Ephedrine abuse among 36 female weightlifters

Ephedrine, a central nervous system stimulant, is widely available over the counter in nutritional supplements for body-builders and other athletes. Recently, federal agencies in the United States have reported growing numbers of adverse events attributable to use of this drug. The authors describe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American journal on addictions Vol. 7; no. 4; p. 256
Main Authors Gruber, A J, Pope, Jr, H G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 1998
Subjects
Adult
Amenorrhea
Body Image
Central Nervous System Stimulants - adverse effects
Central Nervous System Stimulants - pharmacology
Central Nervous System Stimulants - therapeutic use
Ephedrine - adverse effects
Ephedrine - pharmacology
Ephedrine - therapeutic use
Feeding and Eating Disorders
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
Osteoporosis
Risk Factors
Substance-Related Disorders - etiology
Weight Lifting
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Summary:Ephedrine, a central nervous system stimulant, is widely available over the counter in nutritional supplements for body-builders and other athletes. Recently, federal agencies in the United States have reported growing numbers of adverse events attributable to use of this drug. The authors describe preliminary observations of 36 dedicated female athletes who reported ephedrine use. Many of these women had used the drug for years, often in high doses. Most had experienced at least some adverse effects and seven (19%) displayed frank ephedrine dependence at the time of the interview. Eating disorders and disorders of body image appeared to be especially prevalent among ephedrine users.
ISSN:1055-0496
DOI:10.1111/j.1521-0391.1998.tb00344.x