The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products
Authors: Richard L. Kingston
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters2 September 2003The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal ProductsRichard L. Kingston, PharmD and Stephen W. Borron, MD, MSRichard L. Kingston, PharmDFrom PROSAR International Poison Center; St. Paul, MN 55108, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and International Toxicology Consultants; Washington, DC 20036.Search for more papers by this author and Stephen W. Borron, MD, MSFrom PROSAR International Poison Center; St. Paul, MN 55108, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and International Toxicology Consultants; Washington, DC 20036.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-5_Part_1-200309020-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We draw your attention to serious methodologic flaws and failure of peer review in Bent and colleagues' article on ephedra and adverse reactions (1). The substance of the authors' communication appears to be drawn from a single table on page 439 of the annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System (TESS) (2). A careful reading reveals that the 64% of cases represented by the authors as authenticated adverse events reported to poison centers also includes cases coded as unrelated to the substance in question. As seen in Table 12 on ...References1. Bent S, Tiedt TN, Odden MC, Shlipak MG. The relative safety of ephedra compared with other herbal products. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:468-71. [PMID: 12639079] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Litovitz TL, Klein-Schwartz W, Rodgers GC, Cobaugh DJ, Youniss J, Omslaer JC, . 2001 Annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System. Am J Emerg Med. 2002;20:391-452. [PMID: 12216043] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Hamilton RJ, Goldfrank LR. Poison center data and the Pollyanna phenomenon [Editorial]. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1997;35:21-3. [PMID: 9022647] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From PROSAR International Poison Center; St. Paul, MN 55108, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and International Toxicology Consultants; Washington, DC 20036. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Stephen Bent , Thomas N. Tiedt , Michelle C. Odden , and Michael G. Shlipak The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Julian M. Whitaker The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Annette Dickinson The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Stephen Bent , Thomas N. Tiedt , and Michael G. Shlipak The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Stephen Bent , Thomas N. Tiedt , and Michael G. Shlipak The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Annette Dickinson The Relative Safety of Ephedra Compared with Other Herbal Products Julian M. Whitaker Metrics Cited byNutritional Aspects of Obesity ManagementHow ephedrine escaped regulation in the United States: A historical review of misuse and associated policyADHD Drugs and Cardiovascular RiskSafety Assurances for Dietary Supplements 2 September 2003Volume 139, Issue 5_Part_1Page: 385KeywordsAdverse eventsAdverse reactionsDatabasesPeer reviewRisk managementSafety ePublished: 2 September 2003 Issue Published: 2 September 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...