Ecstasy is MDMA, or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, belonging to a family of drugs called "entactogens," which means "touching within". MDMA was first started by a German company in 1912, to be used as an appetite suppressant. MDMA has been available as a street drug since the 1980s. The popular usage is among college students and young adults and is most often distributed at late-night parties called "raves", nightclubs, and rock concerts. Raves happen in houses, big city clubs in bay area and Los Angeles. MDMA is frequently used with the combination of other drugs. There are many forms of MDMA, such as Ecstasy, E, Adam, XTC, Clarity, Essence, Hug Drug, and Love Drug. .
MDMA is a "mood elevator" that produces a relaxed, euphoric state. It does not give you hallucinations. It is effected 20 to 40 minutes after taking a tablet, with little rushes of exhilaration which can be accompanied by nausea. 60 to 90 minutes after taking the drug, the user feels the peak effects such as hightened feelings of empathy, emotional warmth, and self-acceptance. The effect that makes MDMA different from other drugs is empathy, the sensation of understanding and accepting others.
E is almost always swallowed as a tablet or capsule. A normal dose is around 100-125 mg. In Black market E tablet vary widely in strength, and often contain other drugs.
E is not physically addictive. However, the drug can often take on great importance in people's lives, and some people become rather compulsive in their use. When you take E, it releases the brain chemical serotonin, elevating mood and acting as a short-term antidepressant. Compulsive users may unconsciously try to self-medicate E for depression. Others should use only depressant medication prescribed by the physician.
Ecstasy is illegal and a conviction for a possession can carry long prison sentences. Death rates occur taking E, usually the result of heatstroke from dancing long periods of time in hot clubs without replenishing lost of body fluids.