Source: The West Australian
Contact: FAX: +61 8 94823830
Pubdate: Wed, 26 Aug 1998
Author: Wendy Pryer

ECSTASY USERS GET MIXED MESSAGE

ECSTASY users will get new guidelines on how much they should drink to ward
off deadly consequences of taking the drug because health experts are
concerned they are getting mixed messages.

A British study published in the Australian Doctor magazine this month warns
ecstasy users not to drink too much while on the drug because it can result
in low blood-sodium levels.

That condition, known as hypnotraemia, can cause the brain to swell.

But National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre researcher Paul Dillon
confirmed yesterday that a survey of ecstasy users conducted by the New
South Wales centre last year showed users had received mixed messages about
fluid intake and were now ignoring advice.

Previously, the advice had been that ecstasy users, who often danced for
hours and sweated a lot, should drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration,
but it was now known too many fluids were also dangerous.

The centre will soon release new safety guidelines on ecstasy use.

Mr Dillon said because people using ecstasy lost track of time, the advice
would be to sip, not gulp, water after every 12 dance tracks, which took
about an hour.

It would also warn people to drink water and not drink iso-tonic or sports
drinks, which could cause a dangerous jump in blood pressure. Alcohol was
also out.

Mr Dillon said he was concerned that many users of ecstasy believed the drug
was harmless.

Royal Perth Hospital emergency department consultant Tom Hitchcock said some
ecstasy users who came to the hospital were either dehydrated, overhydrated
or suffering from hyperthermia, which was when the body overheated.

"If they take ecstasy and don't drink water they don't sweat, lose control
of their temperature and can suffer severe harm from muscle meltdown," Dr
Hitchcock said.

The hospital treated ecstasy users on most Thursday, Friday and Saturday
nights though the drug was rarely taken in isolation. Many of the problems
were caused by a mixture of alcohol and ecstasy.

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Checked-by: Don Beck