Ephedra –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra

Ephedrine, while different than Ephedra, is not legal as a dietary supplement, but is legal for other various medical conditions.

Like ephedrine, it was another “hype drug” on the market. It was all the rage when it came out cuz of its claims. And it has also died down in hype as certain things were discovered about it. Just like the side effect that Chance is fighting by drinking water, for example. Cuz it strains your kidneys and liver to metabolize this stuff. Also, it didn’t work for most people since their muscles had a water bloat from the creatine instead of a true muscle gain, and that went away in a few days. I’m not sure of the science behind what happens, but I understand it’s similar to the vitamin E hype, i.e. the claim is that Vitamin E creams are great for your skin, but the truth is that the E molecules are way too big to be absorbed by your skin so it just sits on the surface. Like ephedrine, the effectivness of the stuff does not outweigh its side effects, which are muscle bloating, cramps, diarrhea, dehydration, headaches, and kidney and liver problems as a complication.

Maybe Chance has some new Creatine formula that is better than the old one, since Creatine was never outlawed like ephedrine?

Ephedrine is a chemical stimulant that is purported to raise one’s metabolism for a few hours. That’s why it was used as the active ingredient in certain “fat burn” over-the-counter weight loss pills. Since it’s been out on the market, there have been many deaths related to ephedrine due to ephedrine’s effects on the blood vessels and heart (i.e. causing stroke and/or heart attacks), and the supplements containing ephedrine were recalled and made illegal to be sold by the FDA. Common less serious side effects of ephedrine include jitteryness, nervousness, shortness of breath, hyperactivity, inability to focus or concentrate. That and its seemingly common FAILURE to get most people to lose weight makes it a useless and dangerous product.

Cindy – Lisa takes ephedrine. What is it? She says it’s like caffeine without the “coming down” effects of it.