Avid club goers may think popping Prozac is a good way to cut ecstasy’s nasty hangover. But new research indicates this kind of double dosing can cause dangerous side effects.

A study to be published later this year in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences looked at the effect of ecstasy on rats that had been given Prozac. University of Maryland, Baltimore, researchers Vijay Upreti and Natalie Eddington found that the exposure to ecstasy was 50 percent higher in rats given Prozac than in those given a placebo. Prozac also doubled the half-life of ecstasy.

In other words, when coupled with Prozac, ecstasy stays in your system longer and at a higher level, thus amplifying the surge in body temperature and blood pressure ecstasy brings on. That extra stress means great risk of an unintended side effect like a heart attack.

So think twice about popping Prozac after taking ecstasy, and if you’re taking Prozac for depression, just say no to “E.” There’s life after the dance floor.

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