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- From: lamont@hyperreal.com (Lamont Granquist)
- Newsgroups: alt.drugs,alt.drugs.psychedelics
- Subject: Re: Ecstacy fatality: URBAN LEGEND
- Date: 21 Apr 1995 20:01:14 GMT
- Message-ID: <3n92ua$sic@nntp4.u.washington.edu>
-
- jstoiche@mv.us.adobe.com (Jim Stoicheff) writes:
- >Until someone cites a source that can be verified, I'm chalking this all
- >up to urban legend. If you have a newspaper or magazine article you can
- >post here, that would be helpful. A medical journal article would be most
- >helpful. I've contacted Bruce Eisner, author of Ecstacy: The MDMA
- >Experience to find whether there's any truth to the idea that plain old
- >MDMA can cause death in normal healthy humans when used in the normal
- >dosage levels.
-
- Here's some references. In particular check out the Lancet article, which
- demonstrates that normal recreational dosage levels can cause MDMA-DIC.
- It has been argued that this is due to excertional heat stroke -- but as
- Peter McDermott has pointed out, most MDMA is taken at raves or clubs
- so a strong corrolation between MDMA-DIC and excertion would be expected.
- Amphetamine ODs produce DIC without either exertion or higher ambient
- temperature (there's a late 70's article on this, which should be referenced
- in the Lancet article or another of these -- I don't know the reference
- offhand), so its quite plausible that its not necessary for MDMA-DIC.
- Apparently there have also been some cases where normal doses of MDMA were
- taken outside of raves and without elevated ambient temperature or
- excertion and resulted in DIC -- they haven't, however, been published to
- my knowledge.
-
- Document 1
- Accession No.: 94208797.
- Author: Forrest-A-R. Galloway-J-H. Marsh-I-D. Strachan-G-A. Clark-J-
- C.
- Title: A fatal overdose with 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
- derivatives.
- Source: Forensic-Sci-Int. 1994 Jan. 64(1). P 57-9.
- Journal Title: FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL.
- Abstract: Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA or 'Ecstasy') is the best
- known of the 3,4-methylenedioxy ring-substituted amphetamines.
- Reports of serious adverse reactions and fatalities associated
- with its use emphasise hyperpyrexia, profuse sweating and
- subsequent rhabdomyolysis, although cardiac deaths and
- fatal accidents whilst intoxicated are also prominent. Other
- 3,4-methylenedioxy ring-substituted amphetamines are also
- available in the illicit market place and may have different
- spectra of activity. We report here a case of fatal ingestion
- of a variety of drugs of this group.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 2
- Accession No.: 94113296.
- Author: Watson-J-D. Ferguson-C. Hinds-C-J. Skinner-R. Coakley-J-H.
- Title: Exertional heat stroke induced by amphetamine analogues.
- Does dantrolene have a place?
- Source: Anaesthesia. 1993 Dec. 48(12). P 1057-60.
- Journal Title: ANAESTHESIA.
- Abstract: There are increasing numbers of patients admitted to hospital
- as a result of ingesting amphetamine-like drugs. The most
- severe cases exhibit hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis,
- coagulopathy and renal failure. We describe six such patients
- with varying severity of intoxication, and have reviewed the
- recent literature with particular reference to the use of
- dantrolene. One of our patients died but the others all
- survived. There is little evidence that dantrolene influenced
- the outcome in patients reported to date. We believe that a
- controlled trial should be carried out in amphetamine-related
- hyperthermia before the use of dantrolene becomes widespread.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 3
- Accession No.: 93280713.
- Author: Barrett-P-J. Taylor-G-T.
- Title: 'Ecstasy' ingestion: a case report of severe complications.
- Source: J-R-Soc-Med. 1993 Apr. 86(4). P 233-4.
- Journal Title: JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 4
- Accession No.: 93311658.
- Author: Tehan-B. Hardern-R. Bodenham-A.
- Title: Hyperthermia associated with 3,4-
- methylenedioxyethamphetamine ('Eve').
- Source: Anaesthesia. 1993 Jun. 48(6). P 507-10.
- Journal Title: ANAESTHESIA.
- Abstract: A patient was admitted with hyperthermia, muscle rigidity,
- rhabdomyolysis and disseminated intravascular
- coagulation. He was initially thought to have taken 3,4-
- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy'), but
- subsequent toxicology revealed the presence of 3,4-
- methylenedioxyethamphetamine (MDEA, 'Eve'), its sister drug,
- in his blood. Subsequent in vitro testing for malignant
- hyperthermia proved to be negative.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 5
- Accession No.: 92391619.
- Author: Singarajah-C. Lavies-N-G.
- Title: An overdose of ecstasy. A role for dantrolene [see comments]
- Source: Anaesthesia. 1992 Aug. 47(8). P 686-7.
- Comment: Comment in: Anaesthesia. 1993 Jan. 48(1). P 82-3. Comment
- in: Anaesthesia. 1993 Jan. 48(1). P 83. Comment in:
- Anaesthesia. 1993 Feb. 48(2). P 179-80. Comment in:
- Anaesthesia. 1993 Jun. 48(6). P 542-3.
- Journal Title: ANAESTHESIA.
- Abstract: An overdose of the semisynthetic, hallucinogenic amphetamine
- 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine resulted in
- convulsions, hyperthermia, hyperkalaemia and
- rhabdomyolysis. The patient's management, which included
- the use of dantrolene, is discussed.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 6
- Accession No.: 92349809.
- Author: Henry-J-A. Jeffreys-K-J. Dawling-S.
- Title: Toxicity and deaths from 3,4-
- methylenedioxymethamphetamine ("ecstasy") [see comments]
- Source: Lancet. 1992 Aug 15. 340(8816). P 384-7.
- Comment: Comment in: Lancet. 1992 Sep 19. 340(8821). P 725-6. Comment
- in: Lancet. 1992 Sep 19. 340(8821). P 726.
- Journal Title: LANCET.
- Abstract: The risk of adverse reactions to 3,4-
- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), more commonly known as
- "ecstasy", is now widely known in both the USA and UK, but the
- patterns of illness remain varied. We report our experience
- during 1990 and 1991. There has been a recent increase in cases
- of severe toxicity following recreational misuse of small
- amounts of MDMA. Among 7 fatalities, the pattern of toxicity
- included fulminant hyperthermia, convulsions, disseminated
- intravascular coagulation, rhabdomyolysis, and acute
- renal failure. Until now, there have been few reports of this
- type of toxicity from MDMA, which may be related both to the
- potential of the drug to alter thermoregulation and to the
- circumstances of misuse. In addition, we have monitored 7 cases
- of hepatotoxicity and suspect that the frequency of this
- complication is increasing; a history of MDMA misuse should be
- sought in young people presenting with unexplained jaundice or
- hepatomegaly. We also describe 5 subjects involved in road
- traffic accidents in whom MDMA was identified. Misuse of MDMA
- can have severe acute toxic effects; few data are available
- concerning long-term morbidity, and this deserves close
- monitoring in future.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 7
- Accession No.: 92177911.
- Author: Screaton-G-R. Singer-M. Cairns-H-S. Thrasher-A. Sarner-M.
- Cohen-S-L.
- Title: Hyperpyrexia and rhabdomyolysis after MDMA ("ecstasy")
- abuse [letter; comment]
- Source: Lancet. 1992 Mar 14. 339(8794). P 677-8.
- Comment: Comment on: Lancet. 1991 Nov 23. 338(8778). P 1335.
- Journal Title: LANCET.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Document 8
- Accession No.: 91287077.
- Author: Chadwick-I-S. Curry-P-D. Linsley-A. Freemont-A-J. Doran-B.
- Title: Ecstasy, 3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a
- fatality associated with coagulopathy and hyperthermia [see
- comments]
- Source: J-R-Soc-Med. 1991 Jun. 84(6). P 371.
- Comment: Comment in: J-R-Soc-Med. 1992 Jan. 85(1). P 61.
- Journal Title: JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --
- Lamont Granquist (lamont@hyperreal.com)
-
-
-