Ecstasy causes more deaths than other amphetamines
January 29, 2010
Research into the effects of ecstasy on young people has shown that it is more likely to cause death than other similar substances. Ecstasy is an amphetamine derivative, but despite this fact the amount of people dying after taking the drug was higher that those who died from other amphetamines. The people dying were also younger and fitter than other amphetamine users. At present doctors do not know why this is. They examined data collected between 1997 and 2007 by the British Crime Survey and the National Programme on Substance Abuse and found that out of 832 people who had died after using amphetamines or methamphetamines a total of 605 had succumbed after taking ecstasy. These figures suggest that the drug is more dangerous that crystal meth or speed.
Professor Fabrizio Shifano from the School of Pharmacy ay the University of Hertfordshire said that 16 to 24-year-olds were most at risk although he could not say why. He said that this was a cause for concern because it was this age group who were most likely to use the drug. Shifano pointed out that because ecstasy and amphetamines were in the same family of drugs the death rate from both should be equal. He said that further research needed to be done to find out why they were not.
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