AHS Views

Ecstasy and other club drugs – so many people are taking them, and think they are just ‘fun.’ But, in fact, they are among the most dangerous drugs around. Anyone who is taking them needs to know the truth about these drugs and, if they don’t stop taking them when they find out the truth, they should really get some addiction help as soon as possible.

Why are club drugs so dangerous? Ecstasy, for example, is supposed to consist of an active ingredient called MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine). MDMA is bad enough in itself, but at least if you know what you’re taking you have some control over it and know what to expect – although different people react to it differently.

But, in fact, a lot of Ecstasy has next to no MDMA content. Instead, you have ingredients like PMMA (para-methoxymethamphetamine) or PMA (para-methoxyamphetamine) – both of which have been around since the early ‘70s, both of which are addictive, and both of which have some disastrous side effects, including:

• severe hyperthermia, which is an increase in body temperature, even at low doses
• increase in blood pressure and in heart rate
• heightened visual stimulation
• rapid and irregular eye movement
• motion sickness
• muscle spasms
• difficulty breathing
• death, at high dosages

When combined with other drugs, alcohol, or caffeine – not an unusual scenario – the effects are more intense.

One of the worst things about these chemicals is that little is know about the toxicity of either of these chemicals, the interaction of them with other substances, how they are metabolized, and so on.

In other words, you never really know how an individual is going to react to them.

PMA is nicknamed ‘Death’, and for good reason. Doses of more than 50 milligrams, PMA are potentially deadly. It can cause heart failure, kidney failure, brain seizures, sudden collapse, and an rise in body temperature up to 115 degrees! Temperatures that high can cause convulsions, coma, and a complete shutdown of the organs of the body – at which point, of course, the person dies. This rise in body temperature can happen within 30 to 40 minutes of taking the drug.

Ecstasy and other club drugs are common at ‘raves,’ in clubs, and at other parties. Teenagers and young adults are exposed to them all the time.

Make sure your kids are educated about Ecstasy. And make sure they know that, no matter what someone who offers it to them tells them, only the people who made the drug really know what’s in it. If they are still tempted, a good drug rehab program will sort them out.

There’s a new, nasty, so-called ‘designer drug’ in town. It’s known as Cloud 9, or C-9. Why it’s called Cloud 9 is beyond me – because the effects of it are anything but what we would normally think of when someone says they’re ‘on Cloud 9.’ It’s dangerous, addictive and deadly, and anyone using it should get addiction help as soon as possible.

What is Cloud 9? It’s a chemical similar to ‘bath salts.” It’s a hallucinogen and stimulant. It’s sometimes marketed as plant food, insect repellent or fertilizer. It is, in fact, none of those, but if you hang those labels on it and make it look legitimate you can get it into a headshop or convenience store.

Here’s what someone taking it can expect:

• erratic behavior
• serious injuries
• addiction
• agitation
• abnormal heart beat
• delusions
• hallucinations

It is being touted as a replacement for Ecstasy. But according to Dr. David Withers, associate medical director of the Marworth Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Center in Waverly, “”When you buy this bath salt you are getting many hundreds more. For a very few dollars, $50 or less, you can get a tremendous amount of MDPV (a similar chemical in ‘bath salts’). But MDPV is many times more potent than Ecstasy. When (users) lay out a line, they can be taking 20 to 25 hits of Ecstasy.”

He also said that people take it compulsively: “They may be awake for days and may exhibit symptoms of psychosis. Like seeing things and hearing things.”

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center sees about two or three cases of Cloud Nine intoxication a day.

The law is constantly trying to keep up with these ‘desinger drugs’ as they hit the street, but Cloud 9, which contains the illegal Mephedrone, is sold on the Internet.

This stuff is serious poison – as are most drugs.

If you hear anyone around you talking about being on Cloud 9, or you hear C-9, be aware that they may well be talking about this drug. And get them into drug rehab right away.

A recent news article in the UK discussed some new street drugs that are causing serious illness in teenagers. The drugs are called “Diablo” and “Eric 3″. Never heard of them? That’s because they’re pretty new, and not even illegal yet. Seems ridiculous that your kid could end up in the hospital or needing addiction help for a drug you’ve never even heard of, but it’s happening.

With all the existing drugs out there, I know it seems unreal and unnecessary to invent drugs that endanger our kids’ lives. And if anything does happen as a result of taking these drugs, nothing can even be done about it from a legal standpoint as they are not yet illegal.

A similar thing happened with a drug called “Meow Meow”. It was still legal until a number of deaths caused the UK government to quickly make it illegal. Once Meow Meow was out of the picture, Diablo and Eric 3 appeared.

It’s somewhat frightening to know that there are people out there putting together these chemical combinations that could be deadly and making them available to our kids. We not only have to worry about them becoming addicted or overdosing, we also have to worry about them being poisoned.

Really, the only way to fight something like that is by educating your kids. Also, if your kids have already taken drugs, and do tend to take them – even if they’re not serious about them and only take them when they’re at a party or something – it’s a good idea to get them into a drug rehab program so they can get down to the bottom of why they are taking drugs at all.

Taking NO drugs is the only really safe solution to the possibility of your kids taking something that could make them sick, or worse.

Club drugs. Young people take them at clubs, parties, concerts, bars – anywhere groups of kids get together to have some fun. Sometimes they know they’re taking the drugs, and sometimes the drug was slipped into their drink without their knowledge or consent.

Whether taken knowingly or not, club drugs can have disastrous consequences:

Amnesia – especially during the time they were high on the drug
Seizures
Coma
Delerium
Dangerously high body temperature
Liver failure
Kidney failure
Heart failure
High blood pressure
Respiratory problems
Loss of coordination
Depression

In combination with alcohol or other drugs, the effects can be even worse.

What are these drugs?

MDMA – also known as “Ecstasy”
GHB – “Liquid ecstasy,” “soap,” “easy lay,” or “vita-G”
Ketamine – “special k” and “vitamin k
Rohypnol – the ‘date rape’ drug, also known as “roofies,” “roach,” and “rope”

Kids like these drugs because they also usually give them a sense of euphoria or a dream-like state. Although some, like Rohypnol, can put you right out, leaving you with no memory of what happened while the drug was in your system.

But many kids do not know about the serious side effects listed above. As a parent or friend, it’s your job to tell them. The other kids who give them the drugs are only going to tell them the good stuff.

Club drugs aren’t generally physically addictive, but psychological addiction is another story. If your son or daughter is using club drugs, consider contacting Addiction Help Services to help find a way to get them sorted out.

In the UK, there have been several ‘legal high’ types of drugs on the market recently. Kids and young adults have access to them either online or in head shops where drug paraphernalia is sold. Most of the drugs come in powder form which is snorted by the user to get high. Unfortunately for some unlucky snorters, the outcome has been deadly.

Ok, so what’s wrong with this picture? Kids are buying powder online and snorting it up their noses to get high, and… this is legal? There was one drug that hit the party scene over a year ago, called Mephedrone (sold as “plant food”), which did get banned because of deaths related to using it. The problem is though, that drug makers and sellers just package the drugs in different forms, like bath salts for instance, and begin selling them.

Speaking of bath salts, the newest drug to hit the party circuit is Ivory Wave, sold as bath salts, but says right on the package “single dose pack”. There’s even a pretty picture of two feet and some flowers on the label, like it really is a soothing addition to bath time. But, don’t let it fool you, it’s going right up the noses of young kids in the UK.

Apparently 20 kids went to the hospital in the past week alone from Ivory Wave in Scotland. It’s being marketed as “the strongest party powder there is” online, and seems like it’s living up to its word. Kids went to the hospital with symptoms including hallucinations, anxiety, severe sickness, heart palpitations and even for turning blue. Hello? This is serious stuff!

Kids are often looking for thrills, which can include wanting to experiment with drugs and/or alcohol. They must know the dangers involved so that they can make the right decision to thrill seek elsewhere. And, the UK had better get busy banning more of those party powders, before tragedy strikes and more lives are lost. Sounds like they are already in need of some real addiction help.

One amazing thing about addiction help is it comes in all shapes and sizes. New Zealand is finally getting around to banning party pills that can be bought anywhere – even at a gas station.

Party pills are banned in New Zealand as of March 14, 2008, but suppliers have until April 1st to “dispose” of their stocks. The pills – with names like Frenzy, Torque, and D-lite – are used as a recreational stimulant and are sometimes compared to MDMA. The manufacturers say they will be driven out of business after BZP (benzylpiperazine) becomes illegal to sell but, in the meantime, they don’t have to destroy their current stocks – they can still sell them.

The same pills were banned in the U.S. in 2002 and in Australia and Denmark in 2005. 

Benzylpiperazine  was originally used to treat cattle for bowel parasites so I am guessing they not only get you high – you can use them for a colon cleanse.

There haven’t been any recorded deaths from the use of these over-the-counter party pills but people that use them and drink have fallen into comas. Matt Bowden of the Social Tonics Association of New Zealand is afraid that people will now look for illegal drugs to replace the over-the-counter drugs. Maybe the same people can chug three or four energy drinks to get the same effect and they won’t graduate to street drugs.

New Zealand has been slow on banning these drugs, but at least no one has died and the need for addiction help services has not changed that much.

Over the last several years there have been emerging problems with the abuse of club drugs and the damaging effects caused as a result. In fact, incidents of the abuse and the fatal effects of these drugs are in the news increasingly.

These types of drugs include MDMA or Ecstasy, Rohypnol, and GHB. All these drugs are most commonly used in the club or rave scene.

While ecstasy is said to be similar to a stimulant and a hallucinogen, ecstasy is a synthetic drug that can have many different properties and effects. Some ecstasy is laced with heroin while other pills can be laced with everything from cocaine to any synthetic chemical that the person making it decides to put into it. So you don’t really know what you’re taking when you take ecstasy.

Drugs like Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine are drugs that heavily sedate a person and are most commonly used by those committing sexual assaults. Surprisingly, there are people that voluntarily take these drugs. All are tasteless and odorless.

Many people who go to raves on a regular basis say that they go to for the music and to meet new people. Even they cannot deny that clubs and rave parties are very common locations that these drugs are used and sold.

Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that:

Ketamine was involved in 227 visits.

To some, club drugs seem harmless.

In reality, these substances can cause serious physical and psychological problems—even death. Often, the raves where these drugs are used are promoted as alcohol-free events, which gives parents a false sense of security that their children will be safe attending such parties. These parents are not aware that raves may actually be havens for the illicit sale and abuse of club drugs

Do you think that club drugs are over hyped or is not enough information known about them and we need to be more careful.

Article by Eric

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children, club drugs, ecstasy, general drugs, GHB, ketamine, rohypnol