Ecstasy May Relieve Parkinson's Symptoms
v1.0 - Sep 2003
There has been a lot of media attention around researchers who have tried to show that MDMA (Ecstasy) may cause damage to the dopamine system which could lead to parkinson's like symptoms [see Ricaurte].
An interesting side note about MDMA & Parkinson's disease is that it was reported in February 2001 that a man who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's in his mid 30's and had subsequently taken ecstasy, discovered that for around 6-8 hours, he regained muscular control and felt many of the Parkinson's symptoms recede. "I was suddenly looking down at my body aware that the twitching had gone, and I had this incredible fluidity. I was completely normal" (Time.com, February 19, 2001 Vol. 157 No. 7).
BBC published an interview with this man in 2001 as did the magazine New Scientist.
Links:
An interesting side note about MDMA & Parkinson's disease is that it was reported in February 2001 that a man who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's in his mid 30's and had subsequently taken ecstasy, discovered that for around 6-8 hours, he regained muscular control and felt many of the Parkinson's symptoms recede. "I was suddenly looking down at my body aware that the twitching had gone, and I had this incredible fluidity. I was completely normal" (Time.com, February 19, 2001 Vol. 157 No. 7).
BBC published an interview with this man in 2001 as did the magazine New Scientist.
Links:
- Ecstasy 'relieves Parkinson's Disease', BBC Feb 2001
- Ecstasy has dramatic effect on Parkinson's symptoms, Nov 2002 New Scientist
- Time.com (Broken Link)