Ephedra Ban
There was an ephedra ban in the United States in December 2003 then another one in 2006. There were many people who suffered from taking products which contained ephedra. From 1994 to 2003 the Food and Drug Administration had received over 800 reports of heart attacks, strokes and other serious injuries, even death, from products which contained ephedra. The FDA got ephedra banned for the first time in the United States. However, some people felt that ephedra was not dangerous and filed a petition to have the ban lifted. The courts ruled for the ban to be lifted in 2005 and stated that the FDA did not have sufficient evidence to prove that ephedra was dangerous in small amounts so products were to contain only 10 mg. or less. The FDA continued to receive reports of strokes and heart attacks and other serious problems. There were over 1,000 injuries reported and at least 17 deaths from 1997 until 2006. People were still suffering from heart attacks and strokes from taking even small amounts of ephedra, in some cases as little as 8 mg. The FDA again pleaded with the court to ban ephedra and this time they had enough proof to back up their statements. Ephedra was banned for the second time in late 2006. Most of the products which contained ephedra have replaced ephedra with other products but there may be a few bottles of products containing ephedra still floating around on the internet. If you think you have a product which contains ephedra it is best if you throw it out. It can be fatal or to say the least, life threatening if you use aspirin or caffeine with a product which contains ephedra. Ephedra does not mix safely with some medications or other supplements so you should discuss the use of it with your doctor before you try it. If you have already used ephedra and have suffered a serious injury from it or you have a family member who has died from taking a product which contained ephedra, you might be entitled to some compensation from the company who made the product.
Other side effects besides strokes, heart attacks, and death that people have experienced are insomnia, high blood pressure, rapid heart beat, irregular heart beats, seizures, nervousness, and tremors. There may be other side effects not listed here. Ephedra comes from a shrub or synthetic which stimulates the system. It is similar to adrenaline but not as strong. It lasts longer in the system than adrenaline does. It was used as an energy booster, medicine for asthma, common cold, and bronchial tube congestion, weight loss aid, and sport performance enhancer.
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