Ecstasy causes seizures? ("E", X, Candy, Rave - Drugs)

[Nakamova]

I agree that brain meds can be dangerous. Of course ecstasy is a "brain med" too. It crosses the blood-brain barrier and messes with your neurotransmitters. It was once legal for therapeutic use, and a recent study found that it helped soldiers with PTSD -- it wasn't the ecstasy alone, but ecstasy-facilitated therapy that made a difference.

It's one thing to have it in a controlled setting, and another to party with it. It contains both a trippy component and a speedy component, and it's easy to get dehydrated or fatigued while using it -- all things that can be triggers for folks with epilepsy. Not saying it's entirely bad for everyone, but it's full of red flags for people with low seizure thresholds.

 

[ian_s]

i'd have to agree with that the sodium depletion hyponatremia is the result of excessive intake of water it does'nt interfere with potassium influx or cause hyperkalemia like cocaine does which is far worse.
it's easy to forget to hydrate oneself when one is "rolling" and that can cause electrolyte imbalance and neural misfiring as well as the possibilty of hyperthermia.
in cool environs it does'nt elevate core body temperatures much about .7 degree farenheight in hotter environs a cascade effect can ensue causing hyperthermia.
so yes a bad idea for people with sensitive seizure thresholds indeed.

 

[PattyMelt]

butterfly_dreams
welcome to the forum,
I agree with Bernard you need stop using now there not worth you having seizures over.
Your neurologist or epileptologist would tell you same thing.
:agree:

illegal drugs can cause other damage as well.:twocents:

Belinda

Does marijuana count as illegal drug? While doing research yesterday I saw that a lot of people with seizures smoke pot and say that it has helped them manage their seizures. Some people even said they were able to get off their seizure medication because the pot was helping.

 

[Bernard]

See these threads re:marijuana: http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/tags/marijuana.html

 

[Endless]

I just have to speak plainly, here.

For heaven's sake, many of us have found that COFFEE, ALCOHOL, and MSG are seizure triggers. Any chemical crossing the blood-brain barrier can be a seizure trigger.

So why would you want to intentionally shoot the stuff right into your brain? And pot, ecstacy, and every other illegal drug fits into that category, as well as many of the legal ones. If you can't stop taking it, odds are you probably have a drug or alcohol problem, which is another situation altogether. (Just think of that uncle who said about alcohol, "I can quit any time I want..." but never could or did. Because he couldn't.)

If you wanted to avoid anything that could cause a seizure, you just wouldn't do the drugs. Including Mary Jane. Because nothing is worth a seizure. They are horrible.

I no longer drink alcohol of any kind or coffee or tea. These used to be kind of a love affair for me - I had an extensive wine cellar with wines from all over the world, some that I had been nurturing for over 20 years. Also a selection of organic shade-grown coffees and artisan teas from all over the world. The day I found out I had epilepsy and that these could be seizure triggers I gave every bit of it away (to my extremely grateful best friend!).

I haven't looked back since. Living my life is what's most important now, and that depends on minimizing seizures. And that depends on eliminating every possible trigger that I may do on a regular basis, and that I can prevent. Because I have enough to deal with, with the triggers I can't control.

So stop. Give it all away. I hate quoting Nancy Reagan, but just say no.

 

[ian_s]

i can say this, everytime i get drunk i have seizures but not so with ecstacy.
never had one on ecstacy.
weird huh?
well not really a british study recently relaeased said alcohol and tobacco are far more dangerous than illegal drugs and kill far more than all illegal drugs combined.
funny thing the professor was summarily fired after releasing his study.
but that's something most of us already know, it was only formalized through this study.
not to say that another epileptic would'nt suffer seizures after ecstacy use, because everyone is different so don't construe as medical advice i'm not a doctor.

 

[epileric]

well not really a british study recently relaeased said alcohol and tobacco are far more dangerous than illegal drugs and kill far more than all illegal drugs combined.

Actually, the study concluded that when considering social effects along with physical and other to the user then alcohol surpassed the others and it did not say that drugs have no negative social effects.

It did not say that tobacco & alcohol are more harmful than illegal drugs.

Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals. When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest. But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower.

Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers but for those around them.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101101/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_dangerous_alcohol

 

[PattyMelt]

Actually, the study concluded that when considering social effects along with physical and other to the user then alcohol surpassed the others and it did not say that drugs have no negative social effects.

It did not say that tobacco & alcohol are more harmful than illegal drugs.

Wow, nicely put!!! :agree: If every one that drinks did X, our society would be destroyed. It's just to bad that Alcohol is legal and Marijuana is not. I think I drive better actually when I'm stoned. I pay way more attention, and I don't speed lol, well actually I haven't driven since I started having seizures, but point is, if all those people did X there would be probably WAY more deaths than there are with alcohol. Just MHO :twocents:

 

[ian_s]

i can personally vouch for the safety of mdma (pure mdma not the trash people put in pills) but mdma powder.
the most i took one day on an x binge was about 4 grams now it was a very fun day but i have little memory of it.
that's 40 doses and no i'm not lying.
pure mdma is actually very safe.
the britist classify it's danger level to be a little higher than pot.
it takes 7 grams all at once to kill a person.
sure every once in a while somebody can't handle it because of genetic differences but this is very rare.
the study also concluded horseback riding is more dangerous than ecstacy use.
the real danger is the fact that they made it illegal as a result it's made by criminals and you don't know what your getting.

 

[epileric]

I find that hard to believe given the side-effects, after-effects, long term effects & possibility of overdose.

* Psychological
o Disorientation and/or confusion
o Anxiety, paranoia, and/or panic attacks
o Hypervigilance or increased sensitivity to perceptual stimuli, accompanied by significantly increased threat detection
o Hypomania or full-blown mania
o Derealization and/or depersonalization
o Hallucinations and/or delusions
o Thought disorder or disorganized thinking
o Cognitive and memory impairment potentially to the point of retrograde or anterograde amnesia
o Acute delirium and/or insanity

* Physiological
o Myoclonus or involuntary and intense muscle twitching
o Hyperreflexia or overresponsive or overreactive reflexes
o Tachypnoea or rapid breathing and/or dyspnea or shortness of breath
o Palpitations or abnormal awareness of the beating of the heart
o Angina pectoris or severe chest pain, as well as pulmonary hypertension (PH)
o Cardiac arrhythmia or abnormal electrical activity of the heart
o Circulatory shock or cardiogenic shock
o Vasculitis or destruction of blood vessels
o Cardiotoxicity or damage to the heart
o Cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, and/or heart failure
o Hemorrhage and/or stroke
o Severe hyperthermia, potentially resulting in organ failure

* Miscellaneous
o Syncope or fainting or loss of consciousness
o Organ failure (as mentioned above)
o Possible brain damage
o Coma and/or death

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA
The lancet is a medical journal that should have all the studies done listed. I welcome you to find where a scientific study makes such claims.
http://www.thelancet.com/search/results?searchTerm=alcohol%2C+heroin%2C+cocaine&fieldName=AllFields&journalFromWhichSearchStarted=

 

[Nakamova]

If you have a lowered seizure threshold, ecstasy is an absolute no-no. It's a brain stimulant -- over-stimulant really. Amongg other things, it causes dehydration and fatigue, also major seizure triggers. This is not to say that everyone who takes ecstasy will have seizure, just that you are not doing yourself any favors by mixing E and X.

I write this having done ecstasy a handful of times, many years ago, over a decade before I had my first seizures. The X did not cause any seizures, and I was fine. But now that I have epilepsy would I take X? No way in hell.

 

[ian_s]

i can attest that i had those psychological symptoms at that dose but nothing physically bad happened to me except i was a bit drained.
but full on mania, memory problems and other psychological problems yes.
i was smart enough to stay hydrated and cool and not over exert myself.
the problem is some people can loose thier judgement and lower fluid intake over exert themselves and this sets off a cascade of problems.
it's always interesting that fda approved drugs kill 18 times more per capita than 'illegal' drugs in the u.s. and the propaganda and hysteria has this class of substances demonized.
yet prescription drugs kill about 180 thousand people a year and nobody bats an eye.
sounds like the propaganda machine is well oiled and doing it's job.
no i would'nt advise anyone prone to seizures to take ecstacy and a lot of presciption drugs can have the exact same result if not worse results.

 

[AmberStalene]

Hello,

My boyfriend has epilepsy and he really wants to try Ex. I have told him what the drug does to you physically and mentally and I have told him that if he really wants to try it I will stay sober to keep an eye on him to make sure everything goes normally. He still wants to try it because he has not had a seizure in almost 3 years and me and him both a habitual marijuana smokers. I feel if he has MJ he will be able to stay calm and enjoy the experience. The reason why I am posting this is because I DON'T want to hear how I should stop him from it. He is a grown man with his own decisions and I will not stop him but I will try to help him make sure he enjoys himself. I have never been around anyone having a seizure, and I am not sure how my heart will feel if he has one. I want someone to give me a rundown on what to do if he does have a seizure and if anyone with epilepsy has any personal experience I would love to hear it.

One of the reasons he wants to do it is because he feels left out a lot with not being able to drink or do anything special with his friends. Nobody looks down on him, his friends are actually very supportive of him being sober, but he wants to feel normal and enjoy his life with his friends. I feel nobody mentioned how the epileptics really feel about being left out of certain activities and how much they hide those human emotions because they don't want to be chastised for it... So, I, being a non-epileptic, am speaking out for them

Thank you
-Stalene

 

[Cint]

I have never been around anyone having a seizure, and I am not sure how my heart will feel if he has one. I want someone to give me a rundown on what to do if he does have a seizure and if anyone with epilepsy has any personal experience I would love to hear it.

Thank you
-Stalene

If you've never been with anyone with seizures, you may be stunned, embarrassed, or who knows, depending on what type of seizures he's had so I suggest you go to this website for answers:
http://www.epilepsy.com/101/101_epilepsy

I've had all types of seizures, and they're not 'pretty'.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Stalene --

This is what will happen if someone has a tonic-clonic (convulsive) seizure:

Symptoms:
The person may make what sounds like a scream at the start (it's actually a sharp intake of breath). The person goes stiff, loses consciousness and then falls to the ground. This is followed by jerking movements. A blue tinge around the mouth is likely. (This is due to irregular breathing.) Loss of bladder and/or bowel control may happen. After a few minutes the jerking movements should stop and consciousness may slowly return.

Do...
-- Protect the person from injury - (remove harmful objects from nearby)
-- Cushion their head
-- Stay with the person until recovery is complete, and full consciousness is regained (there will be much confusion at first, and no memory of the actual seizure)
-- Be calmly reassuring

Don't...
-- Restrain the person’s movements
-- Put anything in the person’s mouth
-- Try to move them unless they are in danger
-- Give them anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered
-- Attempt to bring them round

Call for an ambulance if...
-- The seizure lasts for more than five minutes
-- One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures
-- The person is injured during the seizure
-- You believe the person needs urgent medical attention

One of the major causes of seizures during use of Ecstasy is electrolyte imbalance due to a change in sodium/water ratios -- so make sure your boyfriend drinks sports drinks like Gatorade (NOT alcohol, and not plain water).

 

[Bernard]

...
One of the reasons he wants to do it is because he feels left out a lot with not being able to drink or do anything special with his friends. ...

If they all jumped off a cliff, would he want to do it too? Crazy world where engaging in self destructive behaviors is considered doing something "special".

:soap: /over

If you can, please have him read this thread and know that taking the X could lead to undoing his current seizure control.

 

[petero]

Hello eveyone

im new to the forum.. and recently been diagnosed epilepsy..

im not sure if i can ask this here so im sorry if i ofend anyone i just dont know where else to go.. so please feel free to delete it if you must

i've had myoclonic seizures for years and only have had one tc seizure..my first appointment with the neuro is in a week.. and then we'll discuss the treatment and all...

Im a regular ecstasy user.. but have been to scared to use any more since i had the tc seizure.. im wonder if it may trigger another one... im scared of even drinking or clubbing since that day.. bright lights and even the pc screen freak me out :S

I wonder if any of you has experienced this too? Is there any change i'll be able to keep using them? or do i have to send them away for good?

id appreciate any advise

luv
M

"regular ecstasy user" sounds bad

because things like that are illegal there is no standardization or oversight as to its manufacture.
what looks like a similar pill isn't necessarily the same chemical, and because the majority of the world is full of self-gratifying and grubbing assholes, especially in the underhanded shadow world of drugs, people can be prone to using rat poisons, embalming fluid, ... things that can give you a "high", just like you can reach a state of delirium by smashing onto pavement after jumping off of a tall building.
but that delirium will not be conducive to well-being, nor indicative of well-being overall.

ecstasy itself was once considered benign enough to be sold over the counter

it was illegalized, at which point people became prone to selling pavement-smashing for the "high"

"ecstasy" itself is still used to treat some psychological disorders - though it's not referred to as "ecstacy" or "x" generally at this point

- and you don't need to French kiss it out of a clubkid drag-queen's mouth to obtain a pill (*ahem*) for psychological use

I think this is an old post...
and I think I've answered this before

"regular ecstacy user" doesn't sound necessarily bad
"regular consumer of white powdery substances pressed into a pill form with imprints of "the Simpsons" family on them" doesn't sound promising

it sounds like you're worried about it.
why not stop
don't live with regret

even if you get a "clean" source, ecstacy is still an invention of humans- and if one thing is certain, humans are inevitably errant, and dumbasses

 

[Marty Bhoy]

Yeah i would say E can cause epilepsy. My cause of epilepsy was through my lifestyle i.e Drugs,Alcohol and having a bit of chaotic life at that time. If you haven't told your doctor about your drug use prior you should probably tell Him/Her. Then you will know for sure if E triggered your epilepsy. Hope that helps.

 

[petero]

this post was <bumped> so I'll reiterate again
"ecstasy" does not denote a chemical compound
MDMA is prescribed and has been for years by some doctors for some disorders to positive effect.

A baseball cap and low-slung designer jeans wearing club-kid selling "ecstacy" is rarely if not -never- a doctor authorized to prescribe MDMA, a nightclub is not a pharmacy, and "ecstacy" does not indicate MDMA content AT ALL

"ecstacy" is often rat poison, antihistamine, cocaine, crack... it could be anything

I have used club drugs, I've taken a variety of things in my past, and I'm a recovering alcoholic (8 years - yay!).

At this point, if you feel compelled to keep using Ecstacy I would implore you to buy a dose and take it to a doctor who can do a chemical test on it to show you the chemical breakdown of a typical dose.

I do not condone the use of illegal substances.
I do condone an individual's right to free will.
I also condone and support intelligence, which (if it does not involve cessation of drug use) I pray involves investigation of chemical compounds in your source's supply.

Do not die because some slimeball wants to profit from crack, rat poison, lack of conscience and the stupidity of others.

If you want to be "hip" and get your shitfaced on, try drinking dirty Stoli martinis.
They're yummy, martini glasses 'look cool', a purer form of alcohol intake which means a cleaner buzz, less hangover, and absolutely zero rat poison.

<<edit>>
but as myself a recovering alcoholic I need to also emphasize the severe danger of the drug alcohol, which is then on almost every other advertising space on tv and on earth...

I support the legalization marijuana for medical use

 

[Rae1889]

I wouldnt recommend Ecstasy either. Not anymore at least. It used to be one of my favourite drugs. Everything you touched and tasted and smelled was so much more heightened.

But now with all the deaths in canada from E laced with PMMA its not worth it. It used to be where you knew the dealer AND the one who made the E in the first place. False sense of security I know, but now with the mass production of this drug and they are turning to other drugs and chemicals to lace.