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   Drugs and Chemicals /  E   Ephedrine (Pseudoephedrine)

An alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonist that may also enhance release of norepinephrine. It has been used in the treatment of several disorders including asthma, heart failure, rhinitis, and urinary incontinence, and for its central nervous system stimulatory effects in the treatment of narcolepsy and depression. It has become less extensively used with the advent of more selective agonists.


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   Ephedra   


A plant genus of the family Ephedraceae, order Ephedrales, class Gnetopsida, division Gnetophyta.
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 Pharmacologic Action
  • Adrenergic Agent
    Drugs that act on adrenergic receptors or affect the life cycle of adrenergic transmitters. Included here are adrenergic agonists and antagonists and agents that affect the synthesis, storage, uptake, metabolism, or release of adrenergic transmitters.
  • Bronchodilator Agent
    Agents that cause an increase in the expansion of a bronchus or bronchial tubes.



Free Full Text 20 Aug 2008
Ephedra ban: no shortage of reasons
The Food and Drug Administration has banned the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra (ephedrine alkaloids) due to concerns over their cardiovascular effects, including increased blood pressure and irregular heart rhythm. The final rule, published Feb. 6, 2004, becomes effective on April 12, 2004.
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Ephedra: Once a Boon, Now a Bane
Those who forget the past are not always fated to repeat it—sometimes the consequences are even worse. The problem of ephedra in the year 2003 arose largely because we have forgotten some excellent pharmacological research of eighty years ago.
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Water potentiates the pressor effect of ephedra alkaloids
The use of ephedra alkaloids in over-the-counter preparations has been associated with potentially serious cerebrovascular events. Because of its potential association with hemorrhagic strokes, phenylpropanolamine has been largely substituted for by pseudoephedrine, but it is not clear whether this is indeed a safer alternative. It would be important to understand the cardiovascular effects of ephedra alkaloids, but these are normally masked by baroreflex buffering mechanisms. We therefore investigated the effects of ephedra alkaloids in patients with autonomic impairment and explored their potential interaction with water ingestion.
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Intravenous lidocaine and ephedrine, but not propofol, suppress fentanyl-induced cough
Intravenous lidocaine 2 mg.kg(-1) or ephedrine 5 mg, but not propofol 0.6 mg.kg(-1), was effective in preventing fentanyl-induced cough. The results provide a convenient method to decrease fentanyl-induced cough.
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Myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteriogram: the role of ephedrine-like alkaloids
The authors present a case of acute myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteriogram which occurred in a 19-year-old, cigarette-smoking male following usage of a pseudoephedrine-containing drug for an upper respiratory tract infection
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Book Reviews 20 Aug 2008

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Categorization derived from National Library of Medicine.
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