any new information?

[stillkicken]

I was curious to know if the drug or herb ephedra(ephedrine) could have any lasting effects on a persons heart, say five years after a person has stopped taking it?

also, what is the defination of shortness of breath? is it just a feeling, or is it when you really can not get a good breath of air?  I ask this because sometimes i feel short of breath, but i never have any problems actually breathing and my pulse and BP stay just fine even while exercising.  could this be from constant upper back pain, because it is like i can actually feel where the shortness of breath is coming from.  that may sound strange. i do cough up some thick sticky stuff sometimes, but is always clear or a little greenish, and usually right after i eat, Dr. says this is from acid reflux?

one more thing, what would make a person's heart rate go up to like 90 or 95 bpm, 45 min to an hour after they have eaten?  my heart rate stays around 75-80 bpm, and BP is usually 124/72 through-put the day while walking around, but after i eat it goes up for like an hour or so, then will return to normal.

I also have pvc/pac off and on that i can feel whenever i have an upset stomach or something.  have had numerous tests and echo/stress/holter in past but Dr's (cardio's) just said you're fine, you're only 28, not overweight, and no history in family of any form of heart disorders, so stop worring about your heart.

i do have panic/generalized anxiety, but refuse to take any meds for that because i hate the way they make me feel and would rather deal with it on my own.

thank you, all help appreciated.

[wailan]

I was wondering the same thing about shortness of breath. I can breath fine but do feel like I need to take a deep breath all the time. I wonder if that would be considered shortness of breath? Its funny how the dr. couldnt give a straight answer about that there must be a criteria? What do you think.

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Pokey74,

Thank you for the question.

(1) Ephedrine could potentially have lasting effects if it had been abused to the point that the person taking it was continuously tachycardic.

(2)What is the definition of pain? How blue is navy blue?  What makes a person rich?  Only you can answer if you are short of breath.

(3)Some people do develop tachycardia after eating, probably from changes in autonomic tone, but also possibly from relative dehydration.  Rarely, some people get insulin surges after eating that can lead to low blood sugar, and then to tachycardia.

(4) PVCs are often associated with upset stomach, as the readers here can attest.

Hope that helps.