From: [lamon t g] at [u.washington.edu] (Lamont Granquist)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: References and Shit (high SNR)
Date: 23 Jun 1994 10:19:54 GMT

First:

IF WHOEVER HAS THE MARCH ISSUE OF PSYCHIATRIC ANNALS CHECKED OUT AT THE
U OF W HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY WOULD RETURN IT I WOULD MOST APPRECIATE IT
(and you probably could have just xeroxed the entire thing at kinko's
 for all the library fines you've racked up...)

Onwards:

(MDMA + Depression, MDMA Neurotoxicity, PCP synthesis, Etryptamine
 fatalities, and LSD psychoses)

Riedlinger-TJ, Riedlinger-JE, "Psychedelic and Entactogenic Drugs in 
the Treatment of Depression."  Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.  26(1):41-55.
Jan-Mar 1994.

  Covers the use of MDMA ("Ecstasy") in treating depression.  Reviews an
  awful lot of stuff, and i haven't read it all yet -- looks good, though...

  "The value of MDMA is that it does not make its users feel better
  by transporting them into a naive state of bliss.  They are not unaware
  of the fact that their lives have been burdened by negative thinking
  based on fears and anxieties.  But MDMA seems to give them a different
  perspective for seeral hours by reducing their 'defensiveness and fear
  of emotional injury.'  It stimulates a _process_ by which they are able
  to look at their problems more objectively and thus transcend a feeling
  of hopeless entrapment.  Concurrently they feel more in touch with their
  positive emotions.  The drug gives them both the courage to confront their
  emotional problems and the strength to communicate constructively.
  Numerous examples of this process are described in Adamson's book.  One
  is the account of a 39-year-old woman who had been going through a
  period of guilt, self-doubt, and regret in regard to decisions she had
  made in the course of her life and her behavior in many relationships.
  After taking MDMA she reported: 'I now understand more clearly how i
  close myself up.  I am grateful that i now know _experientially_ that
  there is so much more to me, and to life, than I perceive on a daily
  basis."  Similar stories are told by many others.

O'Callighan-JP, Miller-DB, "Quantification of Reactive Gliosis as an
Approach to Neurotoxicity Assessment."  in NIDA Monograph #136, _Assessing
Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse_.  1993.

  This study uses a Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protien (GFAP) assay to measure
  the neurotoxicity of various drugs of abuse.  Included in the study
  were amphetamines, MPTP and MDMA.  The results were good an in agreement
  in the assays of amphetamines and MPTP.  The results on MDMA, however,
  did not indicate neurotoxicity at levels where 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels
  were depressed.  Levels of 30mg/kg twice daily for 7 days in the long-
  evan rat were used, and it was found that "these data indicate that an
  MDMA dose sufficient to produce a large and long-lasting decrease in
  5-HT was not sufficient to induce an astrocyte reaction characteristic
  of neuronal injury."  Only at levels of 75 to 150 mg/kg twice daily for
  2 days were sufficient to produce an increase in GFAP.  These results
  may indicate that MDMA is not as neurotoxic as was presumed and that
  changes in 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels may indicate 5-HT neuroplasticity or
  other morphological changes rather than direct 5-HT axonal neurotoxicity.
  Unfortunately, the commentary on this paper was not recorded due to
  technical difficulties, and i therefore i have no idea about how
  accepted this paper is, or what its weaknesses are...

Allen-AC, Robles-J, Dovenski-W, Calderon-S, "PCP:  A review of synthetic
methods for forensic clandestine investigation." Forensic Science 
International.  61:85-100.  1993.

  Review of the literature on the synthesis of PCP.  Includes a real-life
  case of a clandestine synthesis of PCP.  Interesting note:  why is the
  question "How much knowledge of chemistry did the clandestine chemist
  possess?" common?  does this have any weight on the sentencing?  The
  routes which have been encountered in clandestine chemistry labs are
  the ones from cyclohexanone with either a primary or secondary
  amine.  Most syntheses encountered in clandestine labs in the past ten
  years have been of reacting cyclohexanone with a secondary amine.  This
  paper also mentions some synthetic routes to Ketamine.

Morano-RA, Spies-C, Walker-FB, Plank-SM, "Fatal Intoxication Involving
Etryptamine."  Journal of Forensic Sciences.  38(3):721-725.  May 1993.

  Describes a case of a 19-year old female consuming two "hits" of 
  what was supposed to be "Ecstasy."  Etryptamine is ethyl-tryptamine
  or 3-(2-aminobutyl)-indole.  It is a MAOI which does not inhibit
  tryptophan hydroxylase.

Strassman-R, "Adverse Reactions to Psychedelic Drugs:  A Review of the
Literature."  Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.  172(10):577-595.
1984.

  Bit out of date, but comprehensive.  Covers references to the famous
  murder cases, suicides, and people going blind.  Mostly focused on
  LSD precipitating psychotic episodes, and other psychological
  sequalae to LSD use.

  "The multiplicity of symptoms and syndromes described in the 'adverse
  reaction' literature should make it clear that LSD can cause a number
  of reactions that can last for any amount of time--from minutes to
  possibly years.  I believe that what is being studied here is the
  question of the potential role of LSD in _accelerating_ or 
  _precipitating_ the onset of an illness that was "programmed" to develop
  ultimately in a particular individual--in a manner comparable to the
  major physical or emotional stress that often precipitates a bona
  fide myocardial infarction in an individual with advanced coronary
  atherrosclerosis.  The stress did not _cause_ the heart disease; it was
  only the stimulus that accelerated the inexorable prpocess to 
  manifest illness."

  he also remarks that short-lived paranoid reactions to LSD were
  in a group which were found to be: "more anxious, manipulative,
  hostile with conflicts about aggression, depressed and self-punitive;
  to feel physically impaired, prone to a though-disorder and confused
  in their identities; and likely to use projection as a defense."
  Although he did note that seriously psychologically unhealthy persons
  can use LSD with no bad reaction, and there is the occasional bad reaction
  in the person with no unusual prior psychological problems.

-- 
Lamont Granquist ([lamon t g] at [u.washington.edu])
"And then the alien anthropologists - Admitted they were still perplexed - But
on eliminating every other reason - For our sad demise - They logged the only
explanation left - This species has amused itself to death" -- Roger Waters