Molly has received a great deal of attention in the last year, thanks, in part, to increased reports of death among concert-goers using the drug.
And, while Molly seems to have appeared out of nowhere, it is actually an old drug with a new name. Molly is the new name for ecstasy or MDMA and has been rebranded as a safer drug because it is more “pure”. This classification, combined with its perceived positive side effects of feeling “happy, open and unafraid”, has attracted a number of teens and young adults to experiment with the drug. But, Molly’s cheap prices and growing availability make it incredibly dangerous, especially to young concert-goers who believe the use of Molly is a normal, acceptable part of the concert experience.
Effects of Molly
Many who use Molly describe the sensation of “rolling” – users feel more stimulated by light, sound and touch – making it a popular drug choice at electronic music festivals. But, along with these seemingly “good” feelings comes a slew of negative side effects, including paranoia, nausea, depression and dehydration. These side effects are especially dangerous in hot, active settings such as EDM concerts putting countless users at risk.
Concert attendees may be dancing for hours in hot environments surrounded by hundreds of people and may not realize they are dehydrated. This environment also puts many at risk for hyperthermia, a common side effect of Molly use, which is an inability to regulate body temperature. This can cause users to die of dehydration or heart failure.
Molly is often portrayed as a pure, powder form of MDMA; however, testing done on many batches of “Molly” found at concerts, has proven the opposite. Many batches of Molly are actually a combination of other substances and it is nearly impossible to tell what is in each batch. Molly is often cut with other substances, such as hallucinogens, speed and chemicals found in bath salts, to simulate the effects of Molly and ecstasy. Since many users combine Molly with other drugs and alcohol, users are essentially mixing a number of unknown toxic chemicals together, putting themselves at risk for dangerous, and potentially deadly, side effects.
Molly can cause a number of adverse effects to the brain and body, and because it has only recently been popularized, much is still unknown about the consequences of frequent abuse. Many experience extreme lows following use of Molly: Lows that can last from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Many people also experience chills, agitation and anxiety. In addition, the cocktail of drugs that makes up Molly can cause such dangerous side effects as seizures, psychosis and intense panic attacks.
Molly’s growing presence at music festivals has been a major contributor to the increased number of emergency room visits and deaths in young adults frequenting the festivals. Emergency room visits related to the drug have increased by nearly 130 percent (128%) between 2005 and 2011 and only represents a small fraction of the growing rates of abuse among young adults in the United States.
While the addictive nature of Molly is still unknown, there’s no question that prolonged use of the drug increases dependency and risk for each and every user.
Click here to learn more about what Molly is, it’s side effects and treatment options.
Sources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/molly-drug-teens_n_4109512.html
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20131203/ecstasy-use-on-rise-again-among-us-teens-report
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