The Government Has Banned Ephedra

PineRidge · Jan 5, 2004

The government has recently banned the drug Ephedra. For those of you that may not be familiar, it is used in some weight loss supplements. It seems that they linked it to the death of about 155 people. Yet, tobacco related deaths run in the millions and it is still sold nationwide. Does anyone else find this really strange? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I personally don't use either but I am curious as to your opinions. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Durbob · Jan 5, 2004

Yep, another victory for the drug companies. If the truth was known about how many people have died from prescription drugs it would shock us all. But they'll never ban those, because the drug companies have the FDA in their back pocket. The drug companies can't have patents on Herbs and get rich off it so they want them banned. I have gotten my health back this year after being in horrible shape for so long , and it has been thru the use of natural means...not chemicals,so i know it works. Where does it end? I'm afraid now that one herb is banned, that they'll set their sites on many others now. Believe me...it's ALL about money.

tc35dforme · Jan 5, 2004

Hmmmm .... can't say I thought about it that way.

I do think that the government and people in general distrust natural or holistic "medicines" and blindly trust anything that comes through a "legit" drug company. There have been many drugs that were proved safe and effective that have been later pulled.

As for ephedra, I used an ephedra product for about 90 days, but at very low doses. I think that the trouble starts when you get excited and start whacking huge doses of the stuff. Some of the products that were on the market used 12 times the accepted daily dosage /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

Oh well, time to finish my 2nd pack of cigarettes, finish that bottle of whiskey, and eat those 2 Big MACs.... I wonder why I don't feel that healthy /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

MossRoad · Jan 5, 2004

Oh well, time to finish my 2nd pack of cigarettes, finish that bottle of whiskey, and eat those 2 Big MACs.... I wonder why I don't feel that healthy

Because you forgot to eat your Hershey's bar again! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Bob_Skurka · Jan 5, 2004

From the techincal standpoint, the FDA is prohibited from regulating the sale of tobacco products. Ephedra is a dietary suppliment and not classified as a drug, it falls under the perview of the FDA.

I wonder how many tobacco farmers we have on TBN. I am pretty sure we don't have any Ephedra farmers.

Personally I oppose banning the sale of either. Some people will abuse anything, I guess I agree with Darwin that those people will make themselves extinct and those of us who survive and thrive will be better off after they are gone.

mwechtal · Jan 5, 2004

I believe that at one point there was a batch of Ephedra running around that was "contaminated" with Foxglove. Foxglove contains digitalis, a drug for heart problems. Several people died from that mistake. The FDA apparently can't regulate producers of herb type supplements the way they do drug companies. As a result even if the herb you want to take is perfectly safe, you have NO IDEA  if that is really what is in the pills. That's my concern about this problem.

Mike

slowrev · Jan 5, 2004

Alcohol related deaths run very high and the other problems it contributes to are bad as well and it is still legal.
According to some gummit statistics I read about 10 years ago. The overall cost to the US society is at least as high as all illegal drug use. Still have the clipping somewhere... could find it if the alcohol had not destroyed tooo many brain cells /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bob_Skurka · Jan 5, 2004

It is my understanding that doctors kill about twice as many people by accident as guns each year. Yet still doctors are legal.

fivestring · Jan 5, 2004

"Yet, tobacco related deaths run in the millions and it is still sold nationwide. Does anyone else find this really strange?" 

Yes. 155 deaths? That's all? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif There were over 80 deaths soon after Viagra was on the market. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Did the gummit outlaw that? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I bet almost all of the deaths were from people taking more than the normal dosage. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

What about alcohol related deaths?
Vehicle related deaths?
The list could go on.

Vehicles, alcohol and tobacco kill millions each year.
To me, alcohol should have been targeted instead of tobacco.
Now don't get me wrong, I drink now and again. I quit smoking 4 years ago.
The problem is one can smoke a pack, or even a carton of cigarettes, get behind the wheel and drive fine. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif