cannabisnews.com: Ecstasy Hope for Parkinson's Victim





Ecstasy Hope for Parkinson's Victim
Posted by FoM on February 07, 2001 at 11:30:47 PT
By Ian Marrow 
Source: Manchester Evening News 
A victim of crippling Parkinson's disease was able to perform amazing gymnastic stunts after taking the rave drug Ecstasy. Now Manchester University academics Dr Jonathan Brotchie and Prof Alan Crossman hope their findings will help in the search for new treatments for the brain disorder.But they warned that Ecstasy, which kills brain cells, is a ''dirty drug'' and is too dangerous to be used as a medicine in its present form. Former stuntman 39-year-old Tim Lawrence - who was diagnosed with the brain disorder six years ago - discovered the unexpected side effects of Ecstasy while out clubbing.
Anatomy experts Dr Brotchie and Prof Crossman have been looking for new treatments for Parkinson's for five years. They were asked to study video tapes of Mr Lawrence's transformation in which he is able to leap, somersault, swallow dive and perform backflips.''I must admit we were surprised at how dramatic the effect was,'' said Dr Brotchie. But he added: ''Ecstasy is a dirty drug. We don't know whether all Parkinson's sufferers would show the same effect, and we don't know exactly what was in the Ecstasy tablets he was taking. We would not want to encourage people to take what is in effect a very dangerous drug.''Tim doesn't feel any better when he's on it because of all the side effects, plus he's scared of killing his brain.''He said Mr Lawrence's experiences gave them hope that their own research was on the right tracks. He revealed that other ways of helping sufferers lead more useful and prolonged lives were being developed and some are already at the clinical trial stage.BBC2's Horizon screens Mr Lawrence's story on February 15.Source: Manchester Evening News (UK) Author: Ian Marrow Published: Wednesday February 07 2001 Address: 164 Deansgate, Manchester M60 2RD, England Copyright: GMG Regional Digital LtdFax: 0161 839 0968 Contact: postbag mcr-evening-news.co.uk Website: http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/index.htmlRelated Articles:Who Owns Ecstasy?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8592.shtmlLegal Ecstasy in Five Years? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8575.shtmlThe Disunited States of Ecstasyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8573.shtml 
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Comment #5 posted by DontArrestMe on February 07, 2001 at 18:40:35 PT
A Few Corrections
Frank, you are wrong on a couple of points. First of all, MDMA was never approved as a drug for use in humans and thus was never prescribed. It was not researched as an apetite suppresant either. Merck held the original patent on it; it was developed as an intermediate to see if it could have any applications in producing other chemicals. If you don't believe, just write to Dr. Shulgin, the person who rediscovered the drug in the 70's. Not trying to be picky, but there is too much misinformation about this drug already.
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Comment #4 posted by Frank on February 07, 2001 at 17:07:28 PT
Uncle Sam a Sick Paranoid?
''I must admit we were surprised at how dramatic the effect was,'' said Dr Brotchie. But he added: ''Ecstasy is a dirty drug. We don't know whether all Parkinson's sufferers would show the same effect, and we don't know exactly what was in the Ecstasy tablets he was taking. We would not want to encourage people to take what is in effect a very dangerous drug.''Tim doesn't feel any better when he's on it because of all the side effects, plus he's scared of killing his brain.''This drug was developed in Germany around the turn of the century. Thousands and thousands of prescriptions were written for its use in appetite suppression. There were no reports of brain damage among the thousands of patients that received the medication. However, this is a powerful drug that belongs in the hands of a physician. The “Drug War” is interfering with a physician’s ability to treat disease and pain.  It’s time the Government gets off the old brain damage bandwagon. No one believes it anymore. Uncle Sam is brain damaged and has become a sick paranoid that lies awake every night fretting about someone whom maybe smoking pot or jaywalking.   
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on February 07, 2001 at 15:22:17 PT:
I Told You So
I have spent most of my free time the last 10 years researching therapeutic applications of forbidden drugs, those Amerika terms Schedule I and devoid of any medical benefit. That is a fallacy on its face. Drugs have benefits and risks, and those are relative. Too much water can kill a person. We need more rationality from our government if it expects its messages to be heeded. Too many lies!
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Comment #2 posted by mungojelly on February 07, 2001 at 13:10:25 PT:
MDMA does NOT kill brain cells
MDMA doesn't kill brain cells. (At least they didn't say that it "makes holes in your brain" which is one of the urban legends going around. (P.S. There's no strychnine in LSD.)) The "neurotoxicity" that those government-funded scientists like to talk about is damage to serotonin receptors. No such damage has ever been detected in a human being, however. The studies were done on monkeys -- and even then there was no damage unless the monkeys were given an overdose (admittedly a fairly small overdose, as little as twice the standard dose). Furthermore, no actual cognitive impairment has ever been detected in MDMA using monkeys OR humans. People are being put in jail, organized crime is being handed another profitable product, a useful medicine is being oppressed -- all ostensibly on the grounds of some inconclusive research showing that long-term MDMA use may (or may not) damage serotonin receptors. Theoretically, that could cause clinical depression -- I guess they really really care about making sure that ravers are as happy as possible. 
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Comment #1 posted by dankhank on February 07, 2001 at 12:29:35 PT
what'd they say????
So what did the scientists tell Mr. Lawrence?????"We want to see if this drug helps you before it kills you?"WHAT were the side-effects alluded to in the opening paragraphs and then ignored in the all too brief story?What WAS the downside of clubbing, alluded to but not explained?Mr Lawrence must be in the unenviable position of saying no thanks, guys, I'd rather live in pain than die while summersaulting... or some such ...Just what was the point of this story?Is it hope? Or just another prohibitionist story?Wondering people want to know ...
hemp n stuff
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