Fen-Phen hangover?
June 19th, 2009. By AbiK
Mention Fen-Phen or Ephedra to someone and they’ll most likely give you that “oh yeah—I remember that” kind of response. Fen-Phen had pretty much reached that place in nostalgia that’s typically relegated to rather-not-remember fads (hello, acid wash jeans). However, Fen-Phen—and herbal Fen-Phen (aka the mix of Ephedra and St. John’s Wort)—are back in the forefront due to what I call their “delayed hangover” effect. Namely, PPH or Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.
Ever notice with a hangover, everything starts out quite nicely. You drink, you feel that buzz. Then there’s that period when you sleep and it seems like nothing’s happening, simply because you’re not aware of it. Then morning comes. Well, some folks who took Fen-Phen as a weight loss supplement have woken up to find themselves with what appears to be PPH symptoms—years after taking the drug and years after the FDA issued its public health advisory in 1997 announcing its withdrawal.
Ephedra, or should I say herbal Fen-Phen which sounds much more benign, was also yanked from shelves by the FDA in 2004. A look at the Ephedra entry on WebMD shows the effects of Ephedra can be similar to some of the symptoms of PPH. WebMd also mentions that Ephedra…
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