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Ephedra has helped millions, including me, lose weight. While it helped me get over my 10 year plateau and lead me to a 35 lb weight loss, I had to be careful. I hope to inform you of some of the more "secret" side effects or perils of EPHEDRA.

Yes, I had heart palpitations (where your heart "skips") sometimes badly, and I felt I needed to talk about them during a routine visit. Fortunately an EKG revealed nothing abnormal and I was told to skip the supplements so my heart would not skip! Doc also informed me that if your heart is going to be bad, it will do it all the time, not just occasionally.

I later discovered that heart palpitations could be caused by sleeping on your right side, since this makes your heart pump harder. And yes, since stopping the Ephedra it skips less often, but still will skip and has skipped before taking Ephedra.

I now change up my weight loss supplement regimen. I stay off of ephedra indefinately and just use milder energy supplements and Zanthrex type products. Most state you should not take them for longer than 12 weeks in the first place! Always remember this.

As for some of the "secret" very dangerous EPHEDRA EFFECTS you do not often hear about...

When I took "Black Ice" energizer and a few other supplements containing 25mg EPHEDRA for at least six months I experienced a lot of shaking and irritability. Even with only 1 or 2 capsules/day. My hands shake so bad sometimes I cannot write legibly, let alone complete delicate tasks that require coordination. I also had trouble sitting down and focusing. I blurted out things I did not want to say and volunteered for projects I had no intentions of seeing through. Since it numbed my ability to reason and feel pain, I also made several purchases I later regretted.

Be wise and informed. If you are going to try Ephedra, do it in moderation. It could help you get the jump start on weight loss that you need. I used it for this purpose and out of curiousity. It was not addictive for me nor did I experience anything dangerous. The greatest danger is that when you rely on a supplement, sooner or later you will have to go off of it and the weight may come back on as a result.
Wean yourself off, take advantage of a smaller stomach/lesser appetite and continue diet and exercise habits you can live with.

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