Ephedrine - A Dangerous Drug?

» MattD_2 - Re: hydroxycut (ephedra product)

In response to message posted by teen15:
It's good to hear you're not experiencing any side effects, but I'd still recommend avoiding ephedra-based products until you're 18. I'm not saying this because I want to deny you a potent fat burner. My concern is that it COULD be risky to use a product intended for full-grown persons while your body is still growing. Play it safe, and keep up the training - that's the REAL key to progress!

-- posted by MattD_2

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» FourPhaseMan - Re: Re: Buyer beware...

I personally don't use any kind of thermogenic product because frankly I'm to paranoid to use anything that will mess with my heart. That being said, I know countless people who use thermos and do so without issue.

While I think E/C/A type of products are not for everyone, if used by a healthy person as recommended I think it's ok. That's healthy as in has regular physicals, doesn't have pre-existing conditions, ect... You know all those conditions listed on the side of any thermo bottle??? As said in one of the other messages, if people have problems with a product they should and I have to believe would stop using it.

We live in really paranoid times in general. I think most of my personal phobia against thermos is because of all the negative hype I've read about them. I recently took a look at the ingredient breakdown that what was in some Nyquil I was taking for three days last week. I have to believe that what was in those Nyquil gel caps was almost as bad as any ingredient in a bottle of Hydroxycut. One product is considered bottled "speed" the other is considered normal. I guess it's all in perception.

I still think there's no substitute for training hard and eating clean. This is my first time visiting this forum and it's nice to see people communicating ideas without flaming each other to death. Keep it up...

Canvas

-- posted by FourPhaseMan

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» NikkiLeigh - NFL Bans Ephedra supplements

The New York Times reported yesterday that the NFL has banned the use of ephedrine supplements, citing the danger it poses to the players as the reason, and last week a consumer advocate organization had petitioned the government to ban the production and sale of dietary supplements, for the same reason. You can see this petition by going here: http://www.citizen.org/hrg/PUBLICATIONS/...
It is all but impossible these days to ignore the fact that ephedrine is not as safe as the dietary supplement industry claims it to be.

-- posted by NikkiLeigh

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» blindedx2 - Re: Re: Buyer beware...

In response to message posted by traderz:

You brought up a very good point about the excessively large doses and how they're not healthy at all. Another thing people have to realize about this and every other drug is that of tolerance. ECA stacks work, regardless of what people say. With a low calorie diet, moderate consumption, and consistent doses of the drugs, they prove true. However, people build up a tolerance to these drugs, causing the need for more. The Baltimore pitcher that died recently had 75 mg of ephedrine in his system (atleast thats what the toxologist said). One Two-way, Max-tab, or Mini-thin (whatever, they all have different names) contains 25 mg of Ephedrine. I know that 75 mg of Ephedrine, although it's one hell of a rush, will not kill somebody. What will cause death with this much Ephedrine is the combination of other drugs (caffeine, aspirin, alcohol). My point is this: Along with testing for Ephedrine, they should have stated everything else that was in his blood, and looked into it a little more rather than blaming it all on Ephedrine.

-- posted by blindedx2

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» cookie65 - please if you love yourself don't take hydroxycut

***nobody, not even the fda knows the dangers of Hydroxycut and other fat burners...and don't you be a guinea pig with your one precious life you were lucky enough to receive...life is a gift...not something to be toyed around with...please read on...i hope sharing my experience will help someone out there: I am a strong believer that Hydroxycut should be banned from the shelves of any over the counter suppliers. I had the most horrifying experience of my life because of two small Hydroxycut pills. My brother had been taking it, and claimed that he was fine. I asked a personal trainer at my gym and she said that she tried it but it gave her the jitters, but that her boyfriend is an avid user of it. Well, I am writing this to inform you that though Hydroxycut may be tolerable amongst some of its users, it may have severe, dangerous, life-threatening ADVERSE reactions…not to be confused with ALLERGIC reactions….amongst other users. And I’M NOT TALKING adverse reactions that are experienced by those who have one of the many diseases/or medical conditions which warn them not to use it. And I’M NOT TALKING adverse reactions that are experienced by those who abuse Hydroxycut by increasing the recommended duration and dosage. WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT is an adverse reaction that I had after taking MY VERY FIRST dosage of Hydroxycut, which almost killed me. I, being a 25- year- old female in perfect health w/ none of the plethora of medical conditions under the cautioned part of the label to protect the makers of Hydroxycut from enduring any type of legal battle with…well…nearly anyone under the sun. Anyhow, I am an athlete…who runs 5 miles a day and is in top performance shape. I have a story to tell, thank God, I am alive to tell it…and so it unravels……

I bought some Hydroxycut and kept it on my bureau. I’d been meaning to take it for days…but always was in such a hurry before work. One day, I got ready early, and stuffed two Hydroxycut pills in my pocket. I got to work, and within an hour…remembered they were in my pocket…and took them. I wasn’t thinking anything of it, but started feeling a little dizzy. Then I started to feel my heart racing. I stood up hoping it would feel better….but it just got worse. I walked into my boss’ office to tell her I wasn’t feeling well and to maybe leave work early. But when I arrived in her office, I felt like I was SHUTTING DOWN, quite literally. I walked through her door and then started pacing…then I sat down and put my head on her desk. My boss asked me what was wrong. I responded I just didn’t feel right. She said she was pressing for me to tell her, I was simultaneously experiencing an increasingly worse reaction. Suddenly I dropped to my knees and hysterically told her that I didn’t feel good at all and that something was going on. I felt like I was fading out, everything was getting really quiet, in slow motion, and the way my body and mind felt was that I was slipping away…shutting down…something along those sentiments. My heart was racing so fast that I felt like I couldn’t keep up with it. It was the most gut-renching feeling to feel this thing beating inside your chest so quickly that you yourself didn’t even recognize it as your heart. It was absolutely 100% pure hell. Well, my boss reacted the way anyone would have to my behavior. She said she was going to call 911 and get some help, and I being the proud person I was (embarrassed too) tried to convince her not to, and mumbled terrifyingly that I just needed to relax and lie down somewhere and I’d be okay. Well, as I stood up, to walk towards the conference room, I put one foot out in front of me and then realized I needed help and fast. I quickly changed her mind and told her that she’d better call 911. Then I went to the President’s Secretary and pounded my hands on her counter and yelled out repeatedly “Call my doctor”…please…each second that past I felt even more sure that I was having some kind of reaction to Hydroxycut and my life flashed before my eyes. I remembered the conversation I had with my twin sister the very night before, saying that we came into this world together and that we have to take good care of ourselves so that we can go out together too. I said that we are so young, only 25, and we pondered how horrible it would be if one of us would have to live double the amount of years we already had…without the other one. So as you can imagine, all that I was thinking was…”No I can’t die yet…my twin sister needs me.”…and “I can’t die…what a horrible Christmas my family will have”…..etc, etc. Well..the President’s Secretary and my boss took either side of me and walked me into the conference room where I lied down on the couch. I was shaking like crazy, was not even in my normal state of mind (I feel like I was at my ‘drunkest’ as far as inhibitions go)…I was swearing left and right…(which again, something I would never do especially at work with the executive staff by my side)….The paramedics finally arrived. I felt like I was clinging onto dear life. Now I have never passed out before or been in a coma (thank God)…so I can’t describe how this feels. The best simile I can find to help you understand is that you say that something tastes like gasoline…well you’ve never tasted it only smelled it so how do you know what gasoline tastes like? But you feel you do know what it tastes like. Well it’s along that line…it’s true I’ve never passed out or been in a coma…but I know how it feels to be fading out so much. I feel I had certain instincts inside that told me just what to do. I drank 8 glasses of water that my boss brought me, I ate bites of the muffin that went down my throat so dryly and crumbled all over me but nevertheless helped, and I insisted on laying down and not sitting up when the paramedics first asked me to, because my heart was racing so much and each time I would start to sit up I’d feel blood rush to my head and feel like I was really dying. Lying down seemed to help relax me and make it so I couldn’t assess my light- headedness. And my strong will and determination fought off all urges to ‘give in’ to the overwhelming urge of shutting down….although there were times when I was convinced I was having some kind of heart attack, stroke, or brain hemorrhage from this…the entire time I was thinking….shit this **@$*#* drug is trying to kill me and I AM NOT going to let it make me one of the statistics. My blood pressure was 60/40 or something like that (I can find out the exact #’s from the paramedics records at your request)….which is outrageously low because my normal blood pressure is 125/72. So the paramedics asked me if I had any problems swallowing or felt my throat closing…to which I answered ‘no’, and they went on to tell me I had an ADVERSE REACTION to Hydroxycut. If I had experienced problems swallowing or sensations of my throat closing, it would have been an ALLERGIC REACTION. Nevertheless, the ADVERSE REACTION that I had…to 2 measly Hydroxycut pills… was enough to make me realize that with the way my body was reacting…..I could have easily developed, directly or indirectly, lethal reactions such as heart attack, stroke or brain hemorrhage. I COULD HAVE DIED THAT DAY…but because it was an ADVERSE REACTION, Hydroxycut would have gotten off scott free. That is enormously troubling. Here I am now, in perfect health. I took back the product, got my $$ back. Everyone at work knows me as “the girl who flipped out from Hydroxycut” and is learning my lesson. There heads shake at what I went through. They know never to take it and spread the word not to take it. But the problem is…I am not satisfied. Because somewhere out there, is that idealistic girl or boy, man or woman, who is going to pick up the product hoping to achieve the same results I’d had hoped…(a more defined stomach, leaner muscle definition, etc.)…however….that individual may quite literally DIE FOR IT. Well, not if I can help it. I was lucky. And I am lucky again, to get this story through to someone who cares enough to have read it all the way to this very last line. There is nothing else I’d rather be doing this wonderful Friday night then to be reliving the worst day in my life by writing it down in such detail for you and who-ever else is interested in my testimony. Because I know that in doing this, I am doing my part in getting this product off the shelf and into the garbage. It’s better this product goes kerplunk than the people who trust and believe in it. Maybe someday there will be a product that promises similar results that is not harmful. But until that day comes, PLEASE LET THE PEOPLE HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA BOLOGNA IN THEIR BELLIES AND LET THEM LIVE. Thank you very much for your time. Please keep the crusade going to recall Hydroxycut....thank you.

-- posted by cookie65

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» MattD_2 - Re: please if you love yourself don't take hydroxycut

In response to message posted by cookie65:
Thank you for sharing your story. It sound quite horrifying, for sure. What puzzles me is exactly what it is about Hydroxycut that could have initiated such a violent reaction in you? Hydroxycut is basically yet another ephedrine/caffeine-based fat burner, not much different from the dozens of others out there. Countless thousands - myself included - have safely used ephedrine-based products as a potent fat-burn supplement for many years. Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing or trying to diminish your experience in any way, but it would be helpful if you could tell us a little bit more about the circumstances:

1. What did you eat prior to taking the pills?
2. What did you drink? Any caffeinated beverages? How much water (not soft drinks, coffee etc.) had you had prior to taking the pills?
3. How much did you sleep the night before?
4. What is your body weight? (I know it's impolite to ask a lady her weight, but you're anonymous and yes, it DOES matter)
5. Are you on any type of medication?
6. Do you have a medical condition not mentioned in your post?
7. Do you have a family history of strokes, high/low blood pressure, heart attacks etc?

Regards,
Matt

-- posted by MattD_2

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» mangialafiga - Re: please if you love yourself don't take hydroxycut

In response to message posted by cookie65:

Cookie, your story sounds just horrible! I came across this discussion in an effort to make sure that what I'm taking is not potentially dangerous for me. See, I just bought a bottle of Hydroxycut last week and have started taking it. There have been no ill effects as of yet, but one thing I noted... this discussion is about Ephedra. Hydroxy cut doesn't have Ephedra. I don't know how long ago the formula changed, but the bottle says "Ephedra Free!" and according to their website (www.hydroxycut.om), the makers of Hydroxycut no longer make ANY products containing Ephedra. Seems they decided it wasn't safe?

I wonder if anyone knows anything about the new Hydroxycut formula and it's benefits/ dangers?

-- posted by mangialafiga

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» Rawrfee - to those safely using ephedrine/caffeine- any problems?

Hello friends,

I've been using ephedrine almost every day for the last year. I take it for energy and for weight control. I'm 26, 140 lbs, 5'9" and I take one pill in the morning and one pill in the evening. It's a total of about 40 mg of ephedrine and 120 mg of caffeine. It's way under the recommended dosage, but I am quite thin.

I feel that I'm have an small addiction to these pills. The fact is that I function much more efficiently, am in a much better mood, am very energetic and positive, am more focused and smarter, and have a naturally cut body (without exercising) when I'm on these pills. I kinda feel like a superman. I know that when I'm off of the pills I'm much more lethargic and less motivated. I just don't want to stop taking the pills because I'm better on them! I haven't found any significant negative side-affects and my dose hasn't increased over the year(decreased if anything).

My question is to those taking these pills on a regular basis. I would like to know what the main reasons are, whether you've tried to quit, and whether you've experienced problems such as depression. My main concern is with my mood and energy, actually. My fear is that my brain is going to become so dependant on the feeling of the drug that it will be dull and depressed without it.

Do any of you take breaks from them for lengthy durations? Do you have negative side-affects? I really want to believe that they're fine to take, but I just can't wrap my mind around taking a pill, feeling way way better in every respect, and not paying a heavy price for it.

Comments?

Rawrf

-- posted by Rawrfee

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» MattD_2 - Re: to those safely using ephedrine/caffeine- any problems?

In response to message posted by Rawrfee:
I'd advice against taking ephedra supplements continuously. As you noted, you're developing a mild addiction, not unlike those who "need" 4 cups of coffee to get started in the morning. That's caffeine, close relative to ephedrine and often found in the same capsules. Personally, when I use ephedra-based products I restrict myself to pre-workout ONLY, so as not to get too used to the product. Nothing on non-training days. Then I make sure to take a break every couple of months to further ensure no addiction, physical or mental, develops. I find this to be helpful in keeping ephedra-based products focused (only taking them when dieting and working out to lose weight) and effective. Overly cautious? Perhaps, but I have stayed healthy and non-addicted for a decade while still reaping full benefit of the product when I do use it.

-- posted by MattD_2

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» pi1964 - Re: to those safely using ephedrine/caffeine- any problems?

In response to message posted by Rawrfee:

Yes- when you come off ephedrine you will become depressed and very moody.
When i stopped using it due to ill health- THAT IT CAUSED- i was contemplating suicide. My relationship broke up because i was abusive and (something i have never done) violent. I went to my Doctor and started using Seroxat(Prozac).
I have NEVER used anti-depressants in my life- i am 38 yrs old!
SEE YOUR DOCTOR AND COME OFF IT ASAP- OR IT WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE AND SOMEONE ELSES!

-- posted by pi1964

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