By D. PARVAZ 
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER 

As long as there are late-night and all-night parties, various forms of stimulants will be widely used: Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA for short) and MDA and MDEA, two others that are similar in structure.

If there were any question on the rising popularity of these drugs, check this out:
Over 1 million MDMA pills were seized by customs officials at New York's Kennedy Airport over the last nine months alone.
MDMA pills are manufactured in the Netherlands for about $2 each and are sold for $25 to $40 per pill. This makes smuggling and dealing Ecstasy big business.

Usually available in powder and pill form, Ecstasy -- also known as "E" or "X" -- is a massive part of the party scene, especially raves. Although MDMA is definitely a stimulant, its somewhat hallucinogenic effects set it apart from other drugs in that family. It can also fill the user with a sense of empathy.

MDMA's uncommon combination of effects has led researchers to put it in a category by itself -- the category entactogen.

The effects of MDMA -- once known as the "love drug" -- are meant to amplify the generally positive atmosphere at techno parties, which are based on the concepts of unity and acceptance. Interestingly enough, the rave culture has made fashionable allowances for some of MDMA's negative side-effects. One of those side-effects is grinding one's teeth, the reason pacifiers have become standard party gear.

When it comes to MDMA, pharmacology professor Wilkie Wilson doesn't mince any words. He describes the drug as "the most neurotoxic drug out there. By that I mean killing nerve cells. It is a bad drug, and unfortunately, it makes people feel wonderful.

"There are a lot of liberal middle-class people that use this drug and they don't like the fact that I say it's not a good drug, despite the fact that the evidence is there."

Wilson says MDMA damages the brain's serotonin system, the neurochemical through which anti-depressants such as Prozac work. Wilson's description of MDMA's damage to the serotonin system is dramatic: He says it kills the system.

"(Users) can't see these bad things happening ... because it's slow, and it's insidious ... so that's even more of a reason for those of us who can remain credible to get out there and talk about this drug."

Not everyone agrees with Wilson's view. Some researchers and drug users argue that there are too many random variables in the research labeling MDMA a neurotoxin. A list of these arguments can be found on the Web at:  www.ecstasy.org

What remains disconcerting -- no matter what the drug's effects -- is the fact that so many different drugs are sold on the street as MDMA. It might be substandard MDMA prepared by an inept biochemistry major, or it might not be MDMA at all.

MindBodyLove's Bill Hayley has also come across a certain group of dealers selling the "date-rape drug" Rohypnol and PCP as Ecstasy. 

The damage

Can you say "cognitive dysfunction?" Research done at London's Imperial College School of Medicine concludes that MDMA damages your memory. As in, you'll have a hard time recognizing people, remembering lists and phone numbers, etc.  It won't kill you, nor will it turn you into a blithering idiot (MDMA doesn't touch the frontal lobes of your brain, which control verbal fluency and such).

So how do you know if you've done enough MDMA to damage yourself? Wilson gives a list of behavioral clues: Clinical depression, irritability and anxiety between uses, sleeping and eating problems.

He says these problems are the result of impaired serotonin function. A deficit in serotonin is why some depressed patients require Prozac.

Pre-existing risk factors

Some health conditions make taking this drug a very bad idea. Wilson targets anyone with cardiovascular problems, including hypertension, any mental health problems and epilepsy. He worries about the effects combined with the atmosphere of some of the more poorly organized parties -- a packed warehouse with little ventilation and no source of water, for example. Because MDMA is a stimulant of sorts, Wilson's advice is hardly surprising but well worth repeating.

Dangerous combinations

There's not much in the way of conclusive research here, but Wilson nonetheless warns that it's never a good idea to mix alcohol with anything. Because alcohol is not part of the rave scene, this is more of a concern at clubs and house parties.