Ecstasy Use Called 'Epidemic' Among Teens
Excerpt By Melissa Schorr, Reuters Health

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Health) - Teenagers are beginning to use the club drug Ecstasy on a more widespread and regular basis, an addiction specialist reported Saturday at the American Academy of Pediatrics' annual meeting.

``The use of Ecstasy is an epidemic now with teenagers,'' said Dr. Peter D. Rogers, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. ``I've never seen a drug take off like this. It's like cocaine in the 1980s.''

In fact, Rogers said, the current popularity of Ecstasy could be ``the No. 1 public health problem in the United States.''

Ecstasy, or MDMA, is a popular club drug that acts like both a stimulant and a hallucinogen. The drug, taken in pill form, produces a 4- to 6-hour high.

Researchers recently reported that Ecstasy, along with steroids, were the only two drugs increasing in use by teenagers, Rogers said. For example, 11% of high school seniors reported using the drug sometime in the past month, while a year ago, only 6% did.

Rogers reported on some disturbing new trends in the use of Ecstasy. Some teens who are developing a tolerance are beginning to take it more often and in settings other than dance clubs, Rogers said. Other are first taking Prozac, a drug that modulates the mood-altering brain chemical serotonin, before taking Ecstasy to enhance the drug's release of serotonin.

``The scary thing is it's got this reputation of being safe,'' Rogers said. ``It's not.''

Immediate side effects include jaw clenching, nausea, tremors, and in extreme cases, potentially fatal elevations in body temperature. Research suggests heavy users of the drug may suffer long-term problems, such as impaired memory and liver damage.

Rogers also noted that there have been several deaths associated with teens who caused damage to the brain by drinking too much water preparing for use of the drug. Many teens drink large amounts of water to counteract the raised body temperature induced by the drug.

The drug clears the system within 12 to 16 hours and two thirds of drug-detection methods will fail to pick it up unless specifically directed to screen for it, according to Rogers.

However, most pediatricians fail to screen their patients for Ecstasy use due to lack of time or training, he said.

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