Report says FDA may allow Ecstacy to be used by terminally ill
Posted: 08.22.2011 at 1:50 PM

How do you feel about terminally ill patients using Ecstacy? Leave us your comments.

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A new report says the illegal drug, Ecstacy, could be used to help cancer patients in their final days.

MSNBC  reports the “Food and Drug Administration has approved a pilot study, looking at whether the recreational hallucinogen can help terminally ill patients lessen their fears, quell thoughts of suicide and make it easier for them to deal with loved ones.”

The street drug is illegal across the nation, but much like marijuana, some say it could give comfort to those suffering at the end of their life.

Aside from the often frightful hallucinations, Ecstacy can also produce high blood pressure, blurred vision, faintness, muscle cramping, confusion, panic attacks, and more, according to the National PTA.  The organization also says it can cause seizures, strokes, kidney failure, and other deadly outcomes.

MSNBC reports that Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, and the Lahey Clinic are also working with the FDA on investigating whether this drug could be useful to the terminally ill.

How do you feel about terminally ill patients being given Ecstacy? Leave us your comments, or join the NBC25 Facebook conversation.