Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(street names Ecstasy,
MDMA, E or X
)
[back]
Amphetamine
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine), most commonly known by the street names Ecstasy, E or X.
MDMA was legal in the United States until May 31, 1985 [2]. Before then, it was used both as an adjunct to psychotherapy and as a recreational drug. MDMA began to be used therapeutically in the mid-1970s after the chemist Alexander Shulgin introduced it to psychotherapist Leo Zeff. As Zeff and others spread word about MDMA, it developed a reputation for enhancing communication, reducing psychological defenses, and increasing capacity for introspection. However, no formal measures of these putative effects were made and blinded or placebo-controlled trials were not conducted. A small number of therapists–including George Greer, Joseph Downing, and Philip Wolfson–used it in their practices until it was made illegal.