
The mechanism of corticosteroids in treating asthma. They also act by reversing the mucosal edema, decreasing vascular permeability by vasoconstriction, and inhibiting the release of LTC4 and LTD4. Corticosteroids reduce the mucus secretion by inhibiting the release of secretagogue from macrophages.
How does ephedrine affect asthma?
Jan 08, 2019 · The main mechanism by which ephedrine helps in the treatment of asthma is that it. asked Jan 8, 2019 in Counseling by Platini. a. causes the smooth muscles surrounding bronchial passages to relax. b. increases tension in the smooth muscles surrounding bronchial passages, thus increasing responsiveness of these muscles to demand.
What is the mechanism of action of ephedrine?
Jul 13, 2021 · Oral formulations of ephedrine have been used historically to treat asthma via pulmonary vasoconstriction and reduction in airway edema along with beta-induced bronchodilation, but it is rarely used for this purpose in modern medicine due to unwanted cardiac effects and availability of more selective beta-agonists such as albuterol.
What is Ephedra used for?
Mar 18, 2022 · Ephedrine is a decongestant and bronchodilator. It works by reducing swelling and constricting blood vessels in the nasal passages and widening the lung airways, allowing you to breathe more easily. Do not use ephedrine if: you are allergic to this medication. you do not have a diagnosis of asthma
What medications contain ephedrine?
Ephedrine, a sympathomimetic amine, acts on part of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The principal mechanism of action relies on its indirect stimulation of the adrenergic receptor system by increasing the activity of norepinephrine at the postsynaptic α and β receptors.

How does ephedrine help with asthma?
It is a bronchodilator which widens the lung airways for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma. Bronchodilators, such as ephedrine sulfate, act on specific receptors and cause the relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle, resulting in freer breathing and relief of chest tightness and wheezing.
What is the mechanism of action of ephedrine?
Mechanism of action Ephedrine, a sympathomimetic amine, acts on part of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The principal mechanism of action relies on its indirect stimulation of the adrenergic receptor system by increasing the activity of norepinephrine at the postsynaptic α and β receptors.
What is the effect of ephedrine?
With large doses of ephedrine sulfate most patients will experience nervousness, insomnia, vertigo, headache, tachycardia, palpitation and sweating. Some patients have nausea, vomiting and anorexia. Vesical sphincter spasm may occur and result in difficult and painful urination.
Is ephedrine a beta 2 agonist?
Ephedrine is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of low blood pressure during anesthesia (Hypotension). Ephedrine may be used alone or with other medications. Ephedrine belongs to a class of drugs called Alpha/Beta Adrenergic Agonists.
What is ephedrine in?
Synthetic ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are found in over-the-counter decongestants and cold medicines and are used to treat asthma. Ephedrine is not approved in the United States as a drug for weight loss or to enhance athletic performance.Jul 1, 2004
Is ephedrine a vasodilator or vasoconstrictor?
Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine thus exert a vasoconstrictive effect on the vessels, which underlies the relief they procure in nasal congestion.
What receptors does ephedrine work?
Ephedrine activates adrenergic α and β-receptors as well as inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake, and increasing the release of norepinephrine from vesicles in nerve cells.
Why is ephedrine a controlled substance?
Medical ephedrine products, containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or methyl-ephedrine, could be used as the precursor chemicals in the illegal production of amphetamine and/or its analogs. Therefore, these products were listed as “Schedule 4 Controlled Drug Ingredients” in the Controlled Drugs Act in Taiwan [1].
What is another name for ephedrine?
Ephedrine is available under the following different brand names: Akovaz, and Corphedra.
How is ephedrine metabolized?
Ephedrine is metabolized in the liver by oxidative deamination, demethylation, aromatic hydroxylation, and conjugation. Metabolites of ephedrine include norepinephrine, benzoic acid, and hippuric acid. Ephedrine is resistant to metabolism by monoamine oxidase.
Important Safety Information
1. ephedrine may cause dizziness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to ephe...
Possible Side Effects of Ephedrine
All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most common side effe...
Proper Storage of Ephedrine
Store this medication at room temperature, between 59 and 77 degrees F (15 and 25 degrees C). Store away from heat, moisture, and light. Do not sto...
Why is ephedrine used for breathing?
Ephedrine is used for temporary relief of shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing due to bronchial asthma. Ephedrine may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.
How to store ephedrine?
Store this medication at room temperature, between 59 and 77 degrees F (15 and 25 degrees C). Store away from heat, moisture, and light. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep ephedrine out of the reach of children and away from pets.
Can ephedrine cause dizziness?
ephedrine may cause dizziness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to ephedrine. Using ephedrine alone, with certain other medicines, or with alcohol may lessen your ability to drive or perform other potentially dangerous tasks.
Does Ephedrine cause nausea?
Possible side effects of ephedrine: All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most common side effects persist longer than one hours or become worse: Dizziness; headache; nausea; nervousness; tremor; loss of appetite; restlessness; sleeplessness; stomach irritation. ...
What is the combat meth epidemic?
The House passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 as an amendment to the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act. Signed into law by President George W. Bush on March 6, 2006, the act amended the US Code (21 USC 830) concerning the sale of products containing ephedrine and the closely related drug psuedoephedrine. Both substances are used as precursors in the illicit production of methamphetamine. The federal statute included the following requirements for merchants who sell these products: 1 A retrievable record of all purchases identifying the name and address of each party to be kept for two years 2 Required verification of proof of identity of all purchasers 3 Required protection and disclosure methods in the collection of personal information 4 Reports to the Attorney General of any suspicious payments or disappearances of the regulated products 5 Non-liquid dose form of regulated product may only be sold in unit-dose blister packs 6 Regulated products are to be sold behind the counter or in a locked cabinet in such a way as to restrict access 7 Daily sales of regulated products not to exceed 3.6 g without regard to the number of transactions 8 Monthly sales not to exceed 9 g of pseudoephedrine base in regulated products
What is the mechanism of action of ephedrine?
Mechanism of action. Ephedrine, a sympathomimetic amine, acts on part of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The principal mechanism of action relies on its indirect stimulation of the adrenergic receptor system by increasing the activity of norepinephrine at the postsynaptic α and β receptors.
How is ephedrine quantified?
Ephedrine may be quantified in blood, plasma, or urine to monitor possible abuse by athletes, confirm a diagnosis of poisoning, or assist in a medicolegal death investigation. Many commercial immunoassay screening tests directed at the amphetamines cross-react appreciably with ephedrine, but chromatographic techniques can easily distinguish ephedrine from other phenethylamine derivatives. Blood or plasma ephedrine concentrations are typically in the 20-200 µg/l range in persons taking the drug therapeutically, 300-3000 µg/l in abusers or poisoned patients and 3–20 mg/l in cases of acute fatal overdosage. The current WADA limit for ephedrine in an athlete's urine is 10 µg/ml.
When was ephedrine first used in China?
Ephedrine in its natural form, known as má huáng (麻黄) in traditional Chinese medicine, has been documented in China since the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) as an antiasthmatic and stimulant.
Is ephedrine a stimulant?
Ephedrine is a medication and stimulant. It is often used to prevent low blood pressure during spinal anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in nasal congestion.
How many chiral centres does ephedrine have?
Ephedrine exhibits optical isomerism and has two chiral centres, giving rise to four stereoisomers. By convention, the pair of enantiomers with the stereochemistry (1 R ,2 S) and (1 S ,2 R) is designated ephedrine, while the pair of enantiomers with the stereochemistry (1 R ,2 R) and (1 S ,2 S) is called pseudoephedrine.
When did ephedrine go to schedule 6?
South Africa. In South Africa, ephedrine was moved to schedule 6 on 27 May 2008, which makes pure ephedrine tablets prescription only. Pills containing ephedrine up to 30mg per tablet in combination with other medications are still available OTC, schedule 1 and 2, for sinus, head colds and influenza.
How does ephedrine work?
Ephedrine and How It Works. Ephedrine pills are stimulants that raise the metabolic rate of the user’s body. This increases fat loss. Basically, ephedrine increases the energy expended by your body, most of which is from your body fat. Ephedrine is extracted from a type of shrubs that are grown in China.
Why do people take ephedrine?
There are two main reasons why people take ephedrine pills. These reasons are to increase metabolism so they can burn off fat and to curb their appetite. Some people have stated that ephedrine helps to increase their endurance and strength as well. They believe it can increase their muscle while trying to lose weight.
What are the side effects of ephedrine?
Just as with every other stimulant out there, ephedrine has some commonly known side effects too. Some of these side effects include the following: 1 Nausea 2 Increased blood pressure 3 Increased heart rate 4 Insomnia 5 Jitters 6 Dizziness 7 Hand tremors
Is ephedrine dangerous?
As just mentioned, many professionals classify ephedrine as a dangerous drug. There are various reasons for this. The first of those being that using this drug does have some risks. Just about every medication or drug you take does come with risks. There are some people who don’t do well with ephedrin e. Some people have serious negative side effects. In fact, the FDA has reported that during 2004 more than 18,000 complaints were submitted from people who used ephedrine. With that being said, many of those instances were from people who had a pre-existing health condition. The negative side effects were also reported by those who used ephedrine with other pharmaceutical or recreational drugs such as ecstasy, cold medicine, or alcohol. These medications should never be used together.
Can you take ephedrine with asthma?
Due to this fact, in the United States, the only products that can contain ephedrine are cold , allergy, and asthma medications such as Primatene and Bronkaid.
Is synephrine a natural compound?
Synephrine is a type of natural compound that is extracted from a fruit. The fruit is quite bitter. The one thing to note is that synephrine is similar chemically to ephedrine, so there are similar effects. Research shows that one dose of fifty milligrams of synephrine may increase metabolism by about sixty-five calories in seventy-five minutes. When it is mixed with hesperidin and naringin, two n atural molecules, it rises to around one hundred and eighty calories.
Can you become addicted to ephedrine?
The answer, for the most part, is yes. There have been people who have become addicted to ephedrine. There are even some people who have overdosed and died from using it. Since this is a drug that helps people lose weight, many people are under the impression that if they take more of it, they can lose weight even faster. The problem is this can lead to some severe side effects or even death. If you have become addicted to ephedrine, you can get into an addiction treatment program.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Sympathomimetic or adrenergic agents are drug of choice for bronchodilation. The most probable mechanism of action of adrenergic drugs is that they stimulate beta receptors. This stimulation result in increased cAMP production in bronchial muscle cell and hence relaxes the bronchial muscles.
Individual sympathomimetics for the treatment of asthma
1. Adrenaline- Adrenaline is sympathomimetic drug with alpha, beta 1 and beta 2 agonist activity. The antiasthmatic action of adrenaline is due to its strong affinity to beta 2 receptor.
Where do ephedra alkaloids come from?
The Ephedra alkaloids ephedrine (1a), pseudoephedrine (2a), norephedrine (1b), and pseudonorephedrine (2b) are all derived from the plants of the genus Ephedra of the family Ephedraceae ( Figure 1 ). 1 The plants that yield these alkaloids grow primarily in desert-like regions around the world including China, Inner Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, and Africa. 2 Plants of the family Ephedraceae ( Ephedra viridis and Ephedra funerea) also grow in North America in the southwest; however, these plants do not contain the Ephedra alkaloids. 3 There are numerous modern species of Ephedra that do contain the alkaloid, the most well known being the Ephedra vulgaris sinica, which grows primarily in southern Europe and western Asia. 4 This species of Ephedra, known as ma huang in China, was first used as a medicinal treatment in China as early as 3000 BC. 5 Even though the medicinal properties of Ephedra were known, the active principle, (1 R ,2 S )- (−)-ephedrine (1a), was not known until its isolation by Nagayoshi Nagai in 1885. 6 In 1889, a second alkaloid, (1 S ,2 S )- (+)-pseudoephedrine (2a), was reported by Ladenburg and Oelschägel. 7
Why was Ephedra banned?
Despite evidence of effectiveness for weight loss, in the United States the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing dietary supplements in 2004 because of the high incidence of cardiovascular-related side effects , some of which were fatal.
What is Ma Huang used for?
Ma huang, an ephedra-containing herbal preparation, is used in the treatment of bronchial asthma, cold and influenza symptoms, fever and chills, headaches and other aches, edema, and lack of perspiration. In Western countries, ephedrine and herbal ephedra preparations have been used to promote weight loss and to enhance athletic performance. Dietary supplements that contain ephedra alkaloids have been reported to possibly induce hypertension, palpitations, tachycardia, and stroke. A report showed that prescribed ephedrine is not associated with a substantially increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in a registry-based case-crossover study.32 However, ephedra may pose a serious health risk to some users, such as renal patients who are particularly prone to hypertension.
What is licorice used for?
The dried roots of the licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) have been consumed for the past 6000 years and are used as flavoring and sweating agents, as demulcents and expectorants in the Western world, and as antiallergic and anti-inflammatory agents in Asian countries, including China, Japan, and Korea.
Does ephedra cause hypertension?
In Western countries, ephedrine and herbal ephedra preparations have been used to promote weight loss and to enhance athletic performance. Dietary supplements that contain ephedra alkaloids have been reported to possibly induce hypertension , palpitations, tachycardia, and stroke.
Is ephedra safe for anesthesia?
However, patients may still present for anesthesia evaluation with a history of ephedra use or of taking related compounds, many of which are readily available and possess potent dose-dependent increases in heart rate and in blood pressure. Ma huang, an ephedra-based alkaloid, is similar in structure to amphetamines and is traditionally indicated for the treatment of various respiratory disorders, such as the flu, common cold, allergies, and bronchitis. Additionally, ma huang is commonly used as an appetite suppressant. 84 Ma huang, or ephedra, acts as a sympathomimetic agent and exhibits potent positive ionotropic and chronotropic responses. In addition to its antitussive actions, ephedra may also possess bacteriostatic properties. 112 As a cardiovascular and respiratory sympathomimetic, ephedra uses an α- or β-adrenergic sensitive pathway. 125 Data using the feline lung vascular bed indicate that ephedra-mediated pulmonary hypertension depends on α 1 -adrenoreceptor–sensitive mechanisms. 126
Is Ma Huang still available?
84. The use of ma huang, still available over U.S. borders, is highly relevant to the practi tioner in the perioperative period.
