WHERE'S YOUR HEAD AT?

National Drugs Campaign

GET THE FACTS

M

Marijuana (CANNABIS)

Pot, grass, weed, reefer, joint, Mary-Jane, Acapulco Gold, rope, mull, cone, spliff, dope, skunk, bhang, ganja, hash, chronic... More

I

Ice

Meth, crystal meth, d-meth, shabu, tina, glass... More

S

Speed

Uppers, ice, meth, crystal, whizz, snow, go-ee, shabu, point, paste, base, zip, eve, leopard's blood, oxblood, gogo, MDEA... More

E

Ecstasy

E, Ex, E and C, eccy, MDMA, PMA, adam, XTC, love drug, eggs... More

C

Cocaine

Coke, flake, snow, happy dust, Charlie, gold dust, Cecil, C, freebase, toot, white girl, Scotty, white lady. Crack cocaine-crack, rock, base, sugar block... More

H

Heroin

Horse, hammer, H, dope, smack, junk, gear, boy... More

C

GHB

G, fantasy, grievous bodily harm (GBH), liquid ecstasy and liquid E... More

AT

Alcohol + Tobacco

It's easy to forget that alcohol and tobacco are drugs too... More

DRUGS


Ecstasy


OTHER NAMES:
E, Ex, E and C, eccy, MDMA, PMA, Adam, XTC, love drug, eggs

IMPACTS:
At this stage there's not a lot of research about the long-term effects of using ecstasy, but it is seems that, particularly at high doses, there are definite health risks.

The symptoms of using ecstasy can include:

    • Increased blood pressure and pulse rate
    • Raised body temperature
    • Sweating
    • Overheating
    • Jaw clenching
    • Teeth grinding
    • Nausea
    • Anxiety
    • Tremors
    • Insomnia
    • Dilated pupils

Consequences of using ecstasy can include:

    • Chronic sleep problems
    • Cracked teeth through grinding
    • High blood pressure
    • Dehydration
    • Anxiety
    • Nervousness
    • Hallucinations
    • Decreased emotional control
    • Lethargy
    • Severe depression
    • Nerve cell damage
    • Thermal meltdown
    • Death from heart failure

OTHER FACTS:
Ecstasy is the street term for a number of substances that are similar to the chemical methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a stimulant with hallucinogenic properties. Like any illegal drug, there's no 'quality control' during the manufacturing of ecstasy, and so you can never be sure what you are actually taking. While the active ingredient of ecstasy is MDMA most pills do not contain any MDMA and are more likely to be made up of methamphetamine (speed) combined with a synthetic hallucinogen.

In hot and humid dance or rave environments the combination of taking ecstasy and dancing vigorously for long periods of time can cause dehydration and raise body temperature to dangerous levels. This increases the risk of death by overheating (hyperthermia).

In addition to the range of short- and long-term psychological problems that can result from ecstasy use, another consequence is the 'hangover effect'—depression that can last for days after using ecstasy.

MORE INFO / LINKS:
For information or help about drugs call the National Drugs Campaign Info Line on 1800 250 015 (freecall).

For more information about drugs and links to support services, go to the Helping Hands section of this site.