A 22-year-old woman died from an apparent ecstasy overdose at a Vancouver house party early Sunday morning.

The woman was with a group of friends at a home in the 5500 block of Larch when she appeared to have a fatal reaction to the illegal recreational drug around 6 a.m. PT, police said.

The woman began experiencing shortness of breath, headaches and nausea. Friends told her to go lie down and were monitoring her, but the symptoms quickly escalated, according to Const. Lindsay Houghton.

Emergency personnel were called to the home, but the woman died later in hospital.

Houghton says the woman's friends took the same ecstasy with no apparent ill effects. That demonstrates how unpredictable and potentially deadly pills represented as ecstasy can be, he said.

"People should phone for a paramedic or an ambulance immediately. Instant medical attention could be critical in saving a person's life," said Houghton.

The woman, whose name has not been released, is the third to die from an apparent ecstasy overdose in the past three weeks around Metro Vancouver, according to Houghton.

There have been at least three other serious but non-fatal overdoses as well, police say.