Fen-Phen hangover?
June 19th, 2009. By AbiK
and its active ingredient ephedrine were commonly found in herbal dietary supplements used for weight loss. Ephedrine is used in asthma medicine, as well as to make methamphetamine, more commonly known as speed. In fact, there’s only a slight difference chemically between methamphetamine and ephedrine. Ephedrine can slightly suppress your appetite, but no studies have shown it to be effective in weight loss. Ephedrine can also be dangerous. It can cause high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, nervousness, tremors, seizures, heart attacks, strokes, and even death.
Yes. That did just say “speed”. And given that Ephedra supplements typically also include close to 2 coffee cups worth of caffeine in each little pill, it’s a recipe for some serious jitters. But the lure of a potentially effective weight loss pill is hard to pass up if you’ve had trouble keeping to a healthy weight—or you just think you’re not slim enough for that bikini.
What’s important now is that if you were taking one of the reported 18,000,000 presciptions written for Fen-Phen in 1996 alone (source: pbs.org)—or if you tried the “herbal” version, Ephedra—and you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, it may just be the Fen-Phen hangover syndrome—and yes, your symptoms and Fen-Phen or Ephedra may be connected.
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) Symptoms
(from www.pph-net.org)
- Progressive shortness of breath (especially with activity)
- Hyperventilation (breathing harder and faster)
- Fatigue (tiring easily)
- Progressive weakness
- Fainting spells
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Coughing up blood
- Progressive cyanosis (blue tinge to lips hands and feet)
The only way to begin to determine whether there is indeed a connection is to speak with your doctor. Beyond that, there are lawyers investigating the connection, and you may wish to have a free consulation with one.
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