Expert’s ecstasy warning
Dr Fabrizio Schifano of the European Centre for Addiction Studies at St George’s Hospital in London said it only takes a small amount of ecstasy to kill, even if people have used the drug before.
“Our research shows it is possible to die after taking small amounts of ecstasy, even when the drug has been used before. It is very unpredictable. Most people are taking it in combination with other drugs, which has an even greater risk,” he said.
Dr Schifano said many young drug users may be lulled into a false sense of security if they have previously taken drugs with no ill effects.
“This doesn’t mean they won’t have a problem the next time. Heroin breeds tolerance, but ‘uppers’ such as cocaine and ecstasy can trigger reverse tolerance where suddenly a user has a bad effect from even a small dose,” he warned.
The research, published in this week’s British Medical Journal, identified the average profile of the person most likely to die on ecstasy: employed men in their late-20s who had taken the drug at the weekend.
Stephen Rowen, director of the Rutland Street Addiction Centre in Dublin said Irish ecstasy users tended to be in their late teens to mid-20s. He said many of those attending the centre used ecstasy, but it was not their primary drug.
While the heroin user may get treatment, ecstasy users remain outside the treatment circle, still attending clubs and using it with alcohol, often with devastating effects,” Mr Rowen said.
