Introduction: It is known that the use of illegal drugs contributes to the global burden of disease. The use of illegal drugs is related to chronic to acute health problems that are being exacerbated by a variety of factors, including the method of application, the vulnerability of the individual, and the social environment in which drugs are consumed. The chronic problems include addiction and drug related communicable diseases. On the other hand, there is a variety of acute problems, some of which depend on the used drug, the most documented problems being those caused by overdose. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to describe dangers of the drug ecstasy and the most common health complications based on the literature. The purpose is also to create safety recommendations for potential ecstasy users and when to call emergency in case of ecstasy intoxication. Methods: Descriptive method through a systematic review and analysis of the literature in databases: Medline, ProQuest, ERIC, ScienceDirect, CINAHL using shared bibliographic-catalog database COBIB.SI and relevant websites of professional organizations in the field of drugs. Discussion and Conclusion: Ecstasy is the most popular synthetic drug among young people. Ecstasy users belive in the relative safety of this drug, yet the research literature reports great risk of ecstasy for health. In vulnerable individuals, the use of ecstasy can cause life-threatening, and sometimes long term physical and psychic complications and consequences. The professional literature dealing with mental health emphasises the risk of different kind of disorders, which can be long-term and treatment resistant. Education of ecstasy users is one of preventive activities that can significantly decrease risk behaviour and its consequences in this population.
|