PMA and PMMA - Consequences

Consequences

Because PMA is found mixed with or as a replacement for ecstasy, the social consequences of PMA usage go along with those of ecstasy usage. The individual consequences of PMA contamination of ecstasy pills, however, are far more dangerous. Unknowing ecstasy or PMA users may find themselves in great danger: they could experience an uncontrollable rise in body temperature, convulsions, coma, and death. Ecstasy alone has caused accidental overdoses and deaths in the past. However, with the emergence of PMA, the death rate has increased steadily.

Ecstasy, and PMA through the disguise of ecstasy, are social drugs. They are perceived to be harmless, "feel good" drugs that are most often used by teenagers and young adults at parties and nightclubs. Studies have shown that a large number of people who use ecstasy tend to be attracted to the techno-style rave scene. Raves have become a major source of illegal ecstasy distribution and are likely one of the main sources of the ecstasy "epidemic." There is scientific proof that ecstasy is not a safe drug, however. A number of experiments in both animals and more recently in humans have confirmed that club drugs, particularly ecstasy, are not harmless, "feel good" drugs at all. They pose serious health risks and long-term effects.

Club drug users often have difficulty coping with life situations, anger, depression, or low self-esteem prior to drug usage. These problems often cause individuals to seek an escape or relief from their troubles. Drug use supplies an escape route by allowing the users to forget their worries and experience positive sensations instead. After the drug's initial high, users can be sent into extreme depression, resulting in social withdrawal and cravings for more of the drug. This could result in financial problems and drug-related crime. The use of these drugs is also associated with an increase in sexual activity. Those in a drug-induced state may engage in sexual activities they would otherwise avoid. Moreover, individuals who use ecstasy risk serious psychological and physical damage, such as panic attacks, hallucinations, paranoia, and loss of memory and sense of reality. And when PMA comes into the picture, users risk even more serious complications and possible death.

The negative effects of club drugs such as ecstasy are not limited to the user alone. Findings released in 2001 in the Journal of Neuroscience found the first evidence that prenatal (before birth) effects of ecstasy used by the mother could include memory loss and other impairments in offspring. Rodents exposed to the drug during critical stages of brain development were found to have memory and learning problems.