Prozac and MDMA

[back2basics-]

Prozac Remed-E?

14 February 2001

With the rampant and persistent media exposure, you might think that anyone who's oblivious to the perils of Ecstasy has been living on a different planet. And sure enough, those on the 'rave planet', though aware of all the warnings and the horror-stories, still seem to be carrying on regardless. According to a recent survey by Mixmag, the number of UK clubbers who have taken ecstasy is 97.7%, with a further 19% admitting to have taken between 10 and 30 tablets in one session. Despite public exposure of ecstasy fatalities, only 7.5% in the survey said they were afraid of overdose. And though 75.2 % claimed to have experienced depression for 3 days after taking ecstasy, only 6% said they were worried by the risk of serious depression, whilst a mere 4.3% claimed to be deterred by the threat of neurotoxic damage ... However, the penny seems to be beginning to drop, with some clubbers at least. They are becoming increasingly wary of the potential nuerotoxic effects of E; however, it seems that they want to have their ecstasy cake and eat it. And at this point, prozac enters the picture ...

Recent US scientific experiments show that prozac appears to protect against the neurotoxic effects of ecstasy in animals, when it is administered within a certain time after the drug. According to a CBS Health Watch Report, rats given MDMA then given prozac up to 6 hrs later were found not to sustain neurotoxic damage, whilst rats given prozac more than 7 hrs later than ecstasy did appear to be neurotoxically impaired. Rumours from the scientific grapevine have begun to seep onto the dancefloor. As a result, some clubbers now take a cocktail of Prozac and ecstasy, in the hope that Prozac may nullify the neurotoxic risks associated with the drug. Can ecstasy users cheat the system? Does prozac prevent E-related neurological damage?

Medical evidence suggests that the neurotoxic damage caused by ecstasy begins when certain cells in the brain (those responsible for serotonin production) release a flood of serotonin all at once. This barrage of serotonin is responsible for the 'euphoric' sensations associated with MDMA use. However, after this euphoric tide has subsided, the serotonin-producing cells have effectively spent all their wages at once ... they try to absorb more of the chemical, but because the brain has binged on its own supply, there isn't any left. So instead, the cells end up absorbing dopamine (the brain's depressant chemical) or toxic chemicals left over from the Ecstasy. During absorption of these negative chemicals, the brain cells can become permanently damaged. They theory behind the protective effect of Prozac is that it may sheild the receptor cells from the harmful chemicals until they disperse.

Whilst there is evidence to suggest that Prozac protects rats from ecstasy-related neurotoxic harm, there is no concrete proof that it has the same effect in humans. Other theories suggest that if Prozac does protect against ecstasy damage, it may also serve the purpose of blocking the psychoactive effect of the drug, which, presumably, is exactly what is desired by an ectasy user. Furthermore, there are a mutlitude of concerns about the unknown effects of combining the two drugs. One such concern is that taking Prozac as a protective measure may, in reality, be cutting off the nose to spite the face ... some experts warn that taking the combination may damage another part of the brain whilst protecting another. The only true way to protect oneself from ecstasy is not to take it in the first place. Remember that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

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I want to go out blazing..not fade away.

When the party was in progress and unidentified frequency has been existing in the system for some time - Freak Frequency