OBJECTIVES Research suggests that ecstasy users exhibit psychobiological changes relative to nonusers such as altered sleep patterns and cognitive deficits. In turn, it has been suggested that sleep quality may be a mediator of such cognitive deficits in ecstasy users. The present study sought to investigate this proposed relationship. METHODS Aspects of cognitive functioning in 104 ecstasy u...

This study evaluated the prevalence, intensity, and correlates of craving for MDMA/ecstasy among recreational users employing a new multi-item, self-report questionnaire reflecting experiences of desire, intention to use, and anticipated loss of control. Using a web-based data collection procedure, we recruited MDMA/ecstasy users (n = 240) to rate their agreement with eight craving statements i...

Recreational use of the synthetic methamphetamine derivative MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), the main constituent of the illegal drug "ecstasy", has increased dramatically in recent years. The reasons for ecstasy-associated cardiovascular complications like tachycardia, arrhythmias and hypertensive crises and psychiatric symptoms like psychotic episodes are not well understood. We hav...

+/-3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) remains a widely used recreational drug, which, in animals, can produce long-lasting changes to the brain's serotonergic system. As serotonin has been implicated in human aggression, it is possible that ecstasy users are at risk of increased aggression even after prolonged abstention from the drug. The objective of this study was to indire...

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Research in adolescents has shown that parental warmth and control are important factors in drug use. The present study focused upon investigating perceived parental warmth and control in a sample of post-adolescent ecstasy/polydrug users, and investigating their relationship to severity of drug use. DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 128 (65 male) ecstasy/polydrug users, 51 ...

OBJECTIVE As there are no studies about the use of ecstasy in Brazil, our aim was to identify the effects and patterns of use of this substance among users in the city of São Paulo. METHODS Subjects were recruited through the snowball technique. Fifty-two subjects of both genders who had been using ecstasy frequently and recently were interviewed. The instrument was a self-reported and anonym...

Ecstasy users have previously reported subjective problems with sleep following use [1, 2], and laboratory studies have demonstrated altered sleep architecture in ecstasy users [3]. The current study examined whether ecstasy contributed to sleep disturbance to a clinically significant level in users in the presence or absence of polydrug use, and determined the extent to which the amount or fre...

Regular ecstasy users show significantly higher levels of self-rated paranoid ideation (SCL-90-R) relative to matched controls [2]. However, regular ecstasy consumers are typically polydrug users and there is evidence that psychopathological symptoms experienced by this group are more strongly associated with the use of other substances, such as cannabis, rather than being solely reflective of ...

BETHESDA—As the popularity of the drug ecstasy (MDMA) continues to climb—11% of high school seniors have tried it, according to a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) survey— behavioral researchers are recommending control strategies that may seem antithetical to ever-expanding law enforcement efforts. Instead of focusing on eradication and punishment, these social scientists take another ta...