Ectasy Brain Damage

[Yvonne Marie]

My twenty year old son is in a clinical depression for almost a year now.  He is sometimes grandiose delusional, paranoid.  He was living with his brothe and in college when this all took place.  The older brother tells me the affected one only did Ectasy 3 - 5 times.  Is is possible that this depression is caused by the Ectasy use?  Is it possible that permanent brain damage has taken place after 3 - 5 times of use?  What tests must be ordered to determine such - MRI, high density CAT?

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Unfortunately, it is well documented that ecstasy, an amphetamine derivative that hit the markets as a "designer drug" can cause long term psychiatric problems long after the drug has been discontinued.  The drug is thought to disrupt the brain's serotonin system (a chemical neurotransmitter that is important for many cognitive functions), though the exact pathway is not well known. Resistant depression, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, memory loss, and inability to make decisions have all been described as side effects of the drug. It is possible that his symptoms are a result of the drug even after only 3-5 times, although I'm not quite sure if there's any simple lab test or imaging study that could say definitively whether or not his symptoms are all due to ecstasy.

However, it would be important to rule out any other diseases that could cause all of these symptoms such as primary neurological  problems or psychiatric diseases such as manic depressive disorder or schizophrenia.  Start with a neurologist and get a formal exam done and possibly an MRI of his brain. Routine laboratory tests should also be done. Finally, a psychiatrist would also be helpful in finding the right diagnosis so that your son can be treated appropriately. Good luck.

[satania]

All I really have to say is that I've done over 450 tabs of ectasy. I don't do it anymore because I am starting to get alot of side effects from it the last time I took a tab was about 7 months ago. Anyways I have arthritis in my back now and I can probably only remember about a month and not a whole month at one time for the past 2 years. However my guestion is what kinds of effects will I or can I receive from this drug, and will it be a life long effect.

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Melissa

[pam593]

A related discussion, curious about ectasy componets was started.