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Ecstasy Use In Parkinson's Disease With the recent press reports on Ecstasy being used by a British man with Parkinson's disease, it is essential that this is not interpreted as an endorsement for other sufferers to try it. The drug, which is illegal and dangerous, can alter brain serotonin levels in users. It has long been known that a drug working on the secretion of serotonin would improve the symptoms of a person with Parkinson's disease, especially if they are prone to depression. Drugs such as Prosac, have occasionally been prescribed for Pd. While they have helped some patients, in others it can increase symptoms such as shaking. Also the MOAB inhibitor Eldepryl, works by changing the serotonin levels, and was thought for sometime to be the first drug to slow the progress of Parkinson's. This is now in doubt. It may very well do so, but in Parkinson's disease the symptoms manifest themselves when 80% of the brain cells are already dead. By this stage it may be too late to halt the progress. However some doctors still prescribe it as part of the drug combination that people with Parkinson's generally have to take. To unbalance specialist treatment of a highly complex neurological disorder by using this designer drug, can be extremely dangerous. Under no circumstances should people with Pd take Ecstasy. It is produced by backyard chemists with little or no qualifications in the manufacture of drugs. Their motive is pure greed, and they have no qualms about what goes into the formula. According to the Minister for Customs, Amanda Vanstone, it is often mixed with ingredients such as crushed glass so that the drug takers feel a rush after taking the Ecstasy. It has also been found laced with strychnine and rat poison. It is essential that people with Parkinson's who either read about the claims or hear the information second hand, are not encouraged to experiment with this drug. The risk is simply too great. For further information contact your local Parkinson's organization or Peter Dawkins, CEO Parkinson's Australia.