically a reversal of the normal direction of the process, causing a flooding of high concentrations of serotonin in the synapses while blocking the ability to replace otherwise depleted resources of other hormones and enzymes like tryptophan. It is also supposed that dopamine and noradrenaline levels are raised to the point of cell saturation. To his own admission, the "e-tard" stated that given the kind of environment the drug is taken, that he has often taken it in conjunction with other substances such as marijuana and alcohol, and that there is really no guarantee that the tablet taken is pure MDMA, and that it is often cut with other things, most commonly speed or caffeine. This is consistent with other research I have conducted, and explains why having any clear knowledge of what MDMA itself actually does has proven to be thus far challenging.

What is known is that it is readily absorbed from the intestinal tract and passes easily into brain through the blood at low doses. It also has a high affinity (binding ability) and high efficacy (capacity to make neuron receptors active) , and rapidly saturates enzymes in the liver. My associate said the normal dosage ranges from 80 - 160 mg, and the standard recommended dose is about 2 mg per 1 kg of body weight, though this does not necessarily reflect the propotional intensity of the drug per weight. When taken orally, the expected time for the effects to start is about 15 - 45 minutes.

By this point in our conversation, the "e-tard" (his term, not mine), indicated the effects were getting close to their plateau point, which he said was about the right time for this to occur - about an hour or so after taking the drug, which tells me that once the effects begin to manifest themselves, they waste no time in hitting their peak. He also told me they will stay at this point for anywhere from two to four hours before they begin to slowly taper off. I would suppose that is why he chose the term plateau rather than peak. I asked him to describe the effects in his own words. He began to describe a feeling of "in tuneness" with both himself and me, and how cool it was to communicate with me, the overall feeling, he said, was pleasant and positive. He described his emotional state to be nearly euphoric, and though he was not getting any perceptual distortions or hallucinations yet, it would not surprise him if he did. He also mentioned in an almost offhand way that he wondered if this is what it felt like to be an angel of God. At this point he produced a gumball from his pocket, placed it in his mouth and began to chew it. At first I presumed this was for the tactile sensation of chewing, which he said was partly true, but it was also to keep himself from grinding his teeth and from experiencing the "lockjaw" that often comes with taking the drug.

"Hey," he said with a good hearted chuckle, "sometimes you gotta take the bad with good, right?"

Other negative effects he described were a speeding up of the pulse, muscle tension, raised blood pressure, and dehydration. This seemed to remind him to ask if he could grab a glass of water, which of course I readily allowed him to do. Other less than pleasant experiences he described were blurred vision, sweating, and a loss of motor coordination despite the increased energy. He also mentioned that taking the drug was not without consequence afterwards. Afterwards, he told me, there were likely bouts of anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, possibly panic attacks, difficulies with concentration and depression. Although these are the after effects, he feltit was worth it, and also indicated he made a point not to use the drug too frequently, especially since he found that to do so tends to make the negative effects more pronounced and the positive ones less so.

My associated then mentioned he read in the Canadian Medical Association Journal an article about an autopsy done on a long term MDMA user to study on the changes in serotonin levels as compared to the brain of someone who has not used the drug. Though they found that the serotonin levels in the user were reduced by 50- 80 percent compared to the non user, he maintained that could just as easily be caused by other substances. On a side note, I later looked up the article at www.cmaj.ca and found there was also a study done on living humans, and indirect evidence of serotonin neurotoxicity was found:

· The levels of serotonin metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid reflect the amount of release during neuronal activity in the brain.

· MRI or proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy can provide estimates of the numbers of intact neurons in different parts of the brain.

· Labeled compounds with high affinity and selectivity for serotonergic neurons, for the reuptake transporter or for the postsynaptic serotonin receptors are administered to the subjects. Techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are then used to detect the locations and amounts of the labelled compounds in the brain.

· Drugs that are known to stimulate serotonergic pathways in the brain are administered, and the endocrine responses to the released serotonin (changes in blood levels of prolactin and cortisol) are measured.

The same article also indicated that up to four types of potentially life threatening physical toxicity have been linked to prolonged MDMA use:
-hepatic
-cardiovascular
-cerebral
-hyperpyrexic
More details on these forms of toxicity can be found at the CMAJ website.

As defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, There is little to no evidence to suggest that MDMA is likely give rise to a major problem as far as dependence is concerned. This is apparent so far because as my associate indicated, most users are sparing in their usage, since too frequent of use tends to result in the negative effects outweighing the positive. However, given the chemical similarites to amphetamine, which is easily as dependence inducing as cocaine, this assumption is currently being used with caution. Also, it would be prudent to keep in mind that the drug is often cut with other substances, both illicit and inert, which may create a dependence.

In short, given the risks involved, as well as secondary dangers linked to MDMA such as motor vehicle accidents and high risk behaviours, there is sufficient evidence that thiscertainly is a potentially dangerous drug. The fact that it is often cut with other substances add to the risk factor, since that would suggest you never really know what you are taking. In addition, I say this with every bit of sincerity in my heart. It would seem apparent that such substances are attractive, at least in part, due to the apparently dark, desperate, and at times apparently hopeless world we live in today. Rather than relying on some substance or another to get a sense of reprieve, I would suggest we turn our hopes to Christ Jesus, who has already given us the light of hope in His promise of salvation.


REFERENCES

Drugs and Human Behaviour - 5th edition
By David M. Grilly 2006

Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics of Abused Drugs
By Steven B. Karch 2007

The Canadian Medical Association Journal
www.cmaj.ca

Psychosomatics
psy.psychatryonline.org

National Highway Traffic Administration
Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheet
www.nhst.gov