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Scientists Say Long-Term Effects of Ecstasy Unclear
Mon Sep 2, 7:47 AM ET
By Patricia Reaney

LONDON (Reuters) - Ecstasy may be dangerous and could cause brain damage but its long-term effects are still unclear, a team of researchers said on Monday.



The dance clubbers' favorite drug has been linked to psychological and memory problems but scientists in Britain and the United States said results of studies of Ecstasy may have been misinterpreted and sensationalized by the media.

"We think the drug might be dangerous but we believe our current methodology does not allow us to make cast-iron statements about whether it is or not," said Dr. Harry Sumnall of the University of Liverpool.

In a report in The Psychologist magazine, Sumnall and other researchers called for caution.

"We are saying we've looked at these studies and we've identified some perhaps confounding factors that are muddying our interpretation of this data," Sumnall said in an interview.

"It may be that Ecstasy has detrimental long-term effects. We're advising caution before we go out and tell Ecstasy users that this is what will definitely happen to them."

Ecstasy is known chemically as MDMA. Users say it heightens awareness, intensifies their emotions and makes them feel good.

Scientists in Germany said people who use the drug over many months seem to develop lasting, cognitive impairment. Researchers in the United States have also discovered that the drug damaged nerve endings in the brain that release serotonin, a chemical that regulates mood, memory, pain, sleep and sex.

Sumnall and Dr. Jon Cole of Liverpool University and Charles Grob of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in California said there are problems with some studies that preclude such a cause-and-effect relationship.

One of the stumbling blocks is the difficulty in determining how much of the drug is being used. There may also be lifestyle factors that could explain the results and Ecstasy users may also be taking other drugs.

"No study published to date has actually quantified the amount of MDMA or other drugs consumed by its participants. Very few studies even urine-test on the test day to check that their participants are drug-free," the scientists said in the magazine.

Some drug campaigners have criticized the report, saying the evidence about the harmful effects of Ecstasy was strong.

"People need to be aware that any mood-altering chemical has the potential to cause damage," said Dr. Robert Lefever of the Promis Recovery Center. But he added that there has not been a sufficient number of people with problems to be sure they are specifically due to Ecstasy and not to other things.