US Government bans Ephedra

[Push 0]

Which is yet another demonstration of the physicists' favourite saying: "There is no free lunch." Pardon the unintentional pun.

At least currently there is no free lunch. Maybe there will be safe working diet pills, who knows?

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[catfishhunter 2]

Had a whole bunch of stuff to say but thought better of it. will just say there is allot more to the banning of ephedra then just the few people who died from over the counter forms. (see pre-cursor drugs for making Meth)

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[PhillyKev 0]

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Had a whole nunch of stuff to say but thought better of it. will just say there is allot more to the banning of ephedra then just the few people who died from over the counter forms. (see pre-curosor drugs for making Meth)

Actually, I don't think Ephedra (extract of Mua Huang) can be used for meth. Pseudo-Ephedrine, on the other hand, which has not been banned and can be found in just about every over the counter cold remedy, is.

Personally, any cold tabs with pseudo-ephedrine wig me out big time and make me feel like I'm having a panic attack. Ephedra, which is a natural plant abstract, while giving me a slight speed up, was not nearly as harsh.

[Nightingale 0]

I've got no problem with cold meds...

ephedra, espeically combined with caffeine, can be very dangerous, though.

[misskriss 0]

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When I told my doc what I'd taken, ooooohhhh man, she read me the riot act bigtime!

Same here.....and they said that they see plenty of people all the time with adverse reactions.

[Antithesis 0]

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personally, from the side effects I had from taking hydroxycut, I think these products should be used under the direct supervision of a doctor (a prescription!) or not at all.

I think that is exactly where this ephedra thing is going.. Doctors will prescribe anything.. If it's the occasional boost of energy that someone is looking for all he has to do is go to a doctor and tell him/her that he is tired from time to time.

There are much more potent prescriptions out there that claim stronger results than ephedra. I have a friend who is addicted to Adipex.. She doesn't even bother with doctors anymore.. she orders straight from the net.

I believe that this is only an effort to direct commerce away from an otc herbal supplement and more toward a prescription.

I side with Dave on this one. I respect a responsible society capable of making its own decisions however small or large they are.

I travel the land, Work in the ocean, Play in the sky

[Nightingale 0]

responsible doctors will NOT prescribe anything.

If I went to my doctor and told her I was lacking energy, there's no way in HELL she'd prescribe something...

she'd grill me first.

1. what are you eating? are you getting enough fruits/veggies/healthy food?

2. are you sleeping?

3. what are your stress levels like? what's going on in your life?

4. lets do some bloodwork and check iron counts and see if there's anything else wrong.


Most doctors are responsible and care about their patients. Sure, there are a few bad apples, like there are in any profession. The thing is, if a doctor prescribed something with all the problems ephedra has had, he or she would be sued for malpractice so fast they wouldn't know which way was up.

My doctor told me that if ephedra was considered a drug rather than an herb, it would NEVER have gotten FDA approval to be sold. There are simply too many adverse side effects. My uncle, who works to develop medicines (if you're taking something for hemophilia, you probably have him to thank) agrees.

[Antithesis 0]

My point is not a personal attack on you or your doctor it's just a statement that if you want something .. -any prescription drug- that it's not difficult to get.

And.. that there is quite a market (supported by many doctors and the internet) for this kind of behavior.

Rush Limbaugh..case and point

I travel the land, Work in the ocean, Play in the sky

[Nightingale 0]

sure, you can get it.

the thing is, most people are not going to go to those extremes to get it.

if they have to go to their doctor for weight loss, most will go, get sound medical advice, and lose weight safely.

the ones who are desparate to do things the easy way and take shortcuts will take them anyway. What making diet pills prescription only will do is protect the average consumer who believes they're perfectly safe.

[Antithesis 0]

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What making diet pills prescription only will do is protect the average consumer who believes they're perfectly safe.

I still think that they are reasonably safe. For any reasonable person. Should we protect unreasonable people from themselfes.

One of my biggest concernes about little things like this is that it's just that.. little!
You took an ephedra based product and it didn't sit well with you. Being the reasonable person that you seem to be you spoke with your doctor about it. Problem solved

Personally I don't need the surgeon general protecting me from minor stomach aches..dizzyness and lack of sleep.. Enough coffee will do all the same things that ephedra does to a person.

I travel the land, Work in the ocean, Play in the sky

[mdbase 0]

Yo Aggiedave, I'm also a big ephedra freak. I love the stuff and have never had any adverse reactions. I workout, intensly, 5 days a week and it definitely helps.

At any rate, if you want a suitable substitute, try Yohimbe bark. No, don't buy that week-ass crap they sell at GNC for $40 an ounce. Go on the internet and buy the raw bark from a wholesaler(it's dirt cheap). you might be able to find a local herb store that sells it. Put some pieces of the bark in a coffee grinder and turn it into a powder. (it does this very easily and becomes quite dusty). Next buy some cheap tea bags and empty the contents. Fill the empty tea bags about 1/4 to 1/2 (depending on the strength you want). Heat up a regular 8 ounce cup of water and drop in one of those bad-ass yohimbe bags. Remove the bag and drink the whole thing, fast!! Don't be suprised when it tastes like shit, because it does. don't worry about it-just drink it!! If you start to sweat and your heart races too fast, you've slightly O.D'd. Just taper off the amount untill you get the desired result.

Yohimbe is a vaso-dialator and increases blood flow to your muscle tissue. It originated in Cameroon in Africa and was used as a "Pre war" stimulant by African warriors. One of the good side affects is that it hooks up "the third leg" by increasing blood flow to it also. It's sometimes prescribed to older gents as treatment for impotentce. So if your young and your pipe works, it just adds to the power! Alot of websites you'll find on Yohimbe will describe it as a powerful aphrodisiac. I guess, but I found it works best for lifting weights, as I'm naturally horny about 23 out of 24 hours in a day. Yohimbe is also an MAOI inhibitor so you'll get a headache if you eat too much of a certain amino acid that I can't recall (I think it's Taurine). It's found in aged cheeses and other stuff. Hope this post helps

YOHIMBE!!!

http://www.herbalfire.com/yohimbe.htm

-Bryan

P.s please don't sue me if you end up dead due to this advice

-Bryan

I love base like a fat kid loves cake

[AggieDave 6]

Ok that goes back to the fact that there's no magic pill, no genie in the bottle. You have to have a good diet and a good excersize program already in place before you start using supplements to help. That's what supplements are, they supplement your already good diet and good workout ethos to help you get to your personal fitness goals.

Since my fitness goals is to 1. Be healthy and 2. Lift obscene amounts of weight (with getting bigger as a nice result), I was using ephedra to help give me an energy boost on the days in which I had workouts but didn't have the energy or focus to actually go lift, much less lift heavy.



For those of you that are all about trying to loose weight and keep it off, but don't know where to start, fuck everything else you see on TV and in magazines and do this one thing. Walk/drive/run to Wal-Mart, Barnes and Nobles or anywhere else that sells books and buy "Body for Life." Its a good book that will help teach you how to eat healthy and help you design a good workout for your goals. It even has some good reciepts in it.

I don't personally use that book (I already know all the stuff that it says), but I believe in it enough that I gave it to my mom, since she was wanting to loose weight and going about it all wrong (sugar busters, adkins, etc).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Blahr 0]

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Lift obscene amounts of weight (with getting bigger as a nice result)

If adding muscle mass is important to you, then ephedra products are not the way to go. In spite of what every single one out there claims, if you use this product in an effort to lean out while retaining mass, you will be disappointed.

As an energy boost with no effort at fat burn you might be ok, but my experience tells me that the same thing can be achieved with a large cup of strong coffee, a huge bowl of oatmeal sweetened with a big glob of brown sugar or honey.

You get a stimulant, a large dose of complex carb and a large dose of simple carb. All you need for a heavy lifting session.

Wait an hour and then hit the weights

[AggieDave 6]

If you've ever seen me, then you'd know that I don't use it to lean out. I've got a beer gut going, not bad, but its there.

I don't use Ephedra often and I've never noticed it effecting my gains, actually. I'm still benching close to 300lbs, deadlifting over 400lbs and squating over 400lbs all for reps. Oh, and I'm like you, magazine/TV hype is bullshit.

"I put 50lbs on my bench with NitroTech..." *cough*bullshit*cough* You put 50lbs on your bench by juicing.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[mdbase 0]

I agree, supplements don't provide any miracle. They just give you an edge. The keys to getting results are discipline , HARDWORK, and proper diet. Oh, and to all you slackers -- did I mention HARDWORK?

-Bryan

I love base like a fat kid loves cake

[kallend 2,117]

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personally, from the side effects I had from taking hydroxycut, I think these products should be used under the direct supervision of a doctor (a prescription!) or not at all.

The bottle recommended I take FOUR pills. I took one. My heart was racing, I was dizzy, short of breath, and just downright feeling rotten. Couldn't sleep. It was a terrible experience, and very scary.

Because the government considers ephedra an herb rather than a drug, companies don't have to disclose side effects and all that.

When I told my doc what I'd taken, ooooohhhh man, she read me the riot act bigtime! I got a HUGE lecture on how unsafe ephedra is, and that if I REALLY wanted to lose those last five or ten pounds, she'd set me up with a nutritionist (paid for by my health insurance!) and teach me how to do it right.

1. Why did it take a doctor to tell you not to take it? Are you not capable of figuring out that you had an adverse reaction all by yourself?

2. Q. What do you call the guy who graduates bottom of the class in med school?
A. "Doctor".

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 2,117]

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Had a whole bunch of stuff to say but thought better of it. will just say there is allot more to the banning of ephedra then just the few people who died from over the counter forms. (see pre-cursor drugs for making Meth)

Maybe they'll ban booze and cigarettes next, since they kill more people.

I thought the home-lab precursor for meth was cold cure.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[misskriss 0]

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1. Why did it take a doctor to tell you not to take it? Are you not capable of figuring out that you had an adverse reaction all by yourself?

If she had never taken it before how would she know that she would have an adverse reaction to it or not. I had never taken it before and when I tried it, had an adverse reaction......went to the doctor/hospital because the reaction was severe. Of course I knew afterwards I would never take it again but the doctor warned me anyway because that is their job.

[Nightingale 0]

same situation, no hospital.

[turtlespeed 226]

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Yet another loss of personal freedoms courtesy of the Bush administration.

I'm not going to bother reading the posts below this yet.

Does anyone know what CrystalMethanphetamines are made from.
Lemme help.
Psuedoephedrine and Ephedrine.

That is the stuff that warps minds and kills.

Kallend, how many kids do you teach?
How many of those kids do you want to have access to this drug?
How much advocation are you giving to drug addiction and life ruin?
As a college proffessor, and a liberal, you seem to be very heartless.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[PhillyKev 0]

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Does anyone know what CrystalMethanphetamines are made from.
Lemme help.
Psuedoephedrine and Ephedrine.

Yes, which are chemically manufactured and are readily found in tylenol cold tabs and just about every other OTC decongestant. Ephedra on the other hand, is a plant extract and cannot be made into meth.

[lawrocket 3]

Here's the deal with ephedra (I was involved in a lawsuit against a major marketer of ephedra-containing supplements (it was mentioned by name in this thread)).

These companies market ephedra as a fat loss supplement. What does it do? Increases the metabolism by changing body chemistry. It's called a sympathomimetic, a substance which affects the central nervous system.

Due to Congress, these substances are pretty much unregulated. Aspirin has more controls. Therefore, it is a land of buyer beware.

Ephedra itself provides its supposed benefits by increasing metabolism, thereby increasing heart rate, body temperature, and muscle contractions. The ephedra-containing supplements also typically contain caffeine, pseudoephedrine, and other substances that have lesser effect than ephedra, but do the same thing.

To draw a parallel with depressants, codeine is fairly safe in reasonable quantities. Would someone take a supplement that combines codeine, alcohol, quaaludes and vicodin? Heck no. Mixing these substances greatly increases the danger.

Diet supplements do the same thing. What the hell should one expect when taking something that stacks stimulants (some of the ingredients we found to be controlled substances needing prescription, and one substance outright banned).

Ephedra has these effects. And the people with problems do not necessarily have pre-existing conditions. And those with pre-existing conditions should not be taking it. Only a doctor can make these determinations.

Some people can't handle working out because of heart conditions or circulatory disorders. What happens when an over the counter medicine causes a workout? Same thing as if they worked out. It could kill them.

I do not think it should be banned. But it should be controlled.

Another thing - most of the ephedra out there is not the natural stuff. It is synthesized, and has different chemical properties. Which do buyers get? Who knows?

I'm for freedoms. But I'm also for tort lawsuits not happening. Ephedra will be like juice - you'll still be able to get it.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[fasterfaller 0]

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Yet another loss of personal freedoms courtesy of the Bush administration

I seriously fail to see how you came to that conclusion, attempting to suggest that the Ephedra ban had something to do with such items as the Patriot Act.

Since it was a one liner post with no explaination, I will simply view it as a troll, trying to incite an arguement with rampent W. bashing. Nice intelligent post from a college prof.

I think everyone here has the wrong idea about why it was banned . They say it was because a few people died but that is a lie . The reason it is being banned is that drug companies are losing sales on prescription weight loss drugs and they want the sales back . This is sad as prescription drugs kill in the tens of thousands of people a year and those deaths do not matter . BTW the patriot act reason is another smokescreen . You do not need ephedra to make meth as other ways to cook the shit have been found .

[lawrocket 3]

Actually, most manufacturers have quit selling ephedra based products, anyway.

Go to Cytodyne's site and find out what you can get with ephedra.

This is not Patriot Act BS. If anything, it's the government making a strong statement of little impact. It's just not being sold much, anymore.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[PhillyKev 0]

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If anything, it's the government making a strong statement of little impact.

Similar to the, "Look what we're doing to stop the drug epidemic. We jailed Tommy Chong for licensing his name to a head shop that sells water pipes!!!"