kittykatbone
Member
Reged: 06/20/03
Posts: 150
Loc: City of lost Angels
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illegal to purchase or carry in California (along with most western states) because of the many meth labs in the area that use it as a base ingredient (so i hear)
however, on the east coast you can but it OTC at any mini-mart chain or gas station.
personally i find it to be a big help when going thru hydro & other holidays. it gives you some energy & your body doesn't hurt all over when taken 1 or 2 at a time.
conversely ~ when taken too often they can make you paranoid & a little koo koo.
my question is: what other bad effects do they have on the body???
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some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug
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537
Threadhead
Reged: 12/08/01
Posts: 766
Loc: west coast CA
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It's used as a bronchodilator, so it helps breathing for asthma. It speeds up your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. I, personally don't like the way it makes me feel. But I remember before California made it a public enemy and you could buy it in a gas station. It was called "mini thin" or something like that. And they do use it to make meth.
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 461
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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Are you guys forgetting the heart related issues people are now having from it? That's why it's being taken off the market, not merely because of meth labs  It's killing people.
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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537
Threadhead
Reged: 12/08/01
Posts: 766
Loc: west coast CA
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No, I wasn't forgetting the heart related issues. That's why I said it speeds up your heart rate and increases your blood pressure.
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Skylark
Member
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 114
Loc: California
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My opinion only - but I don't like it. People overdo it...it gives them a buzzed feeling and they take more and more. The main ingrediant, Ma Huang, is bad for your heart and kidneys. It is also banned Illinois as well - where I am orginally from. When I worked as a dancer, a lot of the girls used it to stay awake until all hours of the night and keep their wits about them. They also had the shakes, sweats, and heart palipitations. I say if you use it, be careful and in LOW doses only, and watch out for any adverse symptoms.
Good luck!!
Skylark
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"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"....-E. Roosevelt
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kittykatbone
Member
Reged: 06/20/03
Posts: 150
Loc: City of lost Angels
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Skylark ~ you speak of Ma Huang... are you sure you're talking about Ephedrine or Ephedra?
Ephedra is the one they've been pushing in supplements (untill recently) as a healthy natural stimulant.
Ephedrine tabs contain 25mgs Eph & 200 or 400 mgs of Guaifensin ~ an expectorant. mainly made for Asthma sufferers, & usually called white crosses, brand names Two Way or Mini Thin.
all the fuss has been about Ephedra, not Ephedrine. though i'm wondering is one a derivative or concentrated form of the other??
as far as the "heart related issues" & speeding up the blood pressure... don't all stimulants do that?
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some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug
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LumbarSpasm
Silent Chaos
Reged: 05/07/02
Posts: 1538
Loc: USA
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Ephedrine comes from ephedra which comes from Ma Huang.
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LumbarSpasm
Or just a pain in the butt?!
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kittykatbone
Member
Reged: 06/20/03
Posts: 150
Loc: City of lost Angels
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ummm... so Ma Huang is the culprit.
ephedra or ephedrine ~ is one worse than the other??? (probably a dumb question, sorry)
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some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug
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Skylark
Member
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 114
Loc: California
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Ephedra, Ehedrine, Ma Huang - I think they are all bad if used incorrectly and abused. I cannot say I am against it, as I have used it using the correct amount, and for a short period of time (I don't wanna be a hypocrite!! )
From the FDA site:
Herbal Ingredient: Ephedra (also known as Ma huang, Chinese Ephedra and epitonin)
Possible Health Hazards: ranges from high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, nerve damage, injury, insomnia, tremors, and headaches to seizures, heart attack, stroke, and death.
It just seems to risky to me, as it is still unregulated by the FDA and starting to become banned in a few states. Of course this is my opinion only, and everyone reacts differently to herbal supplements. Me, it made me "up" and super shaky as I can recall, and I took it for a month or so and quit it as I was starting to have major panic attacks.
Hugs,
Skylark
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"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"....-E. Roosevelt
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yawkaw3
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 1193
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ephedra is just the plant that the alkaloid ephedrine is from. I've taken it many times for all-niter studying when better stimulants weren't available. The energy of an amphetamine without the pleasure. But I didn't take it regularly, like some people do for weight loss; there are better drugs for weight loss, don't waste your money on ephedrine.
If you are young and healthy and use it sparingly, you'll be fine. But, using it reguarly in the doses that most people do does increase your risk for a variety of cardiovascular conditions, even if you were otherwise healthy.
The reason it's banned in some states is partially because of the media hoopla over its safety, but mostly because it's an indirect precursor to methamphetamine, like another poster pointed out. Fun Fact: Amphetamine was invented over concerns that the Chinese would cut off the supply of ephedra; what ended up getting invented (l-amphetamine) was thought to be a huge medical breakthrough at the time and prescribed for everything and in big doses.
-yawkaw
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