Doctors have described what is thought to be the worst recorded case of ecstasy abuse. During his four-year peak, Mr A, the subject of the report appearing in the journal Psychosomatics, was consuming 25 pills a day.

Now 37, Mr A ended his mammoth bender seven years ago, after three episodes where his body simply collapsed under the pressure of his constant happy pill snaffling.

He is still suffering the physical and psychological consequences. He is gripped by long-term depression and anxiety. His jaw and neck muscles have seized up thanks to the characterisic "gurning" the drug induces.

During brain function assessments, the team at the University of London say Mr A was unable to even remember the sequence of tasks he was asked to perform. His performance was in the bottom 10 per cent for every measure.

The researchers reckon Mr A's "polydrug misuse" - he supplemented his ecstasy habit with solvents, cannabis, anti-depressants, speed, LSD, cocaine and heroin - didn't help either.

Surprisingly though, scans of Mr A's drug-addled brain did not show any major abnormalities.®

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