Stimulant response. (Data).At the end of February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ) signaled that it may ban dietary supplements containing the herbal stimulant stimulant, any substance that causes an increase in activity in various parts of the nervous system or directly increases muscle activity. Cerebral, or psychic, stimulants act on the central nervous system and provide a temporary sense of alertness and well-being as ephedra ephedra: see ephedrine. if it decides they pose "a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury." That phrase is open to interpretation, but the risk posed by ephedra seems quite modest when compared to the risks associated with widely used over the-counter and prescription drugs. Although press reports commonly cite an estimate of "at least 100 deaths" linked to ephedra, a RAND Corporation Rand Corporation, research institution in Santa Monica, Calif.; founded 1948 and supported by federal, state, and local governments, as well as by foundations and corporations. Its principal fields of research are national security and public welfare. study commissioned by the FDA found only two documented deaths that were investigated to rule out other causes. Even in those cases, the FDA concedes, the evidence is not conclusive. With an estimated 12 million to 17 million Americans taking something like 3 billion doses of ephedra products a year, FDA Administrator Mark McClellan Mark Barr McClellan (born June 26, 1963) was sworn in as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the United States Department of Health and Human Services on March 25, 2004. admits that "serious adverse events from ephedra appear to be infrequent." That point is underlined by data from the federal government's Drug Abuse Warning Network The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a public health surveillance system that monitors Drug-related visits to hospital emergency departments and Drug-related deaths investigated by medical examiners and coroners [https://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/default.asp]. . Selected DAWN numbers for 1999 (the most recent year for which nationwide totals are available) indicate that two deaths--or even too--over several years would not make ephedra stand out on a list of drugs mentioned by medical examiners. DAWN Medical Examiner Mentions (1999) Drug Mentions diazepam (Valium) 811 diphenhydramine (Benadryl) 641 Elavil (antidepressant) 477 nortriptyline (antidepressant) 424 acetaminophen (Tylenol) 427 lidocaine (heart drug & local 384 anesthetic) Prozac 305 quinine 250 meprobamate (tranquilizer) 170 aspirin 104 Source: Drug Abuse Warning Network |
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