I thought I was dying. My chest felt as if an anvil had dropped upon it, crushing my lungs into ineffective windbags. My throat was constricting to the size of a straw, a sentry denying the passage of air. Vision swimming from a lack of adequate oxygen to the brain brought on by hyperventilation, I was certain that my next breath would be my last. My tingling hands curled into claws and muscle spasms began to course through my legs. What was happening to me, I worried. Had I gone crazy? I feared I was having a heart attack or worse, dying. In actuality, I wasn’t having a heart attack, nor was I dying. After two emergency room visits, I found out that I was suffering from severe panic attacks brought on by my consumption of the herbal drug ephedra.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ephedra is a naturally occurring substance derived from the Chinese herbal Ma Huang. Its principal active ingredient is ephedrine, which, when chemically synthesized, is regulated as a drug. While products containing natural ephedrine alkaloids have long been used to treat certain respiratory symptoms in traditional Chinese medicine, in recent years they been extensively promoted and used with the goals of aiding weight loss, enhancing sports performance, and increasing energy.
The recent tragic death of 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Steve Bechler on February 17 brought the dangers of ephedra to the forefront of the public’s collective consciousness. Bechler died of heatstroke a day after collapsing on the field, his body reaching a deadly 108 degrees. But authorities link the true reason for his death to an innocuous bottle of pills found in his locker containing the drug ephedra.
Ephedra makes up less than one percent of herbal supplement sales, but FDA Commissioner Mark B. McClellan stated that ephedra causes 64 percent of all reported side effects from herbs.
And what are those side effects exactly? The National Institutes of Health conducted a study of ephedra dubbed the RAND study and concluded that ephedra is associated with higher risks of side effects such as heart palpitations, psychiatric and upper gastrointestinal effects, and symptoms of hyperactivity such as tremor and insomnia, especially when it is taken with other stimulants. Many products containing ephedra also contain a small quantity of caffeine as well. The study reviewed over 16,000 adverse events reported after ephedra use and found about 20 “sentinel events,” including heart attack, stroke, and death, that occurred in the absence of other contributing factors.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson proposed warning labels on all ephedra supplements, linking the drug to heart attack, stroke, seizures and death. The government is also demanding that 24 companies stop promoting ephedra as an athletic enhancer.
So, if ephedra is so dangerous, why doesn’t the government just ban it?
Government health officials need to prove it’s dangerous first. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act requires companies prove a dietary supplement is safe before it hits the shelves, but they don’t have to report negative side effects or do pre-market screening.
The FDA cannot ban ephedra unless it shows a “significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.” Unfortunately no long-term studies have been done with ephedra. And although it is linked to fatal side effects and 44 deaths, nothing concrete has been proven.
After discovering the dismal findings of the FDA and the RAND study, I guess you could say that I was somewhat relieved that panic attacks seem to be the only side effect from my continued ephedra use (or abuse as some would say). Multiple doctors have told me that the panic disorder I experience now is a direct result of taking ephedra. And although I have ceased taking the ephedra-laden products, I still experience anxiety and minor panic attacks from time to time, although not so severe in duration or quality.
My decision to cease taking the ephedra was actually not made initially out of concern for my health, although that now has become a major factor in my decision not to resume its use. The herbal cocktail gave me much needed energy to combat a heavy school and work load. I believed in the ephedra’s metabolism boosting claims in that it would aid in my weight loss goals. I ignored the pains in my chest that developed months into taking the drug and overlooked the headaches that came on after I popped those wonder pills. No, the reason I initially stopped taking ephedra was simply that I just couldn’t seem to find it anymore.
After the death of Steve Bechler, pharmacies and commercial stores seemed to be nervous about placing such a product on their shelves. In our day and age of liability concerns and lawsuits over spilled coffee, their fears are understandable and valid. Walgreens, CVS, and Target have all discontinued the sale of ephedra based products from their stock with other stores following suit.
So I guess it came as a surprise and a bit of a shock when I walked into our bookstore at Raymond Walters College and, what do I see on the counter? Tiny packets of ephedra-based products lined up like toy soldiers screaming out “Ultimate Energizer” in neon pink type. Marketed by the manufacturer BDI, the bookstore sold their small black packets at a very nominal fee with each pouch containing two capsules filled with a myriad of herbal extracts, including ephedrine alkaloids.
RWC Bookstore made this dangerous herbal drug available to anyone who walked in its doors (except anyone under 18; it’s illegal to sell ephedra to minors). Large store chains are rushing furiously to remove all ephedra-based products from their shelves, publicly citing their concerns with its safety to their patrons (and the fear of the damage to their wallets lurking in the back of their minds, no doubt). And so I wondered, why was the RWC bookstore doing the complete opposite?
I spoke to Interim Bookstore Manager Kevin Ellison regarding my concerns and found him to be very accommodating and concerned with the welfare and safety of the students. Mr. Ellison stated that he was unaware of the ingredients of the pills and once made aware of the fact, removed them from the shelf within mere minutes, citing a promise not to sell the ephedra in the future.
Companies such as BDI markets these energizing pills to college age students counting on the fact that we are stressed and frazzled by midterms, finals and grades while trying to juggle work and family lives. Sure, ephedra gives you added energy. But is that extra bit of pep and adrenaline worth the risk to your health?