Citation

Oesterheld JR, Armstrong SC, Cozza KL. Psychosomatics 2004; 45(1): 84-87.

Affiliation

Spurwink School, Portland, Me, USA.

Comment In:

Psychosomatics. 2005 Mar-Apr;46(2):189

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1176/appi.psy.45.1.84

PMID

14709765

Abstract

At "raves," young people dance and ingest illicit drugs, the most common of which is MDMA (N-methyl-3,4,-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or "ecstasy." This drug is metabolized principally through the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) 2D6 enzyme. Pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions can occur if MDMA is combined with other recreational or therapeutic drugs that are 2D6 inhibitors. Ecstasy concentration may increase to cause toxicity. Since ecstasy is pro-serotonergic, it may also be involved in pharmacodynamic drug-drug interactions when other pro-serotonergic drugs are combined with it, leading to a central serotonin syndrome. Some drugs are both pro-serotonergic and CYP450 2D6 inhibitors and, if co-administered with ecstasy, may cause both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic drug-drug interactions.

Language: en