More Ecstasy-Users Checked Into Hospitals

March 25th, 2011

According to a recent study published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more people have been checked into Hospital Emergency Rooms in recent years due to complications from MDMA, otherwise known as Ecstasy.

The rate of such incidents have been climbing at a steady rate of 75% since 2004. 2008 reported 17,865 patients, significantly higher than 2004, when that 10,220. An overwhelming 69.3 percent were between 18 to 29, years old. An even more shocking number was the 17.9 percent that consisted of even younger patients between 12-17 years old, well below the legal limit for the clubs in which a majority of these drugs are ingested. Many of the hospitalized Ecstasy users combined the drug with alcohol.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy is hoping to spread awareness of the risks of Ecstasy, especially as spring break draws near, a time when Ecstasy usage is supposedly at its peak.

Indeed, while Ecstasy can induce feelings of euphoria and a sense of intimacy with those around, it can also produce poor side effects, especially when combined with other substances, such as rapid heartbeat, anxiety attacks, and hypertension.

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Brandon Yu, Senior Managing Editor