What is ephedrine used for?

Answer 1

Ephedrine is the alkaloid of the herbal compound Ephedra. It should not be confused with Epinephrine (also known as Adrenaline).

Ephedrine has long been used as a weight loss product, and was for many years a staple additive to diet pills - taking it orally can lead to small increase in metabolism. It is no longer licensed for this use due to a number of dangerous side effects.

It is currently banned by all major sporting bodies as it has often been abused by athletes - taking it with aspirin and caffeine tablets (sometimes known as an 'ECA stack') is said to give a huge rush of energy, "blinding" the body to feelings of fatigue experienced during a workout or sprint.

A similar compound, Pseudoephedrine, is still found in many Cold & Flu and decongestant remedies.

Ephedrine is still used by doctors in patients during surgery: general anaesthetics can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure (known as hypotension). Ephedrine can counter this by increasing blood pressure.

This drug should only be used under the supervision of a doctor or suitably qualified medical professional. The reason it is no longer licensed as a diet supplement is that many dieters died after long term use of the drug. In the short term, it can cause 'the jitters' and anxiety, shivering, a racing pulse and a heart arrhythmia. It usually also causes a loss of appetite, and hence it prior use as a diet pill.

SPECIAL NOTE: Ephedrine should NEVER be used by people with high blood pressure (hypertension) as the additional increase in blood pressure caused by the drug could be fatal. It should also never be used by people who are obese or severely overweight - high blood pressure in this group of people carries far greater risk (including a stroke). If you have ANY sort of heart condition, the drug could cause a cardiac arrest (the heart will stop beating). Patients with Diabetes who take this drug are also likely to have a severe hypoglycaemic attack - ephedrine causes a rapid rush of stored glucose into the blood which will not be re-absorbed in diabetics.