Ephedra ban exempts synthetic brands

Date: 22-07-2003 Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States

Despite a state ban, ephedra products -- which at least one coach speculates killed an arenafootball2 player Saturday -- remain on the shelves at many Illinois gas stations and convenience stores.

The state ban of the popular athletic performance-enhancing supplement only covers the products made directly from the herb ephedra. The law exempts brands of ephedra made synthetically, such as Ephedrine Multi-Action in the red, white and blue box and maximum strength Efedrin.

Ephedra, which Quad City Steamwheelers coach Rich Ingold believes may have contributed to the death of Bakersfield Blitz fullback/linebacker Julian Yearwood, has been blamed for the deaths of about 120 people in the past year.

Among the fatalities were baseball player Steve Bechler of the Baltimore Orioles and Northwestern University football player Rasidi Wheeler.

Types of ephedra still available at neighborhood convenience stores in Illinois are created in a lab and extracted from ephedra's alkaloids, or ephedra's chemical components. The most powerful and most used ephedra alkaloid is ephedrine, which is put into a product that health officials say is no different from the banned product.

The Drug Information Center at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago reports the benefits of ephedra products -- including weight loss and increased athletic performance -- do not outweigh the chances of stroke, seizure and even death that the drug can cause.

According to Mary Lynn Moody, director of the center, synthetically created ephedra products fall under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration.

All forms of ephedra are considered risky by the FDA, which means the product must carry warning labels. The FDA, which mandated in 1997 that ephedrine alkaloid products carry a warning statement, is considering a national ban.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists recommends all ephedra products be banned. While the products, if used correctly, can treat asthma and weight loss, Ms. Moody said there are plenty of adequate alternatives available.

Several professional sports leagues have forbidden the substance, along with Canada, the Army and several major retailers, including CVS drugstores and 7-Eleven Corp.

Rock Island High School head football coach Vic Boblett said he hopes his players are smart enough not to risk their health for athletic shortcuts.

``We just tell out kids absolutely not (to take ephedrine). It's beyond me why an athlete would want to take (ephedrine),'' said Mr. Boblett, who has a master's degree in health education from the University of Illinois. ``It's a shortcut -- or an attempt at a shortcut. We've come to understand that there are no shortcuts to accomplish great things in athletics. You might gain a little bit here, but in the long run, those things always end up costing you.''

Congress is weighing whether to completely outlaw ephedra and ephedrine. Executives from makers of ephedra will address the House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday. In a second hearing Thursday, the committee will hear from several professional sports leagues. The National Football League, the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee already have banned the substance.

The FDA must prove the product is a ``significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury,'' in order to prohibit it without an OK by Congress.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, D-Chicago, the sponsor of the bill that became law in Illinois and banned ephedra brands such as Yellow Jacket and Bitter Orange, said the substance was too readily available to young people. ``We just wanted to deal with the immediate case of 117 deaths around the country,'' he said.

Bud Tucker, operations manager of the 15 Mother Hubbard's Cupboards in the Quad-Cities, said those who buy ephedrine are adults -- people who should use the product responsively.

``I think that like all those kinds of things, like cigarettes, it's a matter of people using them responsibly,'' Mr. Tucker said. ``You can find ephedrine in just about any store in the Quad-Cities.''

Ephedra, also known as Ma-Huang, has been used in Asia as an herbal medicine for more than 5,000 years to treat respiratory diseases such asthma.

Roland Brand, lead pharmacist with Trinity Medical Center, said like most drugs, ephedra products become dangerous when a person misuses them.

``I don't think these products should be made available that easily,'' Mr. Brand said. ``It's true (that the product can treat asthma), but they should see a physician. The ability for Americans to self-medicate will always be there though.''

Mr. Brand said ephedrine is used at times for patients who are recovering from surgery, but for athletes to use ephedra products, it causes their hearts to overcharge.

``Most of these kids are sports players who have taken a large amount of ephedra, and they're out there on the field where they are highly stimulated anyway,'' Mr. Brand said. ``It's one of those Pandora's Boxes that we have is that some herbal products do not have to pass FDA approval.''