Ephedra Finally and Fully Banned

That is amazing. They don’t ban trans fats, cigarettes, or hydrogenated oils, but they ban something that has been safely used by thousands, if not millions of people over many years.

sigh. ditto what iFitandHealthy said... amazing. yet HFCS and related crap is all over our food-- maybe the FDA could focus on the obesity epidemic, which kills hundreds of thousands more people than ephedra? hmm.

I know I used Xenadrine w/ephedra and lost 65 lbs in 4 months. It had me so pumped up to excersise that is all i wanted to do. And have kept the weight off for 5 years. Now I have gained back 35 and need it again. I have tried a few pills that claim to have ephedra in it but i guess the mixture just isn't the same.

If trans-fats resulted in weight loss people would be gorging on them saying they were safe.
It’s sad what people will put in there bodies to lose weight even if it’s dangerous. Ephedra isn’t safe and people have died including ballplayers, and teenagers. I believe that Ephedra is a drug and not a supplement.

I am not pro-transfats by the way. :-)

Nicotine (as a patch) and use of cigarettes could result in a weight loss. In fact, some knucklehead bodybuilders use nicotine patches in contest preparation. People die from many things; certainly millions have died from cigarettes, alcohol and hydrogenated oils. Every year people die from adverse reaction to Tylenol and other over the counter drugs.

I think it is a matter of a personal responsibility. There is already a huge black market for steroids and other drugs. Banning doesn’t seem to solve the problem. It only makes these substances more dangerous, because the market is flooded with poor quality fakes, which are truly dangerous.

How can people say that Ephedra has helped people safely lose weight? People have died!
It is not safe. Just because you want to believe it is so doesn't make it so.
The FDA actually doesn't ban many substances. It's not as if they are barring product left and right. There was a serious need here.

If weight loss is all that matters, hey Crystal Meth will absolutely make you lose weight. Let's be honest here people!

You don't NEED a substance to help you lose weight-- you need to stick to it, control your Calories and exercise more! It amazes me what people will justify because it works out for them.

Yes people have died....BY NOT FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS.

C'mon people we're all adults

mommyx4 - You don't "need" Xenadrine/ephedra again. You need to reduce your calories and work out. I know someone who took ephedra 15 years ago (before it was banned) and now has permanent heart and liver damage - her doctors linked it to the ephedra. Granted, she was one of the unlucky ones, but do you want to run the risk? Stay safe!

I've used ephedra for years and never had a problem. this is sad. it helps me study/focus and gives me energy.
the FDA needs to mind it's own damn bussiness and stop being big brother.

The people that abused ephedra would take a pill, and lose some weight. They then figured, "If I take 10 pills I might lose 10x the weight..." Anything can be abused. Eat too many oranges and you'll hurt your stomach and your teeth.

I don't condone any supplement as the solution to all, but I do question why the FDA picks out certain ingredients but overlooks others.

Think of the mayhem caused by binge-drinking... yet we don't ban alcohol.

Jim
Thank you for pointing that out.
Many people don't know that that congress passed a law that makes it very hard for the FDA to ban anything. This why many things that should be banned aren’t because their hands are tied.
The fact that the FDA was able to ban Ephedra means they had and overwhelming evidence that the drug isn’t safe.
Many of the people who died were teens.
When we're talking about weightloss the abuse level is too great. It's too easy too abuse.
Also not everyone who had ill effects abused the drug some people had un-known conditions.
People lost with Phen-phen but the drug hurt some people not all the people who took the drug.

People will probably find something else to abuse to lose weight and it will probably be just as unsafe as Ephedra and then it too will get banned. Lots of supplements out there will make you lose weight, but as Jim pointed out, the danger is in EXCESS consumption. You can die by taking in too much caffeine, theoretically.

Overwhelming evidence?

Actually it says in the report that "RAND called such cases "sentinel events," because they may indicate a safety problem but do not prove that ephedra caused the adverse event. The study recognized that such case studies are a weak form of scientific evidence."

At the end FDA ruled that maybe 5 death could be attributed to ephedra, but even in those cases it was obvios that it was not used aproprietly.

In contrast 106,000 people died in 1994 because of overmedication or adverse reactions to prescription drugs, while over 12 million of people used Ephedra safely in 1999 alone.

So, yes there's overwhelming evidence that drugs are not safe, but Ephedra is not a drug, it is an herb.

It's a shame.

You're more likely to die choking on a steak in a resturant than die of an ephedra-based death.

Just so you know, this doesn't apply to ephedrine HCL (which is the non-herbal version found in certain cold medicines). You can go to your local gas station and buy it pretty inexpensively. Stack it with 200 mg of caffeine and your aspirin... poof... ECA stack.

Most of what I've seen only have a small amount of one other drug combined with the ephedrine.

I'm not saying that someone should go for it but that it is still available if you know where to look.

It's unfortunate that the PR for ephedra-based supplements has been so bad.

No one will fight it this time around...

Well this is a good start but I believe many other things should be banned first. iFitandHealthy makes an excellent point that even though I am happy for this step in the right direction, there are other more harmful things that are not banned. It's hard for me to understand the thinking behind this.

It hasn't been safely used by everyone. My husband used ephedra products, and suffered a fatal stroke. He was only 47 and healthy.

If you do your homework, you'll find out that many, many people have been injured or died as a result of using this product.

The FDA did the right thing.

A question that I have is, how do you go about reporting businesses that keep selling these products.

LMD

You are all going to die from something...don't be stupid...if you take it correctly, then it may work for you. I have lost almost 60 lbs after my 1st baby and 40 lbs after my 2nd. I find it works and I take it correctly...I am pretty down that they banned it again.

I bought a bunch of ephedra product before the ban and I take it to give me a kick in the pants. I have taken it for many years; say 10 and I am not healthy at all. I am quite an unhealthy specimen and need to loose 40 lbs. Guess what I am not dead. I just met a man whose wife died basically while she was talking to him. she was in great health. She had a massive aneurysm. I suppose that it was ephedra, even though she never took it. I agree with cyndi, but add this; it’s all about the money. Drug companies still use the stuff but they just don’t want you to get it cheaper and find out if used in more herbal form it doesn’t have as many side effects. By the way the lady that died did drink some coffee so I think that should be banned next...obviously that caused her to die.

The truth is the FDA banned ephedra for more political reasons than anything. Ephedra isn't harmless, but no drug is. The Ephedra-Caffeine-Aspirin stack was one of the greatest thermogenics the bodybuilding world has ever known. The FDA watches the bodybuilding supplement industry like a hawk. If they find something that really works, meaning it has drug-like properties, they yank it off the market.

Triax was another supplement that worked well. Really well. It turned out one of the ingredients was Triatricol, which is a thyroid drug, and actually not a diet supplement. It got yanked, probably so the FDA can make it into a prescription drug and sell it at several times the original price. I wouldn't be surprised if the FDA started selling ephedra as a prescription drug.

Ephedra was almost completely safe given that you used the proper dosage and got clearance from a competent doctor who knew what shape your heart is in. I haven't read about the ephedra deaths that much, but I'm pretty sure the people who died didn't meet those two requirements.

I believe that most of the ephedra products recommended a reasonable dosage and, in fact, told you to talk to a doctor first. If you didn't do those two things and you died, you committed suicide. It wasn't ephedra's fault.

Don't be fooled. The FDA didn't ban ephedra because it was dangerous. They banned it because someone put pressure on them, or they wanted to make money off of it. The latter is exactly why dangerous prescription drugs are still on the market. The FDA won't ban them, because they're making money off them.

People like Heather, Lori, and www.iportion.com have had the wool pulled over their eyes. You have to look deeper into things and not be immediately brainwashed by their propaganda. You have to understand that an organization like the FDA wears two faces. One faces you and says they're doing things for your good; the other faces away from you and knows it's doing things for itself.

I have never had a problem with Ephedra and I agree with everyone who said the people who died, died because they did not follow the directions. Anything in excess is poison!!!

Years ago a friend and I took Metabolife 365. We both lost a good bit of weight. People at work tried it like we did, but not everybody lost weight like we did. The point I am trying to make is that not everything works the same way for all people. This goes for diet programs and exercise routines...whatever.

You can take any report and make it fit your side of the coin. Look at the debate right here.

You should have the right to make your own decisions on the matter. There is a risk, but shouldn't that be my choice to make? Be careful of how many restrictions you allow people to make concerning others as one day one may effect you in a way you never saw coming.

I took ephedra for 5 years until it was banned. I took it daily- at the recommended doses. I also studied it and I still believe it is a safe herbal supplement.

My mother-in-law took ephedra. But it is banned. Her doctor now prescribes her xenadrine.

I tried xenadrine for a while. Now this stuff makes me feel bad. It was- for me- highly addictive, I could stay up 3 days at a time, it made me feel very high.

Isn't that something? The FDA banned a herbal substance they couldnt get paid for. And now doctors are offering replacement prescriptions the FDA does get paid for. This was only about the pharmaceutical community wanting to capitalize on a billion dollar industry.

It's amazing the federal government spends so much time and money on ephedra use for those seeking weight management, energy and this same herb also assists those who have allergies and loss of smell. With all things, one needs to keep in mind their own health and well being and use products that are safe for them. It's rediculous that ephedra is banned when there are obvious "health risks products" the government won't even address that cause unacceptable conscequences in all that use them. All people who chose to use OTC products, holistic remedies etc should take in account their own conditions, if one is pregnant, taking weight management products is unacceptable behaviour, much like drinking while pregnant, bottom line, place a warning label on the product just like they do alcahol, cigaretts and any other item. It appears if the item does not bring the government big tax dollars like alcahol and cigaretts then it's easier just to ban it altogther. What drives the courts to spend time on this topic when so many others go ignored?? It's a shame!

Hey guys! I am doing a research paper on the ban on ephedra, and some of you really seem like you know what you're talking about. I would love it if you could pass on any helpful websites or books on the ban, or ephedra itself. I am trying to get the point across that the ban was not based on relevant findings of ephedra being the ONLY factor on deaths. Thanks!

FDA=big pharmaceutical company puppet! Weight loss industry profits in multi millions. Has nothing to do with ephedra being safe or not. How many big pharmaceutical companies have disclaimers for their products,(on TV adds),that list extreme side effects including death? It's unreal that any of those products were approved by the FDA.More people have died from aspirin then ephedra.Pharmaceutical companies want all the profits from weight loss users and are rich enough to pay off the FDA.

I have used ephedra for 15 years till it was banned. I used to work as a delivery driver for 14 hours non-stop plus I have chronic fatique. In that business, speed is around and I was able to use ephedra to get off of that drug 9 years ago. For me, suffering from chronic fatique, ephedra works. I hit a very bad, sleepy low that I'm lucky to keep a job. All that doctors want to do is give you psycho drugs that can kill you (try paxil - suidical thoughts anyone?). When I'm at that low, one herbal tablet with 25mg ephedra with some kola nut and I'm awake. Not jerky, not speedy, not jumpy - normal alertness like other people. I eat right and exercise and all that. I have a healthy heart and had a trendmill test of my heart done when I thought I had a heart attack (it turned out to be acid reflux going into my lungs and causing that sensation). I find that it has helped me with mental alertness and energy. Now the stuff out there is caffeine-caffeine-caffeine and this is safe? How about bitter orange and its risks? And the hospitals where I live have hinted at restricting people's use of tylenol because it can cause liver damage so it will become under FDA's control someday. I have bad knees. How about all those dangerous drugs for that? Every one of them can kill you. My doctor won't even prescribe them to me (I use OTC Flexamin and ALOT of walking). This banned just makes it harder on me.

Ephedrine is not illegal in teh United States if it is NOT martketed as a Diet pill. I have purchased it just a few weeks ago at a Marathon in Indiana, and there is an Ephedra STORE in my city.

The FDA Banned it for marketing as a DIET PILL, but it is still a legal substance and used to treat asthma (over the counter) you can get Ephedra as an inhalent ANYWHERE in the USA if you purchase Primatine Mist. You also can go purchase ephedrine pills that have more than 10mg as long as they are marketed to treat Asthma.

I just wanted to clear this up for you...

It is legal folks. Deal with it. I'm glad it is because it HELPS me focus. I do not use it for weight loss, and you should know that combining ephedrine with running, etc is not safe at all. It also is not safe when used if you have a weak heart. I would suspect that it shortens life span as well. But I don't care about life-span nor do I care for people that want to control everyone else over what they use.

Anyways, I just wanted to throw it in everyones face that likes to control the whole US population that the stuff is still very legal and it just is only illegal to be marketed as a DIET PILL because too many fatties with weak hearts were dying becasue of it. Leave it to those who are healthy and are not trying to lose weight by taking some fad pill.

The only way to lose weight and keep it off is diet and exercise. If you take stimulants to lose weight you're only going to kill yourself.

Also, caffeine in high doses is far more dangerous than ephedrine. Caffeine can greatly increase your blood pressure as ephedrine only increases heart rate.

Anyways, ephedrine is LEGAL guys.. you can buy it online, buy it at walgreens, or buy it a herbal store. It just cant be marketed as a diet pill.

IMHO all diet pills should be illegal because fat people need to learn how to lose weight properly.

I previously used the original Stacker 2 & 3 when they were sold in stores. I lost about 15 pounds which put me at an ideal weight and stopped using them. I was able to keep the weight off, but I just had a baby and have gained all the weight back. Does anyone know if the Ephedrine pill WITHOUT the "ECA STACK"(ephedrine, caffeine, aspirin) is as effective, or effective at all?
Ive heard that Ephedrine without the ECA stack is not as effective. Also, if it isnt, would taking the ephedrine pill plus a caffeine pill work in the same way?

This cannot be fair and we should fight it tooth and nail:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting the public to its forthcoming determination that dietary supplements containing ephedra present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury, and should not be consumed. The agency has notified firms manufacturing and marketing these products that it intends to issue a final rule prohibiting their sale, which will become effective 60 days after its publication.

The FDA has taken this step after conducting an exhaustive and highly resource-intensive process required under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 for banning a dietary supplement that presents a significant and unreasonable risk to human health.

Ephedra is worthy of any reasonable consideration.

Ephedra based products, even if safely used, can be harmful to certain people who are prone to heart or liver problems or are sensitive to caffeine. It is certainly not a safe product, but not neccisarily as harmful as it is hyped up to be. Most of the deaths associated with it are due to abuse. Since the overdose rate isnt much higher than the max theraputic dose. A big contribution to the banning of ephedra produts is its use to create illicit substances such as methcathinone and methamphetamine. Which is also why pseudoepherine (from ephedra sinica)is behind the counter and ephedrine is illegal in many states. Personally I use ephedrine occasionally when i work out and find it benificial. Responsible use should always be practiced with a strong stimulant such as ephedra though, and you should be careful if you have heart problems. As far as its use as a dietary supplement, well, if your trying to lose more than 20 pounds i deffinately would not suggest taking it as you will suffer much more from the side effects. All in all its not safe, but not seriously dangerous. Be smart and be safe.

Ok people.....does anyone know where to get the Xenadrine WITH Ephedra??? I took it for about 3 months in 2003. 1 pill a day, that's all I needed. Worked wonders, no adverse effects what-so-ever. I know that the 1 kid died (the football player) because he took 7... count them 7 pills. That's when the FDA took a look and banned it, his school and parents were b*tching.....Please help, where can I get some...

Tammikett, they don't make the brand name stackers like that with ephedra anymore. The only solution is buying the ephedra separately, then taking a pill that has the other stuff minus the ephedra, if you want to take it.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/07232003hearing1021/Chinery1640.htm

Try to goto this link concerning the Ephedra ban. Says alot.

You can still buy ephedra pills from here

does anyone know exactly what the old diet products WITH ephedra contained in them? was it ephedra, caffeine and aspirin? do i have that right? if so, can I use a 10mg ephedra pill, a caffeine pill and an aspirin a day to get the same results? break it down for me, i want someone who knows what their talking about to tell me the recipe... there's always a way :)

Nali, if you just google the ECA stacker you can get the mg of each. Apparently it's 20 mg ephedrine, 200 mg caffeine, and 325 mg aspirin for most of the diet pills though I'm sure they may have some other ingredients in them as well. Not sure how effective or safe it is taking the ingredients separately though. They sell those empty pill capsules though so it'd probably be most like the real thing if you crushed the pills and poured the powder in one of those capsules.

This is a complete reality check for those who think this drug is safe. My friend took "stackers" although she didn't abuse them. I went to her house three days ago. She never answered the door. She passed away from an aneurysm. She was only 29. Because of this drug I'll never see my best friend again. Except for the funeral on Wednesday. So before you take another pill imagine how your loved one would feel if you were no longer here.

Fact: Ephedra has never or will it ever cause an aneurysm.

Ephedra does not cause death, as long as you take it the way you are supposed to. I have been taking Ephedra for over 5 years and have never had a problem.
I have lost alot of weight because of Ephedra and it keeps me going throughout the day. More people die of smoking and drinking than Ephedra. I don't see the FDA banning that.