THOSE of you hallucinating on Ecstasy, beware. The phantoms that this drug conjures up are not as fleeting as you might think. At least three British studies claim that a weekend dose of Ecstasy can trigger forgetfulness, poor concentration and mid-week blues bad enough for the individual to seek clinical treatment.
Valerie Curran of University College, London, says the drug's after-effects are worse than those of drink. The melancholia that grips Ecstasy users is deeper, takes several days to appear and lasts longer, she told the New Scientist. Two other unpublished studies have unearthed evidence indicting Ecstasy as a memory-marauder. In most memory tests, Ecstasy users did almost twice as badly as alcohol users. Several days after a night out clubbing, regular Ecstasy users typically recalled about 30 per cent fewer words than those who had never taken the drug. But most importantly, Ecstasy users have much longer depression-spells than alcoholics. While the drinkers snapped out of it by Wednesday, Ecstasy users had slid deeper into depression. Many would have qualified for anti-depressants, says Curran.
The studies are significant because till now most studies had found little evidence against Ecstasy as a depression-trigger. Psychologists, however, warn against alarmist interpretations. "The effects we are seeing are mild but could cause problems for students taking exams," warns Curran.