ephedrine

Ephedrine

Ephedrine is a medication used to prevent low blood pressure during spinal anesthesia.^[1] It has also been used for asthma,narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It can be taken by mouth or by injection into a muscle, vein, or just under the skin. Onset with intravenous use is fast, while injection into a muscle can take 20 minutes, and by mouth can take an hour for effect. When given by injection it lasts about an hour and when taken by mouth it can last up to four hours.^[1]

Common side effects include trouble sleeping, anxiety, headache, hallucinations, high blood pressure, fast heart rate, loss of appetite, and inability to urinate. Serious side effects include stroke, heart attack, and abuse.^[1] While likely safe in pregnancy its use in this population is poorly studied.^[2][3] Use during breastfeeding is not recommended.^[3] Ephedrine works by turning on α and βadrenergic receptors.^[1]

Ephedrine was first isolated in 1885.^[4] It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.^[5] It is available as a generic medication.^[1] The wholesale cost in the developing world is about 0.69 to 1.35 USD per dose.^[6] In the United States it is not very expensive.^[7] It can normally be found in plants of the Ephedra type. Dietary supplements that contain ephedrine are illegal in the United States. An exception is when used in traditional Chinese medicine.^[1

History

Ephedrine in its natural form, known as má huáng (麻黄) in traditional Chinese medicine, has been documented in China since the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) as anantiasthmatic and stimulant.^[35] In 1885, the chemical synthesis of ephedrine was first accomplished by Japanese organic chemist Nagai Nagayoshi based on his research ontraditional Japanese and Chinese herbal medicines. The industrial manufacture of ephedrine in China began in the 1920s, when Merck began marketing and selling the drug as ephetonin. Ephedrine exports between China and the West grew from 4 to 216 tonnes between 1926 and 1928.^[36]

In traditional Chinese medicine, má huáng has been used as a treatment for asthma and bronchitis for centuries.

source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedrine

Benifits

Ephedrine also interacts with muscle cells, increasing heat expenditure in them as well as fat cells. It can also prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue to a small degree.

Ephedrine is highly synergistic with Caffeine, and for this reason is commonly found in something called an ECA stack (Ephedrine, Caffeine, and Aspirin).

Side effects include an increase in Blood Pressure that goes away with cessation and increases in some blood parameters (Glucosamine, Insulin) that also go away with cessation of use. It has been reported to be a hyperstimulant when taken in doses above what is recommended.

Ephedrine is well studied and a fairly reliable compound for short- to medium-term weight loss (less than 6 months) and mild performance improvements, usually in trained individuals. However, it does not work under all situations; longer-term weight loss and effects in untrained individuals have not been studied much and sometimes produce negative results. While it has been implicated in weight reduction independent of exercise and diet changes, efficacy is maximized with minimal side-effects when ephedrine is combined with diet and exercise.

Own opinion

In my own views the ephidrine  is useful to our health