Ephedrine

Ephedrine, derived from any plant in the genus Ephedra, is a stimulant used for a variety of things, such as an appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and most commonly, to treat asthma. Over a long period of time, ephedrine has been shown to be addictive, both physically and psychologically. Chemically, ephedrine is similar in molecular structure to amphetamine and methamphetamine.

It was initially isolated by Nagayoshi Nagai in 1885, in China; one of the most effective plants to extract this from has Asian origin. Actually, the production of ephedrine in China has become a multi-million dollar export industry. Companies producing for export extract $13 million worth of ephedrine from 30,000 tons of ephedra annually, 10 times the amount that is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

In 1997, the FDA proposed a regulation of ephedra to 8mg per day (in terms of dietary supplement). This proposal was withdrawn, due to lack of thorough evidence. Still, in 2006, the FDA banned all dietary supplements containing ephedra because of new evidence which proved the danger of the herb. Ephedrine is still legal in many applications outside of dietary supplements. However, purchasing is currently limited and monitored, with specifics varying from state to state.

In addition to this, The House passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 as an amendment to the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act. The federal statute included the following requirements for merchants who sell these products:

• A retrievable record of all purchases identifying the name and address of each party to be kept for two years
• Required verification of proof of identity of all purchasers
• Required protection and disclosure methods in the collection of personal information
• Reports to the Attorney General of any suspicious payments or disappearances of the regulated products
• Non-liquid dose form of regulated product may only be sold in unit dose blister packs
• Regulated products are to be sold behind the counter or in a locked cabinet in such a way as to restrict access
• Daily sales of regulated products not to exceed 3.6 grams without regard to the number of transactions
• Monthly sales not to exceed 9 grams of pseudo ephedrine base in regulated products
• The law gives similar regulations to mail-order purchases, except the monthly sales limit is only 7.5 grams.

Some reports have also suggested that ephedrine helps studying, thinking, or concentrating to a greater extent than caffeine. Some students and some white-collar workers have used ephedrine (or Ephedra-containing herbal supplements) for this purpose, as well as some professional athletes and weightlifters. It is common for many athletes to use stimulants while exercising. Such use of ephedrine has been associated with stimulant dependence, as well as deaths from heatstroke in athletes and circulatory problems such as aortic aneurysm in weightlifters, though these side effects are rare.

Ephedrine was used widely for asthma (China for centuries), but because of more effective, safer agents, ephedrine has lost and still looses its former popularity. For many years, the US Coast Guard recommended ephedrine together with other drugs to fight seasickness.

Overdose of ephedrine could be only 2 or 3 times the recommended dose. Adverse drug reactions include:

• Cardiovascular: tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, Angina pectoris, vasoconstriction with hypertension
• Dermatological: flushing, sweating, acne vulgaris
• Gastrointestinal: nausea, appetite loss
• Genitourinary: increased urine output due to increased blood flow
• Nervous system:restlessness, confusion, insomnia, mild euphoria, mania/hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, hostility, panic, agitation
• Respiratory: dyspepsia, pulmonary edema
• Miscellaneous: dizziness, headache, tremor, hypoglycemic reactions
• Death: in extreme overdose.

Some street names that ephedrine is referred to are Herbal Ecstasy, Primatene, Broncholate, Tedral, mahuang, Effies, and white cross. Common treatments of ephedrine addiction are placebo drugs (imitation drugs) and support systems. Also, another effective way to allure addiction away from ephedrine itself is putting a less dangerous stimulant in its place, like caffeine.

In conclusion, ephedrine can be an extremely dangerous when misused. It can be treated, but requires a plethora of energy and self-discipline to overcome.

Sources

“Ephedrine Information from Drugs.com” 5 June 2008. 17 June 2008

<http://www.drugs.com/ephedrine.html>

Weintraub, June. “Ephedrine” 1997. 17 June 2008

<http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/Organizations/DDIL/ephedrine.html>

“What is Ephedrine?” 17 June 2008

<http://www.ephedrine -ephedra.com/pages/what_is_ephedrine_1234.html>