Ephedrine / Caffeine: Evidence and Application

I'm tire of convincing my clients the benefit of ephedrine with caffeine for fat loss so I'm writing this to never have the same conversation again.

for those who don't need to read the science behind the benefit of EC stack, go straight to the end of this post under "speed up your fat loss" for application.

"I've been watching the supplement industry try to reinvent/replace EC (ephedrine/caffeine)  for probably a decade now nothing they've dug out of their collective asses has ever come close to being remotely effective" - Lyle McDonald on 1,3 Dimethylamamine

Doctors are amazingly ignorant about anything that is not approved by the FDA. So, unless you read the medical research, it's almost impossible to separate the facts from the spin, hype, and political BS."  http://drumlib.com/

Objective Scientific Studies

Below are the positive effects of EC ingestion for increase metabolism, fat utilization, hunger reduction & lean muscle mass preservation wbile dieting.  Click on the treatment to view the studies.


Boost Fat Metabolism
Contribution of beta 3-adrenoceptor activation to ephedrine-induced thermogenesis in

Ephedrine produced significant increases in energy expenditure (thermogenesis) with 2.5mg. 
Double blind  study on 103 overweight patients Comparison of an ephedrine/caffeine combination and dexfenfluramine in the treatment of obesity. A double-blind multi-centre trial in general practice 103 of 20-80% overweight patients lost 15-20lbs while reduced their blood pressure.

Keep Muscle Mass while dieting.

Thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular responses to ephedrine and caffeine in man.

During dietary energy restriction E+C promotes fat loss and preserves fat-free mass.

EC is safe and effective in long-term treatment  in improving and maintaining weight loss.  No clinically relevant withdrawal symptoms have been observed.  The acute and chronic effects of ephedrine/caffeine mixtures on energy expenditure and glucose metabolism in humans.  24-week open follow-up trial with reduced obese patients all receiving an ephedrine/caffeine combination (20 mg/200 mg) three times a day.

Enhanced thermogenic responsiveness during chronic ephedrine treatment in EC stack does not require cycling, it's positive affect on metabolism actually increases with chronic dosage.
For More info here

Hopefully you read the studies.  If you can tolerate the constant hunger while on a diet for fat loss, you don't need it.  If you're happy dieting for 8 month just to drop 10-15lb with conventional-moderation methods, you don't need it. If you enjoy spending more than 800$ a year on suboptimal supplies of supplements/stims from GNC just to shed a few pounds of fat, you don't need it. If you're fine with losing muscle while trying to lose weight, you don't need it. 

Speed up Your Fat Loss

If you don't have your diet dialed in, EC stack won't help you much.  Only use EC stack if you're already doing relatively low carbs (under 100g) and actually eating a hypocaloric diet. 

You will find ephedrine in most pharm stores around town, cvs, walmart, walgreen.  lab tested ephedrine is 20mg, which is ephedrine HCI 25mg found in most drug stores.

Popular brands containing ephedrine HCI are "primatene", "bronkaid" 2, and other store brands ephedrine containing products. ask the pharmacist for it .

If you have pre-existing heart problems and high blood pressure, you can't use it.

Start off with half dose, 12.5mg/100mg-eph HCI/caffeine on the first day. Work up to full dose the second day 25mg/200mg. Then 2 doses the third, and 3 doses the following day.  3dose/day is max.
They should be 4 hours apart and I recommend giving yourself a 6hr window from your last dose til your bed time. trust me, sleep is way more important than thermalgenesis when it comes to fat loss.
So for example, if you wake up at 8am, drink your coffee or take your caffeine pill (200mg) and your ephedrine HCI (25mg).  then again at noon, and again at 4pm.  Assuming you go to bed at 10pm.
I had no problem using during workout.  Actually burn a few more calories doing cardio but that's only advantageous if you're having a hard time with your last bit of stubborn fat areas.
If you have any more problems regarding how to implement EC stack, read this.
ttp://drumlib.com/

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