If you have tried tons of diet pills with minimal results and are wondering what the heck the deal is with ephedra.. then read on.
Ephedra was made illegal in the US as an ingredient in diet pills on April 12, 2004, much to the horror of dieters nationwide. The FDA banned ephedra because if misused it can be dangerous, of which I'm sure you are aware. While most ephedra users suffered no health implications and lost weight effectively, a couple people did have very adverse reactions. The FDA saw these incidents and thought it wise to ban the substance to save the few people that will have adverse side effects. Truthfully, I think this is terribly unfair. If cigarettes are legal- they kill how many users each year?- then I completely believe ephedra should also be legal. But I digress, my opinion and the effectiveness of the substance is irrelevant, we are no longer allowed to aquire diet pills that contain ephedra.
Let's just repeat that real quick. You are not allowed to buy diet pills or any sort of weight loss aid that contains ephedra.
This is a major bummer.
BUT there are other medications and supplements that contain ephedra that are not, in fact, illegal. Ephedra or ephedrine is a very prominent ingredient in asthma and cold medications. Have you ever came across a website focused on weight loss and noticed that they are selling Vasopro? That's odd right.. because its an asthma medication? Surprisingly, no- because it contains 12.5 mg of ephedra. And it's legal to purchase.
Apparently ephedra only harms people that use it for weight loss- using it for your asthma or to help with a case of the sniffles is absolutely safe. Thanks, FDA, that makes SO MUCH sense. I'm kidding...
It's also legal to purchase substances that are natural sources of ephedra. Ma-huang is not the only source of ephedra- there is also sida cordifolia. Or similar substances like Bitter Orange. You can still purchase those substances legally. Actually, most cold medecations contain synephrine, which is similiar to ephedra. So if you have ever felt a bit off- jittery or tingly after you've taken some cold medecine, that would be why.
I am not suggesting that you should buy a ton of cold medicine- or that you should consume asthma medecine daily when you don't have asthma. While these are generally safe medications or they would not be available; I do not claim to know everything about them or how taken this medication is going to affect you. But if you are just devastated because you miss, miss, miss
ephedra diet pills- there are ways to still purchase it legally. Take that information and do with it what you will. I don't want you ephedra-lovers buying diet pills online that contain ephedra from some shady website and then end up getting yourself in legal trouble. But I also don't want you to go out and take a million asthma pills either. Be responsible- pay attention and listen to your body no matter what supplements you choose to take. Knowledge is power and arm yourself wisely.
Good luck on your weight loss efforts and hopefully I cleared up a little bit of confusion about purchasing ephedra and diet pills.
