Can you please give me the real truth about Ephedra. I have a friend who works out on the P-90 with me and he takes Xenadrine. I see the weight coming off him and it seems to be doing him some justice. He looks real good compared to what he looked like some months back. He says he is taking the recommended doses, and that he follows the directions on the bottle exactly. He tells me that after this 12 weeks are up he is going to stop taking them to let his body adjust to not having them for at least 3 weeks. I am concerned though because I hear how bad ephedra is and I read about a few people dying from taking it. But I don't understand, those who died from it did they abuse the recommended doses? Or did they exceed the 12 weeks it states on the bottle not to do? Any help from you will be appreciated.

Thanks
Darrell

The truth about ephedra is:

a) it is effective
b) it is dangerous

Most, if not all, of the supplement-related deaths in the last 10 years are due to ephedra. Mainly it's because of overdose but many people have problems at the recommended dosages (examples on this site). Just how dangerous is debated, as it affects everyone differently. If you can drink a ton of coffee without much effect, chances are recommended dosages will be okay for you (though not for certain). However, if you are sensitive to caffeine and the like, then even recommended dosages may have you walking around feeling as though you're constantly in the middle of a bungee jump. It's called a "thermogenic" because it has an effect on your metabolism. The street word for thermogenic is speed.

I have used ephedra on many occasions, mainly because original claims on Ma Huang (ephedra) showed that it could increase time spent in the anaerobic threshold, which is probably exaggerated. I never really liked it, even though I love caffeine. The state of "ampage" would is not comfortable for me and I felt it affected my neuro patterns in a non-productive manner. It also made my nose run--a fairly common side effect. Did I feel like it was dangerous? No, not with enough exercise and proper nutrition, though in high dosages I can see how it would be, for sure.

Your friend's protocol sounds wise to me. Whether or not you should take it is your call. Obviously, it must be effective for so many people to risk trying it. I'd say that if you are not overly sensitive to stimulants than chances are it will not harm you. There have been hundreds of death attributed to it, but millions of users--the odds are still in your favor. However, the bottom line is, that while it may help you, it will not do anything that you cannot do without it. I was looking for a competitive advantage. If you are in a race to loose weight than maybe you can justify it. If not, what's the point, since your exercise and eating habits are going to determine the final outcome anyway?

Also, new Xenadrine does not use ephedra (perhaps tired of lawsuits). Instead, it contains much more mild, and safe, ingredients, though it's thermogenic effects are compromised it may be a better option. Also, check ingredients as there are other brands that use the same make-up.

Hope this helps and doesn't just muddy the waters.