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Derived from an evergreen plant in Central Asia, ephedra
is used as a major ingredient in sport drinks and dietary
supplements despite the known ephedra side effects. Currently, Metabolife International's diet
pill is under investigation.
Taking Metabolife and other ephedra products heightens
alertness by stimulating the central nervous system,
but products including Metabolife have been linked to
deadly and serious ephedra side effects. The FDA had
been unsuccessfully trying to obtain adverse ephedra
side effects reports from the industry since at least
1997, but since the deregulation of herbal products,
the figures had not been collected.
The FDA has been collecting and receiving reports of
adverse ephedra side effects since 1994, and in a
September 1994 FDA Medical Bulletin, the agency reported
the number was increasing. The reported reactions varied
from mild ephedra side effects to very serious conditions
including:
- nervousness
- dizziness
- tremor
- alternations in blood pressure or heart rate
- headache
- gastrointestinal distress
- chest pain
- myocardial infarction
- hepatitis
- stroke
- seizures
- pyschosis
- death
 Since
1994, the FDA has collected reports of over 100 deaths
among ephedra users such as Metabolife. Metabolife is
the number one maker of ephedra supplements in the U.S.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control on August
16, 1996, reported that the Bureau of Food and Drug
safety, Texas Department of Health, received around
500 reports of adverse ephedra side effects in persons
that consumed the dietary supplement products.
The adverse ephedra side effects report total included
reports by individuals and as identified by the Bureau
of Epidemiology in a review of records from the six
Texas Poison Center Network centers. The severity of
the ephedrine side effects ranged, but eight ephedra
users died and reports of stroke, myocardial infarction,
chest pain, and seizures were reported. The reports
included patients that followed the recommended dosage.
According to a December 21, 2000 New England Journal
of Medicine article, researchers consider 25 mg to be
the recommended therapeutic dose that is usually given
with about 200 mg of caffeine. This one dose of Metabolife
quickens the heart rate, opens up the bronchial airways
allowing more oxygen to become available, and constricts
the blood vessels resulting in an increased blood pressure.
Some Metabolife users react more strongly to ephedra
compounds than others that may be why Metabolife side
effects are experienced.
On October 11, 2001, Public Citizen consumer group
made a statement before the National Academy of Sciences
on the Framework for Evaluating the Safety of Dietary
Supplements citing data collected from January 1993-
February 2001 to demonstrate that ephedra alkaloid
dietary supplements have been associated with more deaths,
myocardial infarctions, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension,
stroke, and seizure events than all other dietary supplements
combined. The data according to the FDA analysis showed
during this time frame there were:
- 3308 adverse events for all dietary supplements,
1398 of these (42%) for the ephedra alkaloids
- 137 reports of death, 81 deaths (59%) associated
with ephedra alkaloids
- 38 reports of myocardial infarction/heart attack,
32 reports (84%) associated with ephedra alkaloids
- 98 reports of cardiac arrhythmias, 62 (63%) associated
with ephedra alkaloids
- 144 reports of hypertension, 91 (63%) associated
with ephedrine alkaloids
- 85 reports of stroke, 69 (81%) associated with ephedra alkaloids
- 121 reports of seizure, 70 (58%) associated with
ephedra alkaloids
For
more information on ephedra side effects contact an
Ephedrine Lawyer and learn more about your legal rights.
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