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The strange case of the man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills in nine years

The Guardian (UK) ^ | April 4, 2006 | by David McCandless

Posted on by aculeus

Doctors from London University have revealed details of what they believe is the largest amount of ecstasy ever consumed by a single person. Consultants from the addiction centre at St George's Medical School, London, have published a case report of a British man estimated to have taken around 40,000 pills of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, over nine years. The heaviest previous lifetime intake on record is 2,000 pills. Though the man, who is now 37, stopped taking the drug seven years ago, he still suffers from severe physical and mental health side-effects, including extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression. He also suffers from painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw which often prevents him from opening his mouth. The doctors believe many of these symptoms may be permanent.

The man, known as Mr A in the report in the scientific journal Psychosomatics, started using ecstasy at 21. For the first two years his use was an average of five pills per weekend. Gradually this escalated until he was taking around three and a half pills a day. At the peak, the man was taking an estimated 25 pills every day for four years. After several severe collapses at parties, Mr A decided to stop taking ecstasy. For several months, he still felt he was under the influence of the drug, despite being bedridden.

Hallucinations

His condition deteriorated and he began to experience recurrent tunnel vision and other problems including hallucinations, paranoia and muscle rigidity. "He came to us after deciding that he couldn't go on any more," said Dr Christos Kouimtsidis, the consultant psychiatrist at St George's Medical School in Tooting who treated him for five months. "He was having trouble functioning in everyday life."



(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...

TOPICS:

Extended News

United Kingdom

KEYWORDS:

discobiscuit

substanceabuse

Just legalize it!



To: aculeus

. . . "He was having trouble functioning in everyday life." . . . . . . and he didn't notice this for nine years?



by 2 posted onby AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))

To: aculeus

Active alcoholics end up the same way. A drug is a drug is a drug when you abuse it. Legalize it and at least we could have collected taxes on a guy like this for the nine years he was using!



To: aculeus

Its amazing he is functional at all. It apparently doesn't take much error in the bath tub manufacturing process to get a byproduct that causes Parkinson disease like symptoms.



Given the high level of in take the odds of avoiding a bad batch are almost negligible.



by 4 posted onby gondramB (Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's.)

To: AnAmericanMother

I found the appropriate video clip entirely by accident. Click on the one at the bottom.



http://www.vistalites.com/downloads/



by 5 posted onby cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)

To: aculeus; Horatio Gates

The man, known as Mr A Shouldn't that be "Mr. X"?



by 6 posted onby TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Hey liberals, you be straight trippin. I get paid to get in your business.)

To: aculeus

At the peak, the man was taking an estimated 25 pills every day for four years. Holy crap! He isn't having "complications," he just hasn't come down yet.



To: Recovering Ex-hippie

5 years ago this week i had a blood alcohol level of .34 a day after my last drink spent a week in the Hospital and 90 days in rehab and a year in sober living One does bulid a tolerence to drugs and alcohol



To: aculeus

"Users still claim "long lasting improvements in self-awareness, self-esteem, openness and insight into personal problems" Just in case all of that might make you think drugs may not be helpful, they've saved this for last.



To: al baby

congratulations!



Drug laws don't convince people to deal with their problems, for the majority of people. It's the other coonsequences that lead them to rehab...so lets legalize drugs , tax it and spend the $ on rehabs.



To: AnAmericanMother

.. . . "He was having trouble functioning in everyday life." . . .

. . . and he didn't notice this for nine years? "Eh... It's cool"



by 11 posted onby Oztrich Boy (Conscience: the inner voice which warns us that someone may be watching. - H L Mencken)

To: aculeus

Though the man, who is now 37, stopped taking the drug seven years ago, he still suffers from severe physical and mental health side-effects, including extreme memory problems, paranoia, hallucinations and depression. He also suffers from painful muscle rigidity around his neck and jaw which often prevents him from opening his mouth. The doctors believe many of these symptoms may be permanent.



Is it a man, or a sack of hamburger meat????



by 12 posted onby starbase (Understanding Written Propaganda (click "starbase" to learn 22 manipulating tricks!!))

To: aculeus

Just think how many he would have taken if it was legal!



To: aculeus

40,000 pills in 9 years equals just over 12 per day. I wonder how he'd being doing if he had 12 drinks per day for 9 years?



To: JmyBryan

How would he have fared on that many sugar pills (or salt pills.) Teach the controversy about the Placebo Effect.



To: JmyBryan

It pretty much is legal in England, I studied there back in 1999, go into any club and there are kids openly dealing. It is pretty laughable.



by 16 posted onby Conservomax (There are no solutions, only trade-offs.)

To: Trailerpark Badass

Sounds impossible to me actually. 12 a day ? He'd be long dead.



To: Recovering Ex-hippie

Legalize it and at least we could have collected taxes on a guy like this for the nine years he was using!



&&

The Brits might have a problem with our taxing their citizens, doncha' think?



To: JmyBryan

Just think how many he would have taken if it was legal! Sigh. I guess I should have put a big fat "this is sarcasm" note in my comment. I didn't imagine there were FReepers who would use this grotesque case to actually argue for legalization. .



To: Recovering Ex-hippie

The only drug that should be legalized is marijuana. All the other drugs should remain illegal.



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