Ephedra - Effects on the Body

Effects on the Body

Ephedra supplements have amphetamine-like effects on the user. Side effects may include dizziness, headache, tiredness, shaking, nausea, and trouble sleeping. Higher dosages can cause an unusually fast heartbeat, chest pain, extremely high blood pressure, and even seizures. Health officials point out that ephedra can be dangerous even at recommended doses because the potency, or strength, of each dose varies so much from one manufacturer to another and from one batch to another. Users have been known to double or triple the recommended dosage in an attempt to lose weight faster or perform better in athletic events.

Ephedrine and Meth

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been monitoring ephedrine powder and tablet production because these substances can be used to make methamphetamine, an illicit drug more commonly known as "meth" or "speed." Methamphetamine is highly addictive, often abused, and extremely dangerous. Illegal labs can produce about 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilograms) of meth from 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of ephedrine. Pseudoephedrine, a substance found in cold medicines, can be used for the same purpose.

Opponents of ephedra claim that the product is legal methamphetamine, or speed. (An entry on methamphetamine is available in this encyclopedia.) Mental side effects of ephedrine such as euphoriaPronounced yu-FOR-ee-yuh; a state of extreme happiness and enhanced well-being; the opposite of dysphoria., agitation, irritability, and anxietyA feeling of being extremely overwhelmed, restless, fearful, and worried. were noted in the RAND report. Personality changes, depressionA mood disorder that causes people to have feelings of hopelessness, loss of pleasure, self-blame, and sometimes suicidal thoughts., and paranoid psychosis (a severe mental disorder that can lead to a total loss of touch with reality) could not be ruled out. These types of side effects commonly occur with the use of illicit, or illegal, stimulant drugs, including amphetamines and methamphetamine.

Ephedra users also face an increased chance of seizures, heart attack, stroke, and possibly death. The use of ephedra by pregnant women and people with high blood pressure is especially risky.

Products such as Ultimate Xphoria, which contain ephedra, have been the subject of controversy. In 1996 a college student allegedly took eight pills while on spring break in Florida, then died of cardiac arrest. James Leynse/Corbis.
Products such as Ultimate Xphoria, which contain ephedra, have been the subject of controversy. In 1996 a college student allegedly took eight pills while on spring break in Florida, then died of cardiac arrest. © James Leynse/Corbis.