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Latest Personal Injury News FDA Finalizes Ephedra Ban
Source:
May 12, 2004
Due to continued health concerns and over one hundred reported deaths, the U.S. government has issued a ban on the use of the herbal supplement ephedra. The ban went into effect April 12, 2004. This ending a year of intense scrutiny by the federal government into deaths and other adverse conditions resulting from Ephedra. Many ask why it took so long.The number of adverse effects and the media coverage showcasing the deaths of famous athletes, like Steve Bechler, should have alerted officials immediately. The American Medical Association linked the use of ephedra to heart attacks, strokes and seizures, and other stimulant-like reactions. Reported adverse reactions vary from the milder side effects known to be associated with stimulants (e.g., nervousness, dizziness, tremor, alternations in blood pressure or heart rate, headache) to chest pain, myocardial infarction, hepatitis, stroke, seizures, psychosis, and death. These adverse reactions have been reported both in young, otherwise healthy individuals and persons with confounding or complicating conditions such as hypertension. In addition, a stimulant overdose syndrome has been reported in children and teenagers who have use these products.
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