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Ephedrine
Aka: Ephedrine, Ephedra, Ma Huang
- Precautions
- Serious adverse effects including death may occur
- FDA investigated 800 serious reactions in 1999 alone
- Serious reactions despite 75% were under age 50 years
- Life threatening reactions occurred at dose <5 mg/day
- Contraindications
- Absolute
- Hypertension
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Concurrent MAO inhibitor use
- Heart disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Psychiatric condition
- Glaucoma
- Prostatic hypertrophy
- Seizure disorder
- Relative
- Risks outweigh any benefits of Ephedrine
- Use at any dose in healthy patients may be unsafe
- Marketed Products containing Ephedrine
- Herbal Fen-Phen (Weight loss)
- Herbal Prozac (Depression)
- Herbal Ecstasy
- Indications (Purported Uses)
- Respiratory conditions including Asthma
- Long history of use in China
- Used in United States since 1930s (e.g. Primatene)
- Herbal Stimulant for increased athletic performance
- Increased sexual sensation or heightened awareness
- Weight loss
- Mechanism
- Sympathomimetic
- Adverse effects (Sympathomimetic effects)
- Insomnia
- Headache
- Nervousness
- Tremor or other motor disturbance
- Hypertension
- Glaucoma
- Hyperglycemia
- Nephrolithiasis
- Cardiac Arrhythmia
- Myocardial Infarction
- HypersensitivityMyocarditis
- Seizure
- Cerebrovascular Accident
- Predisposes to Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke
-
Drug Interactions
- Caffeine
- Decongestants (e.g. Pseudoephedrine or Sudafed)
- Stimulants
- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, combined effects:
- Hypertension
- Coma
- Hyperpyrexia
- References
- Ang-Lee (2001) JAMA 286:208-16 [PubMed]
- Cupp (1999) Am Fam Physician 59(5):1239-44 [PubMed]
- Nadir (1996) Am J Gastroenterol 91(7):1436-8 [PubMed]
- Zink (1998) Am Fam Physician 58(5):1133-40 [PubMed]