[Is the anxiety about Ecstasy justified?].

"Ecstasy", that is, MDMA and its analogues are derivatives of amphetamine. In consequence of its neurotoxicity, it can be acutely life-threatening, and can also have injurious long-term effects. A major role in its noxious effects is played by disorders in the serotonergic system and degeneration, in part irreversible, of serotonergic neurones (demonstrated in animals). Its, most youthful, users need to receive proper information that emphasizes rather than playing down its harmful effects.