posted on December 30, 2003 07:07:05 PM new
The government has finally decided to ban the dangerous herbal stimulant ephedra. The ban will most likely take effect in March as the appropriate paperwork is completed. This is a warranted ban, but it brings to mind the ban years ago of L-tryptophan, where a contaminated batch caused an otherwise safe sleep aid to be taken off the market. Does anyone know why L-tryptophan has not been reconsidered?
posted on December 30, 2003 08:47:37 PM new
Out of the millions of people who use the stuff every day, there have been 1000 deaths. Many of those were from athletes who were stupid enough to take too many of them and then work out in the heat, or kids who OD'd them for the speedy buzz they give. While it's too bad, it seems to me the FDA ought to have more important things to do. I've used herbal Ma Huang powder that I buy in bulk at a health food store for years as a seasonal decongestant. It's no fun being a rancher who is allergic to alfalfa My grandmother used to make us Mormon Tea, which is also ephedra, for the same thing. She gathered it out in the hills around here. It's a shame that people who use this herb responsibly have to suffer because of a few idiots who have abused it. You'll see the price of ephedra supplements going thru the roof on Ebay pretty soon I bet. Hoarding will happen. Illicit sales will be next. There's lots of it around right now, enough to fuel a black market for some time. What do they think...it's going to go away?? I'm going to call the health food store and see if I can score a kilo or two of powder
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on January 1, 2004 12:41:15 PM new
Prof, it's better to have the government tell you what to do in life so you can spend more time working and paying taxes to fund these people that tell you what to do... duh!
posted on January 1, 2004 02:05:34 PM new
Ok, I'm totally stupid on exactly what Ephedra is!!
stusi you said its herbal?
Well I remember they banned L tyrptophan (sp??) and that did benefit a lot of people. They banned it only because they found a few people developed a blood disorder, if I rememeber right.
But I haven't a clue is to what ephedra is.
Wanna Take a Ride? Art Bell is Back! Weekends on C2C-www.coasttocoastam.com
posted on January 1, 2004 02:45:28 PM new
From your link Linda, kinda going to extreme, IMO, banning this:
The action follows the shocking death of 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler. Capsules of an ephedra-containing supplement were found in his locker.
.....
Ephedra-containing products -- such as ma huang and Metabolife -- have been linked to heart problems and strokes. A recent review of 140 reports of ephedra causing health problems found that 43 -- including three deaths -- were "definitely or probably related" to ephedra supplements. Another 44 cases, including seven deaths, were considered "possibly related." (See the WebMD article "Ephedra Safe for Healthy Dieters?
Three deaths, and they ban this? I don't know.
edited for one of those winkie smilie things came up
Wanna Take a Ride? Art Bell is Back! Weekends on C2C-www.coasttocoastam.com
[ edited by NearTheSea on Jan 1, 2004 02:47 PM ]
posted on January 1, 2004 02:55:46 PM new
NTS - The profe is the one who said 1000 deaths have occured. The article from webmd is from February of this year when, I believe, they started keeping tabs on deaths, heart attacks, etc.
Kind of like those other diet aids...can't recall the two that were taken together to lose weight. Found them to be causing permanent heart valve damage. Then there was another one to....just can't recall their names.
posted on January 1, 2004 03:17:19 PM new
Oh yeah, I remember Fen Phen! A friend of mine went on it, it is prescription, and lost a LOT of weight. But she did have TWO heart attacks, and she was only 44 at the time. SHE KEPT TAKING IT!
But a supplement thats OTC? Well, I dunno.
Wanna Take a Ride? Art Bell is Back! Weekends on C2C-www.coasttocoastam.com
posted on January 1, 2004 03:42:33 PM new
It was half of the Phen Fen set that caused the problem - the half that was supposed to slow you back down after a day of speeding your butt off (Fenfluramine) . The speed half (Phentermine) is still a popular product.
The follow-up is on the the tip of my tongue but I can't remember it.
My favorite experience with a soon to be banned drug follow a 3 minute consultation with a gastro specialist who had found the cure to a lifetime of stomach problems in the form of an acid inhibitor and the magic drug propulsid. Took that, went to a John Woo movie and half way thru realized that my heart was racing during dialog portions as well. I guess someone figured that killing someone was a great way to solve their problems and my doc decided for that option after 3 minutes - usually it takes at least 15 minutes for someone to want to kill me
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on January 1, 2004 06:46:27 PM new
Linda_K- Happy New Year to you! Yes, I think the ban was overdue. There are some who seem to think that anything "natural" or over-the-counter is safe. Please remember that some mushrooms are extremely poisonous, and some prescription medicines have virtually no side effects.
posted on January 1, 2004 06:53:20 PM new
Fenix, do you think it was the Propulsid that caused the racing heart?Is that drug being taken off the market?
I've been taking Nexium, a similar drug, and have developed some heart issues.I have wondered if the Nexium might be a cause so took myslef off it. All religions are equally right
posted on January 1, 2004 07:24:31 PM new
Thank you Stu, same to you and yours.
Yes, I worry about all the untested drugs too....there's enough problems with the one's they do test.
-------
Hi Rawbunzel - Sorry to hear you've been having problems. Hope now that you've taken yourself off that medication, you find you improve. You might want to ask your doctor at some point, if you continue having stomach problems, about Prevasaid (sp?) If you were taking it for stomach discomfort. My endocrinologist told me it's safe and boy has it helped.
posted on January 1, 2004 07:32:00 PM new
I absolutely think it was the propulsid. I have almost always had bottom of the normal range blood pressure but it defantely wasnot the case that night. Propulsid was taken off the market and I have seen a number of ads from lawyers callling for people to join class action lawsuits against it's maker. I figure one dose doesn't qualify and its more hassle than it's worth.
Propulsid was to be taken in conjunction with an acid inhibitor. The point was that if there were no acids to aid the digestion, food would not move out of the stomach, ferment, and completely negate the purpose of the inhibitor in the first place. Propulsid was meant to basically cause the stomach muscles to contract and push the food into the intenstines and let them take over. Problem was someone forgot that the heart is also a large muscle and it could have the saame effect on it.
I was so disgusted after that experience that I stopped seeing doctors - I had had the same problems since I was 10 and god knows I had gone thru every medication and treatment and even surgery with no real help. I ended up taking a closer look at my own behaviors and the trends in my problems and started wondering if they were not more directly food related. On days when things were especially bad I looked back at what I ate and drank. Once I started seeing trends (in my case breads, potatoes (which I love) and peanut butter which explains the early onset) I started limiting those items. When I actually completely eliminate them for a week or two, I have no problems whatsoever but every so often I have to have a fast food fix
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by fenix03 on Jan 1, 2004 07:48 PM ]
posted on January 1, 2004 08:01:30 PM new
I confess I can't remember where the 1000 deaths number came from. I think I may have overheard it on the Tee-Vee as I was typing that post. Looks like it may be a lot less than that. Ephedra is a substance that occurs in members of the ephedra species of plants. The strongest, Ma Huang, is from Ephedra Sinica, or chinese ephedra. That's what's usually in Metabolife type supplements. It's a stimulant, and is thermogenic, ie; it increases metabolism and body temperature. It's a CNS, a central nervous system stimulant, so the herbal companies can market it as an "energy booster", and it's a vasoconstrictor, which makes it a good decongestant. Pseudoephedrine, which is found in virtually every over the counter cold, sinus and flu medication, is the sythetic equivalent of ephedra. It's also a diuretic. It can raise blood pressure....so can licorice, let's ban licorice. It increases heart rate, so does caffeine, let's ban coffee. The raver kids and athletes who took too much of it for it's stimulant effect so they could work out extra hard or dance all night to their goofy trance music just dehydrated and ran their hearts into the ground...sad, and stupid...but IMO not enough reason to cause it's being banned...We'll do this in a heartbeat for an herb, without concern for the livelihood of thousands of people who are gainfully employed in the supplement business, but we're pissing around trying to figure out how to avoid testing cattle so we don't offend the American Beef Council. What's wrong with this picture?
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on January 1, 2004 08:57:15 PM new What's wrong with this picture?
LOL profe - Well for one thing, that linked article says the FDA removes these drugs from the shelves when *deaths* have occurred. So far, our one case of MCD hasn't caused any deaths or illnesses.
posted on January 1, 2004 09:08:27 PM new
point taken Linda, I guess we'll have to wait till MCD incubates for a while..take too much ephedra and do wind sprints in 110 degree heat, you get dead right away
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
My grandmother used to make us Mormon Tea, which is also ephedra, for the same thing. She gathered it out in the hills around here. It's a shame that people who use this herb responsibly have to suffer because of a few idiots who have abused it. You'll see the price of ephedra supplements going thru the roof on Ebay pretty soon I bet. Hoarding will happen. Illicit sales will be next. There's lots of it around right now, enough to fuel a black market for some time. What do they think...it's going to go away?? I'm going to call the health food store and see if I can score a kilo or two of powder
