Why is ephedrine bad

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Finding balance: 3 simple exercises to steady your steps. The dangers of the herb ephedra January 20, Print This Page Click to Print. Staying Healthy. Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox! Sign Up. Close Thanks for visiting. The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness , is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

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Sign me up. We must respect the drug for what a powerful substance it is, and always put our health first. It's like being able to have a beer with your friends once in a while - there's no danger in that as long as you respect alcohol and don't try to drive for a couple of hours afterwards, and recognize the ever-present potential for abuse and alcoholism. It might sound bizarre to talk about alcohol this way, but it puts a perspective on those who happily swallow ten times the recommended dose of diet pills for weeks on end, and then get surprised when they get sick.

In a nutshell: Keep it sane - and safe - and you have little to fear. Hype And Bogus. So let's look at the other side of fence. The supplement manufacturers market their stuff as the greatest thing since sliced bread, trying to put on a facade of scientific mumbo-jumbo, or using professional bodybuilders in an economic pinch, or the worst of all - trying to wake your competitive instinct by hinting that you can be the guy kicking sand in the face of the other guys on the beach.

The bottom line is that most of the active ingredients are ephedrine and caffeine , usually with some herb that supposedly imitates the effect of aspirin. The rest is usually fillers, trying to justify the outrageous claims. It'll work over the next month and make you more sensitive to insulin, which translates to less fat storage. Once again, over the long run. It is NOT some 1-hour magic potion. The other ingredients are typically herbs and components that created some kind of "revolutionary" study back in the 80s But later were proven useless for one reason or another.

Nonetheless, the manufacturer can claim exceptional potency by quoting that first, bulls-t study. This supplement was marketed under the brand name Ephedra and was indicated to help patients lose weight. In February , the U. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of ephedrine-containing products in the United States due to bad side effects and life-threatening medical complications experienced by patients who used this product 1 2. Upset stomach, such as nausea or vomiting, can occur in patients who take ephedrine.

These side effects can be uncomfortable and can also occur in conjunction with decreased appetite or bowel changes, such as constipation or diarrhea, explains Medline Plus, an informational medical website established by the U.

These stomach-related side effects may be more severe if ephedrine is taken on an empty stomach 1. Ephedrine stimulates the central nervous system and can lead to side effects involving behavior and sleep patterns, explains Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee 1 2. Patients taking ephedrine can become unusually anxious, restless or nervous, which can make it difficult for these patients to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

Headache or dizziness can arise as a result of taking ephedrine, warns Drugs. Episodes of dizziness can lead to difficulty standing or walking and can contribute to the appearance of additional side effects, such as confusion or weakness. Headache side effects associated with ephedrine can be mild to severe and may reoccur after taking subsequent doses of this supplement 1. After taking a dose of ephedrine, patients can experience sudden and severe chest pain or tightness as a bad side effect of treatment, warns Medline Plus 1.