Ephedrine
- Thread starter jane76
- Start date
Ephedrine is Ma Huang. Do you remember how many people died from heart attacks because of this????
I posted this in the past regarding diet supplements....
Do you remember Dexedrin, a big diet pill from the 1990's. It, like many diet pills, is an amphetamine derivative. Just like methamphetamine (speed) or methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy). All these drugs (diet pills) place stress on your heart leading to left ventricular hypertrophy and eventually heart failure. Diet pills = not good!!! Research Ephedra and all the drama that went down with Phen phen. No matter how "herbal" or "natural" it may claim to be it is hard on your heart.
I'm not claiming to be an angel because I have taken ephedra on occasion before it was made illegal HOWEVER since my time in medical school and seeing first hand what these drugs do to you....I wouldn't risk it.
Be smart about your body. I would NEVER do cardio, HIIT, heavy lifting while taking ephedrine. Although it is your life...if you want to play russian roulette....be my guest!!!
I posted this in the past regarding diet supplements....
Do you remember Dexedrin, a big diet pill from the 1990's. It, like many diet pills, is an amphetamine derivative. Just like methamphetamine (speed) or methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy). All these drugs (diet pills) place stress on your heart leading to left ventricular hypertrophy and eventually heart failure. Diet pills = not good!!! Research Ephedra and all the drama that went down with Phen phen. No matter how "herbal" or "natural" it may claim to be it is hard on your heart.
I'm not claiming to be an angel because I have taken ephedra on occasion before it was made illegal HOWEVER since my time in medical school and seeing first hand what these drugs do to you....I wouldn't risk it.
Be smart about your body. I would NEVER do cardio, HIIT, heavy lifting while taking ephedrine. Although it is your life...if you want to play russian roulette....be my guest!!!
Hoss
1
physiquedocteur said:
Although press reports commonly cite an estimate of "at least 100 deaths" linked to ephedra, a RAND Corporation study commissioned by the FDA found only two documented deaths that were investigated to rule out other causes. Even in those cases, the FDA concedes, the evidence is not conclusive.
DAWN Medical Examiner Mentions (1999)
Drug Mentions
diazepam (Valium) 811
diphenhydramine (Benadryl) 641
Elavil (antidepressant) 477
nortriptyline (antidepressant) 424
acetaminophen (Tylenol) 427
lidocaine (heart drug & local 384
anesthetic)
Prozac 305
quinine 250
meprobamate (tranquilizer) 170
aspirin 104
(edit): haha...Mriek and I were on the same train of thought.
I'll double post and ephedra is not illegal anymore.
Oh, and by the way...the number of deaths associated with Tylenol has four times the amount of incidences each year as compared with all the number of deaths even related to ephedra/ephedrine total.
"Acetaminophen overdose causes more than 450 deaths due to acute liver failure each year in the United States and this number appears to be on the rise. In 2001, the U.S. Acute Liver Failure (ALF) Study found acetaminophen responsible for 39 percent of cases. In 2003, the number had risen to 49 percent."
"Since ephedrine first gained common use in Sudafed and other health products, it has only been linked to 100 deaths, according to the FDA. Only in two of these supposed ephedrine deaths were "no other contributing factors identified." Furthermore, RAND admitted in its February report that it cannot prove ephedrine has caused any adverse events, even recognizing that its own case studies "are a weak form of scientific evidence," according to the FDA site."
"FDA Commissioner of Food and Drugs Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., even admits that "the overall evidence suggests that serious adverse events from ephedra appear to be infrequent,... (and) it may be possible to use ephedra safely." How can anyone trust the FDA's criticisms of ephedrine when the FDA isn't even sure of what it's reporting? The fact remains that there is simply not enough damning evidence against ephedrine to justify further restricting it."
And just because I'm kinda nerdy and like to look at studies-
Conclusion from the study: The current study suggests that the increased incidence of ma huang toxicity does not stem from differences in the absorption of botanical ephedrine compared with synthetic ephedrine; rather, it results from accidental overdose.
Oh, that's right...they took to much. When people abuse things or use them irresponsibly, bad things can happen with any supplement.
I'll double post and ephedra is not illegal anymore.
Oh, and by the way...the number of deaths associated with Tylenol has four times the amount of incidences each year as compared with all the number of deaths even related to ephedra/ephedrine total.
"Acetaminophen overdose causes more than 450 deaths due to acute liver failure each year in the United States and this number appears to be on the rise. In 2001, the U.S. Acute Liver Failure (ALF) Study found acetaminophen responsible for 39 percent of cases. In 2003, the number had risen to 49 percent."
"Since ephedrine first gained common use in Sudafed and other health products, it has only been linked to 100 deaths, according to the FDA. Only in two of these supposed ephedrine deaths were "no other contributing factors identified." Furthermore, RAND admitted in its February report that it cannot prove ephedrine has caused any adverse events, even recognizing that its own case studies "are a weak form of scientific evidence," according to the FDA site."
"FDA Commissioner of Food and Drugs Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., even admits that "the overall evidence suggests that serious adverse events from ephedra appear to be infrequent,... (and) it may be possible to use ephedra safely." How can anyone trust the FDA's criticisms of ephedrine when the FDA isn't even sure of what it's reporting? The fact remains that there is simply not enough damning evidence against ephedrine to justify further restricting it."
And just because I'm kinda nerdy and like to look at studies-
Conclusion from the study: The current study suggests that the increased incidence of ma huang toxicity does not stem from differences in the absorption of botanical ephedrine compared with synthetic ephedrine; rather, it results from accidental overdose.
Oh, that's right...they took to much. When people abuse things or use them irresponsibly, bad things can happen with any supplement.
Yeah, I had to throw in my two cents and back up mreik and evo -- ephedrine, which is legal, usually causes death by dehydration, which is to say that people weren't drinking enough water. Any thermogenic, caffeine included (for what is ephedrine but much a more potent but non-addictive caffeine?) will cause you to dehydrate.
It should finally be noted that the FDA doesn't regulate nutritional supplement - because there's no money in it - and they never conduct actual funded studies to determine the dangers or efficacy of any natural non-prescription compound.
It should finally be noted that the FDA doesn't regulate nutritional supplement - because there's no money in it - and they never conduct actual funded studies to determine the dangers or efficacy of any natural non-prescription compound.
i had the misfortune of watching something on one of those shows like 20/20, dateline, etc about ephedra a few years ago.
it went along the lines of wife, mother, pta member, volunteer, etc took ephedra and died. to which everyone screamed, "thats horrible, we must do something"
then about halfway into the show they very quickly and quietly mentioned that she was overweight, out of shape, had a family history of heart disease, was on cholesterol medication, would barely eat and would exercise for hours each and everyday.
but who cares, did you know she braked for animals and she recylcled?
it went along the lines of wife, mother, pta member, volunteer, etc took ephedra and died. to which everyone screamed, "thats horrible, we must do something"
then about halfway into the show they very quickly and quietly mentioned that she was overweight, out of shape, had a family history of heart disease, was on cholesterol medication, would barely eat and would exercise for hours each and everyday.
but who cares, did you know she braked for animals and she recylcled?
It's a personal decision really. You don't need it to lose weight, but it can help. It is a powerful stimulant, so it can make you restless and give you the jitters, and it's a powerful thermogenic, so it will dehydrate you (so drink TONS of water).
If you have a history of heart problems in your family, be careful with it like you would any stimulant.
Pretty close Manofkent....actually a comparison should be made between ephedrine and meth!!! Since ephedrine (or pseudo-ephedrine to be exact) is used to make meth (speed).
Reading straight from my clinical pharmacology book...."Ephedrine is found in Ma Huang and has raised many safety concerns....amphetamine has pharmacokinetics similar to ephendrine, except amphetamine has marked stimulation of the CNS....methamphetamine (speed) is very similar to amphetamine with an even higher stimulation of CNS (euphoria)"
As quoted from my "Physician's Drug Reference"...."Do not take ephedrine if you have anxiety, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, pregnant, breast feeding, prostate problems"...."when taking ephedrine avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking, cold medicine!, diuretics, antidepressants"...."Ephedrine is a stimulant and may cause sleeplessness, excessive sweating, inability to cool down after exercise, tremors, decreased urination, increased blood pressure"....
Why would someone want to put their body at risk?
OH btw...I NEVER said EPHEDRINE was illegal. I said EPHEDRA is. Ephedrine is ONLY approved for asthma not as a weightloss agent.
Reading straight from my clinical pharmacology book...."Ephedrine is found in Ma Huang and has raised many safety concerns....amphetamine has pharmacokinetics similar to ephendrine, except amphetamine has marked stimulation of the CNS....methamphetamine (speed) is very similar to amphetamine with an even higher stimulation of CNS (euphoria)"
As quoted from my "Physician's Drug Reference"...."Do not take ephedrine if you have anxiety, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, pregnant, breast feeding, prostate problems"...."when taking ephedrine avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking, cold medicine!, diuretics, antidepressants"...."Ephedrine is a stimulant and may cause sleeplessness, excessive sweating, inability to cool down after exercise, tremors, decreased urination, increased blood pressure"....
Why would someone want to put their body at risk?
OH btw...I NEVER said EPHEDRINE was illegal. I said EPHEDRA is. Ephedrine is ONLY approved for asthma not as a weightloss agent.
If you use ephedrine to make methamphetamine how is this a joke?
Hoss
1
Because what does meth have to do with this?! And because ephedrine is CHEMICALLY SIMILAR to meth, means nothing. Sure you can get meth if you hydrogenate it with amonia or something, but that would change most of the properties. Hence: just because the structure looks like sometime, doesn't mean anything.physiquedocteur said:
I'm sorry; I think this is really a stupid argument since the number of deaths with ephedra/ephedrine pale in comparrison to many of the other over-the-counter medications that was listed previously in this thread. The problem is people abuse and misuse ephedra/ephedrine and then there's an uproar that the supplement is dangerous because some people can't use it responsibly. Caffeine is a stimulant and can cause night sweats, tremors, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, etc. However, no one is running around screaming "caffeine is so dangerous, let's ban it."
Let's see...people abuse all sorts of stuff. You know have to be 18 to buy duct tape because somehow someone figured out you could smoke the adhesive on it and get high. So, I guess we should ban duct tape. Adolescents were huffing freon out of AC units, so I guess we should ban coolants used in AC units. Yes, they aren't supplements but it goes to show you that anything can be used erroneously and abused which can lead to death or ill health.
Ephedra is a stimulant and specifically ephedrine is the alkaloid that makes it to be effective as a bronchiodialator or weight loss supplement because it's a stimulant. Should those with hypertension and heart problems use it? No...but they should stay away from any stimulant anyway and that includes coffee and sodas. Are we banning coffee and sodas? No. However, in one of my texts they are showing a direct correlation between the amount of sodas that are now being consumed and obesity which leads to heart problems and possibly death. If we're going to ban things because they cause health problems or can lead to death, then we should get rid of sodas also. So, why are we not blaming the irresponsibility on individuals rather than supplements?
I can even go further than that. Let's take ginger. Ginger is a great root to take for health but has been linked to birth defects in infants and a fetus when a nursing or pregnant mother consumes it in certain quantities. Does this mean that we should all get up in arms and ban ginger because it has potential problems for the health of others? No. People need to take responsibility for what they are putting in their bodies.
I'm absolutely sick of the public that's misinformed because they're to lazy to do research falling on the media bandwagon and wanting to ban alternatives to pharmaceuticals. C'mon...how many prescriptions/medications has the FDA released only to have people dropping dead.
You know, it wasn't that long ago that the media released this wonderful information about an athlete that dropped dead and he was using creatine and therefore the creatine was more than likely the cause of death.
Let's see...people abuse all sorts of stuff. You know have to be 18 to buy duct tape because somehow someone figured out you could smoke the adhesive on it and get high. So, I guess we should ban duct tape. Adolescents were huffing freon out of AC units, so I guess we should ban coolants used in AC units. Yes, they aren't supplements but it goes to show you that anything can be used erroneously and abused which can lead to death or ill health.
Ephedra is a stimulant and specifically ephedrine is the alkaloid that makes it to be effective as a bronchiodialator or weight loss supplement because it's a stimulant. Should those with hypertension and heart problems use it? No...but they should stay away from any stimulant anyway and that includes coffee and sodas. Are we banning coffee and sodas? No. However, in one of my texts they are showing a direct correlation between the amount of sodas that are now being consumed and obesity which leads to heart problems and possibly death. If we're going to ban things because they cause health problems or can lead to death, then we should get rid of sodas also. So, why are we not blaming the irresponsibility on individuals rather than supplements?
I can even go further than that. Let's take ginger. Ginger is a great root to take for health but has been linked to birth defects in infants and a fetus when a nursing or pregnant mother consumes it in certain quantities. Does this mean that we should all get up in arms and ban ginger because it has potential problems for the health of others? No. People need to take responsibility for what they are putting in their bodies.
I'm absolutely sick of the public that's misinformed because they're to lazy to do research falling on the media bandwagon and wanting to ban alternatives to pharmaceuticals. C'mon...how many prescriptions/medications has the FDA released only to have people dropping dead.
You know, it wasn't that long ago that the media released this wonderful information about an athlete that dropped dead and he was using creatine and therefore the creatine was more than likely the cause of death.