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Ephedra Class Action Lawsuits Information
Ephedra is a stimulant found in many diet pills and sports
drinks that has been linked to a high number of serious adverse effects but has
not been able to be regulated. Ephedra is an herbal stimulant taken from an
evergreen plant found in Central Asia and is classified as a food so the FDA has
been unable to regulate it despite the reports of chest pain, myocardial
infarction, hepatitis, stroke, seizures, psychosis, and death. Despite the
inability to regulate ephedra- containing products, the FDA has been collecting
reports on the supplement attributed to over 100 deaths.
Consumer group Public Citizen has been actively trying to have ephedra banned
from consumer use since September 2001. Despite support from consumer advocates,
healthcare professionals, and the FDA to ban ephedra-containing products,
ephedra has remained popular, selling three billion servings every year.
Recently, the U.S.'s largest selling ephedra-containing product Metabolife was
put under criminal investigation for lying to the FDA about adverse health
effects the company had received reports of.
The FDA's 1996 amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act required
that the agency show evidence that a marketed product like ephedra is unsafe
instead of the company showing it is safe to receive FDA approval first. When
company's selling ephedra-containing products, such as Metabolife International,
do not provide the FDA with adverse effects reports the FDA is unable to have
evidence to remove dangerous products from the market. In 1995, a pharmacologist
that was hired by the FDA to analyze the sudden increase in death and heart
problems with teenagers that had used ephedra-containing products expressed his
surprise that the FDA did not quickly restrict ephedra following the study.
Evidence of deadly and serious ephedra side effects has been noted as far back
as 1994. Finally, in June 2002, the Health and Human Services announced the Rand
Corporation would perform all scientific reports on ephedra's safety and a
decision would be made following the results. Ephedra is a popular ingredient in
sports drinks and diet supplements because of the stimulant effects it has,
including a low appetite and high alertness.
Ephedra Side Effects
Ephedra is the herbal form of ephedrine and is a central
nervous system stimulant that behaves in the body much like an amphetamine.
Basically, ephedra is an organic form of the drug "speed." Ephedra side effects
are dangerous and have been proven to be the cause of heart attacks and strokes
and also 155 deaths.
Ephedra side effects have caused harm to many people resulting in an official
FDA ban on February 6, 2004. Unfortunately, the ban on ephedra has been lifted
almost a year later after Utah based companies Nutraceutical Corp. and Solray
Inc. sued the FDA saying it had not proven that the manufacturers
arbitrarily-set dosages of 10 milligrams or less of ephedra dietary supplements
were dangerous. While the ban on ephedra has been lifted, it's because of the
law, and not the safety of ephedra.
Ephedra side effects have been most commonly seen when used as an herbal
supplement to help people lose weight, boost their energy levels, and improve
athletic performance. While Ephedra is a natural herbal substance, it is also a
very powerful drug. Companies were going as far as marketing pills containing
ephedra as a "safe alternative to street drugs" like ecstasy and amphetamines.
You may have even experienced ephedra side effects like that jittery feeling
when taking Sudafed or other over-the-counter medications.
Ephedra side effects include heart damage, heart attack, stroke, TIA (transient
ischemic attack), seizures, tachycardia (in which the heart rate is accelerated
to above 100 beats per minute), paranoid psychosis, depression, coma, fever,
vomiting, palpitations, hypertension, respiratory failure and death. Some people
have considered taking supplements such as xenadrine in lieu of ephedra side
effects, despite the concerns expressed by health officials about xenadrine
safety.
Despite ephedra side effects such as heart damage, advertisements for ephedra
claimed that the herbal supplement was safe and effective. The public is easily
convinced that when something is touted as "natural" that it is "safe" as well.
In reality, ephedra side effects are responsible for 155 known deaths and over
1,000 adverse reactions requiring emergency medical treatment have been
associated with ephedra side effects.
In the case against ephedra side effects, doctors testified that ephedra and
dietary supplements containing ephedra have significant risks, including heart
damage, which can cause further complications or death in people with
pre-existing illnesses, as well as previously healthy individuals. While doctors
argued that ephedra should be removed from the market, products containing
ephedra have already been banned or restricted in over 20 states due to ephedra
side effects.
While ephedra is once again available to the public, it has been shown that the
supplements can cause ephedra side effects such as heart damage and strokes, and
the producing companies are leaving themselves wide open for lawsuits. For
example, the company that makes Metabolife, a popular weight loss product that
contains ephedra, has been forced to pay $5 million in personal injury claims
related to the use of their product.
More Ephedra Information
Until more recent years, information on ephedra was not fully
understood by consumers. In 1994, a law was passed that allowed dietary
supplements to be exempted from federal regulation so despite the controversial
nature of ephedra, the FDA failed to ban or enforce stricter regulations because
the agency felt more information on ephedra adverse effects needed to be
established. The House committee has felt even more pressure to make changes
regarding ephedra-containing supplements following the death of MLB pitcher
Steve Bechler that has caused the press to raise additional information on
ephedra and to question the dangers it is posing.
In March 2003, the FDA finally announced that it would impose new rules on
dietary supplements in order to force ephedra product manufacturers to create
accurate labeling in light of the information on ephedra available showing the
deadly and serious effects the supplements can have. The FDA announcement was
long overdue according to many, but still not enough considering the information
on ephedra that has indicated the dangers for so many years.
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