The drug ecstasy, otherwise known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cannot compensate for the impairing effects of sleep loss on driving performance, according to research published in Psychopharmacology.
“Subjects in the present study were significantly impaired during MDMA treatments when deprived of sleep for one night,” the study found. “However, the prime factor causing these impairments was sleep deprivation rather than the use of MDMA itself”
“When applied in courts, one could rightfully pose the argument that such drivers should not be prosecuted for DUI since MDMA did not contribute to the impairments of the driver.”
Studies have found that regular recreational doses of ecstasy can improve some aspects of driving performance when administered during the day, but can also cause those under its influence to overreacted to speed decelerations.
Researchers from Germany and the Netherlands wondered how the drug would effect drivers who had stayed awake at a rave all night.
They gave eight healthy males and eight healthy females who had experience with ecstasy a single doses of placebo and various doses of the drug. The researchers then assessed the participants driving performance in the evening and in the morning after a night of sleep loss.
The study found that all of the participants had severe impairment in driving performance, but there was not a significant difference between those who had taken ecstasy and those who had taken a placebo.
Although MDMA did not appear to have an effect on driving performance for better or worse, the researchers warned that it could still prove troublesome for potential drivers.
“During MDMA intoxication, they may not be able to subjectively experience the debilitating effects of sleep loss to the same degree as drug-free drivers, because they feel energetic,” the researchers said. “As a consequence, they may decide to drive because they feel alert, thereby neglecting the impairing effects of other impairing factors such as sleep deprivation or even alcohol use.”