Science / Medicine : Five Deaths Linked to ‘Designer Drug’

At least five deaths have been linked to use of the “designer drug” Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, according to neurologist Stephen Peroutka of Stanford University. The drug was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1986 because of its potential ability to damage brain cells, but illicit use continues, Peroutka said.

Designer drugs are chemical derivatives of illegal drugs that are developed to circumvent the law. Some designer drugs, like Ecstasy, have themselves been banned.

Some psychiatrists have urged the use of Ecstasy to achieve insights in psychotherapy because it reportedly induces euphoria and enhances self-awareness without psychotic effects or visual distortions.

“But if it’s so wonderful, why aren’t there Ecstasy addicts?” Peroutka asked. “The scientific evidence suggests that these unusual effects of the drug may relate to its long-term and potentially damaging effects on the human brain.”

In a separate paper, pharmacologist Edward F. Domino of the University of Michigan reported that PCP, also known as angel dust, can possibly protect the brain from damage during strokes and heart attacks.

The drug binds to a receptor in brain cells and prevents them from the hazardous effects of being flooded with an amino acid called glutamic acid. Domino and his colleagues are designing new drugs that would have the beneficial effects of PCP without its psychotic effects.