Dr. Michael Cox noted that in 1997, the manufacturers of two widely used diet pills containing ephedrine, dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine, withdrew these drugs from the market because some research studies raised the question of whether they damaged heart valves. The initial study was based on just 24 patients who had developed heat-valve problems after taking the drugs. Five of these patients ultimately required cardiac surgery. Their heat valves showed an unusual thickening, similar to that seen in patients with disease that raise blood levels of the neurotransmitter chemical serotonin (these drugs also raise seritonin levels). Concerned, the Food and Drug Administration collected information on 271 patients who had used these drugs and found that 32% had valve abnormalities (5). This percentage is big enough to scare even the most obese people away. The manufacturers withdrew the drugs and a series of lawsuits followed. Many reasons that over weight people turn to these drugs is because they are scared of heart problems when in fact, they could receive them anyway by taking an over .
the counter diet pill. Guy Gugliotta reports, "The potential health hazards associated .
with ephedrine are too serious to permit them to be sold on the open market" and he urges the FDA to strongly consider removing dietary supplements that contain ephedrine from the open market (1).
Earl Midell has a 50/50 outlook of the controversy of ephedrine and diet pills. He states "People respond differently to caffeine and ephedrine. Some people may be highly sensitive to these stimulants, while others can use them with no adverse effects. He also notes that ephedrine can be habit-forming (233). Ephedrine can be used as an aid to some health problems. Ephedrine eases congestion and labored breathing due to allergies or asthma (Lyon, 198). The recent study from Harvard Medical School evaluated echocardiograms performed on 226 people who took Ephedrine as part of a long-term study from September 1994 to September 1997.