Ephedrine is a drug that can cause both positive and negative effects on the body. Here are some of the details regarding its ingredients, positive and negative effects, and side effects:
Ingredients:
- Ephedrine is a chemical compound that is chemically synthesized for use as a drug in clinical practice.
- It is also one of the ephedrine-type alkaloids that are extracted from plants in the Ephedra genus and have effects on the heart, vascular system, and other organs.
Positive effects:
- Ephedrine has positive inotropic and chronotropic effects on the heart.
- It can stimulate the body and increase metabolic rate.
Negative effects:
- Ephedrine can cause autonomic hyperactivity, such as heart palpitations, tremors, twitching, insomnia, and sweating.
- It can also cause gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, reflux, and heartburn, and psychiatric symptoms, such as agitation, lowered mood, irritability, and anxiety.
- Ephedra supplements have been implicated in adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes, including stroke, heart attack, and death.
Side effects:
- The most common side effects of ephedrine are tachycardia, anxiety, nausea, restlessness, and insomnia.
- Tremor, dry mouth, impaired circulation to the extremities, hypertension, headache, and cardiac arrhythmias may also occur.
- Vesical sphincter spasm may occur and result in difficult and painful urination, and urinary retention may develop in males with prostatism.
- Precordial pain and cardiac arrhythmias may occur following administration of ephedrine sulfate injection.
- Tolerance with dependence has been reported with prolonged administration, and myocardial infarction has occurred very rarely in patients taking ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.
It is important to note that ephedrine should be avoided in patients with ischaemic heart disease.
