Couldn't breathe

[Ariel]

Thank you for your help.  A few months ago, I was taking an over-the-counter herbal formula with ephedrine in it. Maximum dosage was 2 pills, 3 times a day. For 2 weeks I took only 2 pills a day. When I ran out, I drank a few cups of coffee to curb my appetite. By the end of that day I was gasping for breath. For almost a week the only way I could get enough air was to yawn very deeply and that was extremely difficult. 5 days after the coffee, I had a complete blood panel done. My wbc count was only 4,ooo units, while everything else was completely normal. I was at the time still having trouble breathing although I was getting better. 12 years ago I had an awful 3 day athsma attack from taking an over the counter sinus medication. I still have athsma but after years of allergy shots and growing older it has subsided considerably. The recent incident was not athsma, there was no wheezing, ect., I just couldn't get enough air (at all).
My question has two parts: 1)Am I allergic to ephedrine and ephedrine-related drugs? and 2)Could an adverse reaction explain my low wbc count? I am an otherwise healthy adult female with no other illnesses. I was, until recently, unaware of the recent ephedra-ephedrine lawsuits or that anyone was having problems with this paticular drug.  Thanks again,   Ariel

[National Jewish]

A white blood cell (WBC) count of 4,000 is borderline normal.  It should be repeated.

Your shortness of breath is not an allergic reaction to ephedrine.  You could have shortness of breath from asthma, without wheezing.  If you are still short of breath, you should have your doctor examine your lungs.