This can have serious consequences for some people Ephedra products have been linked to irregular heartbeat, strokes and cardiac arrest. There have been several reports of ephedra-induced psychosis, including agitation, paranoia, depression and hallucinations. In the emergency room, doctors determined that the patient, who had no history of mental illness, had been taking ephedra for 10 days. His symptoms disappeared once he went off the pills. Doctors have recently begun seeing ephedra users in their 20s who have developed kidney stones made of the crystallized form of compounds in the plant.
Many consumers willingly accept some risk in order to lose weight.
But there is only sketchy evidence that ephedra is useful. The industry likes to point to Danish studies that it says demonstrate the effectiveness of the combination of ephedra and caffeine. Over six months, people who dieted and took the herbal mixture lost about eight pounds more than those who tried dieting alone. That's not surprising. Even the most powerful prescription diet drugs work only so long.