least

My youngest daughter has started taking them. I googled ephedra and it sounded like a dangerous thing to take. Just wondering if anyone here had/has experience with either Stackers or Ephedra? Are they dangerous?

for any info.

zandre

Um Ephedra is nasty stuff. I thought it had been outlawed in the US however I may be wrong. Not to scare you or your daughter but I believe there were some deaths directly associated with ephedra. There are other weight loss pills out there that don't have ephedra in them. I took something called Lipo-6 when I was losing weight in HS, which doesn't use ephedra, but does have a ton of caffeine in it. Either way make sure she doesn't take them longer than 6-8 weeks if I am remembering correctly.

Also diet pills aren't magical. They can accelerate weight loss but you still have to diet and exercise for them to work properly. Hope this helps.

Texasblind

Ephedra speeds up the heart rate. It has been known to cause heart failure and strokes in people who take too much. It also raises the blood pressure. Ephedra has been banned in a number of professional sports.

There are supplements out there that use the word "ephedra" but are actually ephedra free. Or the manufacturer hides it in the list of active ingredients by calling it "ma huang."

My personal experience with ephedra is that I had constant headaches, sweating and dizziness, my pulse was noticeably increased. I was not an active alcoholic when I took ephedra, maybe 10 years ago.

FuzzyFatSacks

Ephedra is DEFINITELY illegal in the States. I am pretty sure Stacker reformulated their product though. Maybe she got a hold of some old ones though? It's been illegal for a few years, I believe.

angharad

I'm a nurse and serial dieter until about 2 years ago, I had tried everything - all pills teas etc u name it i tried it, I tried ephedra (bought it over the internet) and its like pill-form Speed. Not want to alarm you but it does follow in the footsteps of all diet pills from the 70's which contained a form of amphetamine. Places an enormous strain on the heart muscles and basically you don't eat as the hunger goes away yet you have plenty of energy so can still exercise or whatever Hope that helps.

least

I'm trying to convince her to stop taking them but she insists she never takes more than one and that she 'knows what she's doing'.... famous last words. Thanks for the info. I will google it myself and send her the pages so she can read the scientific studies and such.

angharad

Take it from a previous size 20 (UK size) serial dieter who is now a size 10! I lost 6 stone (around 35kgs) in 2 hard years of healthy eating and excercise after years upon years of trying all the teas/ pills/ fad diets out there I know its cliche but it works if you're willing to put the hard work into it. I've been a size 10 maintained now for 2 years and it is hard work - ide prefer to sit in and eat pizza than have a salad and go to the gym. But yea, she needs to be careful as it gets to be an obsession. How old is she and how much does she think she is over weight if you mind my asking?

Anna

Least, I wonder if taking your daughter to your dr and having her/him talk to her about the ephedra would help?

Sending hugs your way!

least

She's about to turn 18 and I don't know her actual weight, but she is definetly not overweight. Maybe a few pounds over, but nothing major. I can suggest going to the doctor but if she knows why she's going she'll refuse to go, she's that stubborn. I'm giving her info first so she can know what she's getting into.

Fandy

she will have trouble sleeping..get headaches and could become easily irritated.

if she's only 10-15 lbs. overweight, no doctor will condone a diet pill with a bunch of herbs and heavy caffeine...I think they allowed Ephedra back to US sales but may have taken it off again...is she looking for the energized effect or appetite supressant?
take her pulse for her resting HR...I'll bet it is pounding...it's not a good thing even if she is strong and in good physical shape.

if she is taking it because she is tired, there might be an underlying cause, she should go to a doctor and get a blood workup to determine if she has a deficiency or possible anemia....(that's what i would do for myself)

If she wants an effective "diet pill" let her use Alli...which is a liphase inhibitor...only works on the GI tract with blocking a portion of her fat intake...but has unattractive side effects when you eat too much fat in your diet...(oily anal leakage and poo).

..my daughter used the prescription form of Alli, Xenical...when it first came out..she lost 50lbs. by eating properly and exercising in about 6 months....and it kept her honest about her diet...from the fear of what she could expell.

angharad

Alli is a great pill and am a fan! have used it many times before and the unpleasant side effects when u eat a meal with too much fat reminds u to be healthy ^^
Its a hard sitution to deal with as a mum and daughter. I was that daughter..i was bullemic from 15-19 and no matter how much my mum tried she couldnt get through to me...it actually took a boyfriend who cared to make me see what i was doing. All u can do is give her info and support

least

She says she's taking it for the increased energy, but I suspect she's also trying to lose some weight. The last time she was at the doctor the doc said she was pretty much at her ideal weight for her height... but dk (defiant kid) didn't believe it and still thinks she's way too heavy. Losing five or ten pounds wouldn't hurt her appearance, I'm just afraid of her taking these energy boosters/diet pills too much and becoming dependent on them.

She's also very much into drinking huge cups of cappachino!

flutter

I took them, by the directions.. then ignored the directions because it was like speed. More was better.. and so I took more and more. Sure I got super skinny, but I was really destroying my body and my mind.. always wired, taking handfuls of pills and then drinking a ton afterwards to 'come down'. That didn't end up well either

I hope she's safe and maybe if she talked to her doctor she could find something that actually works better, safer.. I know there's a bunch of newer and safer things out there now for people to try.

Fandy

If she's drinking big cappuchinos are they loaded with cream, syrups and sugar? that will cancel out any weight loss....ahhh, those DK years...

Dee74

I hope you can convince her to stop taking the pills and to maybe see a Dr, least.
Prayers and good thoughts for you and your daughter

D