Ecstasy is a stimulant used to enhance an individual’s sense of well-being or intimacy and to reduce anxiety. About 15 million Americans have used this stimulant at some point in their lives. Many young adults use ecstasy to boost their energy levels. Other users seek the sense of euphoria that ecstasy provides. Ecstasy is highly addictive and its overdose could lead to death. This article outlines the most common street names for ecstasy.
What Is Ecstasy?
Ecstasy is the slang name for methylene dioxy methamphetamine (MDMA), which is a combination of a stimulant and a hallucinogen. MDMA and methamphetamine have similar chemical components. Criminals manufacture the ecstasy sold on the streets. They mix MDMA with other ingredients and sell the drug in tablets. These tablets contain between 0-50% MDMA and ingredients which mostly include caffeine, aspirin, and over-the-counter medications. Dextromethorphan or DXM is one of the most dangerous ingredients in street ecstasy. Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant found in many cough syrups.
Criminals use between 13 and 14 times of the amount of DXM used in cough syrup to make ecstasy. Some of the health risks of consuming such high amounts of DXM include hallucinations, heatstroke, and death. DXM inhibits sweating which could lead to heatstroke and death. Another common addictive to ecstasy is paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA), which is an illegal drug. PMA is a potent hallucinogen with same effects as MDMA. It raises the body temperature at a faster rate than MDMA. Ecstasy tablets have different colors and logos. Some of the logos include a butterfly, lightning bolt, heart, star, clover, and Zodiac sign. Ecstasy is also sold in powder form and in capsules.
Street Names for Ecstasy
Ecstasy is, most of the time, in the form of tablet or pill with different colors. But it may also appear in crystallized or powdered form, such as molly. The popular nicknames and street names for ecstasy include:
- Candy
- Adam
- Beans
- Dancing shoes
- Doves
- Disco biscuits
- X, E or XTC
- Malcolm or Malcolm X
- Sweets
- E-bomb
- Egg rolls
- Hug drug
- Happy pill
- Molly
- Skittles
- Smartees
- Thizz
- Scooby snacks
- Vowels
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin X
Street Names for Ecstasy Use and Abuse
Your child could use or refer to ecstasy if you do not know the street names for ecstasy and its use. Some of the slang terms that refer to using or abusing ecstasy include:
- Drop or double drop
- Flip or flipping
- Thizzing
- Roll or rolling
- E-tard
- Raver or raving
- Cuddle puddle or E-puddle
The Dangers of Ecstasy
The immediate health risk of using ecstasy is very high body temperature and dehydration. The super-elevated body temperature and dehydration occur irrespective of the level of use of the drug and could lead to death. The probable response to these side effects is to drink water. However, if a user takes lots of water too quickly, he or she is likely to face worse side effects. This is because taking a lot of water quickly dilutes sodium in the blood thereby reducing its content in the blood. When the level of sodium is low, the brain cells suck water through osmosis and swell. The swollen cells increase pressure on the brain stem. The brain stem controls the heart and breathing. A swollen brain will lead to a coma or death.
Other physical effects of ecstasy include:
- Nausea or fainting
- Muscle tension
- Jaw complications
- Headache, chills, and sweating
- Acne-like rashes on the face and neck
- Blurred vision
- Poor dental health
- Involuntary body movements
- Tremors
- High blood pressure
- Kidney failure
- Heart attack
- Seizures or stroke
- High heart rate
- Liver damage
- Destruction of brain cells
- Ecstasy has psychological effects that include:
- Hallucinations or confusion
- Poor sleeping patterns
- Addiction
- Making poor decisions
- Anxiety and paranoia
- Causing accidents or violence
- Depression and suicidal thoughts
- Irrational behavior and reduced ability to process serotonin
What If Your Child Is Ecstasy Addicted?
Armed with the knowledge of all the street names for ecstasy, and its physical and psychological effects, you now need to talk to your child or teen about drug abuse. Research indicates that about 10% of the 1.4 million teens that are addicted to substance and drug abuse receive recovery treatment. Your child or teen could be among the 90% that experience substance and drug abuse problems but receive no treatment. If you suspect your teen is involved in drug abuse or drinking, take immediate action. Most teens experiment with different drugs. If you take immediate action, you will prevent the experimentation process from turning into drug abuse and addiction.
If you think your child is experimenting with any drugs or alcohol, begin to monitor his or her actions closely. Set reasonable rules with enforceable consequences. Do not deny that your teen has a drug abuse or alcohol problem. Ask for help if you are unable to deal with the problem on your own. You can enroll your teen to one of the drug and alcohol treatment programs. These programs are tailored to teens.