Ephedrine is found in the popular weight-loss formulation known as the ECA stack, in herbal weight-loss supplements and in bronchial asthma medications. However, you'll want to avoid this ingredient if you have prostate trouble -- or at least consult your doctor before consuming it. This ingredient goes by many names, including ma huang, ephedra, methyl ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and sida cordifolia, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Identification
Medically, ephedrine is most often used to combat bronchial asthma. It prevents your cells from releasing histamine, which is the substance your body makes that is responsible for hives, swelling, watery eyes, itching and other allergy symptoms. In weight-loss formulations, ephedrine is used to curb your appetite. Adding caffeine and aspirin, such as in the ECA stack, extends this benefit of ephedrine.Ephedra comes from the herb ma huang and is a naturally occurring substance. The active ingredient in ephedra is ephedrine.
Warning
If you have an enlarged prostate you must consult your doctor before taking ephedrine, because it can increase your chances of suffering urinary retention. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Germany's Commission E, that country's regulatory body for herbs, warn against taking ephedrine if you have prostate problems. Urinary retention can be painful and cause serious problems such as permanent bladder damage. You also need to consult a doctor before using ephedrine if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, a history of seizures, an overactive thyroid or Parkinson's disease.
Physical Effects
Ephedrine affects your urinary tract by increasing outlet resistance, which restricts your urine flow and increases urine retention. An enlarged prostate also increases resistance at your bladder outlet muscle. Bladder symptoms may include a hard time starting your urinary stream, a weak urine stream, straining to urinate, leaking between urinations and less frequent urination.
Theory/Speculation
Not everyone agrees that ephedrine is harmful if you have prostate problems. For example, Timothy S. Tracy and Richard L. Kingston, authors of ""Herbal Products: Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology," call the concern about urinary retention among people with prostate trouble "theoretical" as opposed to proven.
References
- "Johns Hopkins Complete Home Guide to Pills and Medicines"; 2005
- "Better Nutrition" magazine: The ECA Buzz
- "Advanced Therapy of Prostate Disease"; Martin I. Resnick and Ian Murchie Thompson; 2000
- ""Herbal Products: Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology"; Timothy S. Tracy and Richard L. Kingston; 2007
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Ephedra Overview
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Urinary Retention
