I have been taking Xenadrine for 2 years and cant stop!

**Gunz387** · 01-07-2002, 10:56 PM

When I was 16 I was 5'7'' and weighted 250lbs of pure fat. I started taking xenadrine and weight lifting occasionally and my weight rapidly decreased. After four months of taking Xendarine and lifting a couple times a week, I was down to 200lbs. I then started running a mile around 3 times a week. I progressed to running 4miles 5 nights a week, and over 5 months my weight rapidly dropped down to 153lbs. I continued taking xenadrine, dieting and exercising over the last year and three months and my weight has stayed between 153 and 158lbs.

I am now almost 19 and still taking xenadrine. I worked out a lot over the summer but started slacking this fall and started having uncontrollable eating binges. This lead to noticeable amount of weight gain and I now weight 164lbs. I try eating healthy but end up only being able to diet for half of the day and end up eating huge amounts of carbs and junk food. The xenadrine no longer does anything for me but if I don't take it I get a terrible headache, a huge appetite, and feel very tired and not wanting to do anything. I tried to get off of xenadrine many times but it feels impossible to live without it. I am terrafied that if I stop taking xenadrine I will not be able to stop eating and go back to weighting 250lbs.

I need some advice on how to do what's best for my body. I really want to live a normal healthy life style. Please tell me what I should do.

I left out a few important things:

My dieting sometimes could be very extreme like only eating a half a bowl of cereal a day and running 5 miles in the same day.

Sometimes I would regurgitate after eating a normal meal.

All since starting the xenadrine I have became obsessive compulsive, and paranoid.

Now the only affects of the xenadrine I feel is a little energy rush and my appetite slightly being suppressed. The affects dont last as long as they use to, most of the time I dont notice them. I still get panic attacks, obsessive compulsive and paranoid.

Thank you for listening

**bex** · 01-08-2002, 11:45 AM

Well my answer would be just stop and get on with your life.YOU ARE THE BOSS OVER YOUR MIND AND BODY...

**SUPERDAVE** · 01-08-2002, 03:23 PM

maybe it's not the zenadrine that is causing you to be obsessive compulsive. Temporary starvation can really fuck up your mind.(one bowl of cereal) If i miss a meal i find it hard to concentrate. Just something to think about. I don't know what to tell you,i've never been in that situation.Good luck,man

**K Dog** · 01-08-2002, 08:20 PM

Man this is some serious shit! You say you want a healthy lifestyle but the way you are going it's not to healthy. You say you lift weights off and on. Whats up, do you not like it? If you do then your problem may not be as serious as you think. My advice is get off the Xenadrene. Try to eat 6 small meals a day. Hit the weights and grow like hell. Cut cardio back to 20-30 mins a day and you will be fine.

PS. Watch the sugar. That is where the fat is!

ptbyjason · 01-08-2002, 09:27 PM

In all seriousness guys, you can't just stop taking it. Taking xenadrine has become a part of his normal existence and you cannot just stop taking it without severly throwing your body out of balance. Ok bro, this is very serious. I am no expert and some of your experiences need some real help. Please consult someone, contact Cytodyne, or something. You need to at least try to ween yourself off of the xenadrine. Try taking one less every other day for a while. So if you are taking 4 a day, take 4 one day and 3 the next and then 4 and then 3. Get the drift? After you adapt drop down to 3 everyday. You cannot just stop or you will crash hard. Don't let yourself do that. You need help for the regurgitating. That is bigger than anyone on this board can help you with. Get professional help, and you will have a support group here, I assure you. If you ever need someone to talk to about all this, PM me.

**drop dead fred** · 01-08-2002, 09:31 PM

Gunz;
Keep in mind that I'm just calling on what i've learned from this board, from the more experienced people here. Guys, keep me in check if anything I say doesn't sound right.
First of all, I think you need to deal with the addiction. Either your mind or body or both are dependant on what you've been taking for two years non stop. I would seek a doctor's advice for that part of your problem. As far as the eating binges go, i don't think you necessarily need to stop eating, just change WHAT you eat. Like the vets will tell you, eat 5 or 6 meals a day, but make them CLEAN FOODS. Then turn your obsessive personality toward something more beneficial....the wight room. Then the weight you gain will be muscle and you'll be a 240 pound stud, not a 240 pound blob. Cutting the cardio to once or twice a week and good, hard weight training will put the muscle in the right places.... have I forgotten anything guys??? oh yeah...LOTS OF WATER!!!

**partyboynyc** · 01-08-2002, 09:43 PM

Jason it right about just stopping the Xenadrine.not only the crash, but you may experience some additional lbs on you when you stop and that may mentally effect you at this point.you're young and most likely have your parents insurance.use it.use it to look into some help w/ a nutritionist and possibly an counselor about the eating disorder.i've been through the same things in the past so i knwo what you're going through.believe me bro, what seems like hell for you right now, is nothing you can't beat.i was an anorexic, gearhead, hardcore drug addict for years when i was younger.i'm not ashamed of it at all.i don't think you're half that bad at all.infact, i've helped alot of my friends who were "closet" about the same things.anytime you need someone to talk to, just PM me my friend.i'm hear to help you if you need it.

**Gunz387** · 01-09-2002, 08:38 AM

Thank you for all of the encouragement everyone.

I’m starting an exercise program where I will try to lift 4-5 days per week, and go for a 30 min run 3 times a week. I am going to try my best to stick with a healthy high protein very low junk food diet.

I usually take 5 xenadrine a day, but I can get through a day with only 3 xenadrine pills without getting terrible side affects. Soon as I get my diet and exercise consistent, I am going to start taking only 3 xenadrine a day and try to slowly taper down from there. Hopefully when I am off of the xenadrine I will not have the mental problems that started when I started taking it.

I am going to deal with my problems myself. I am the only one that can take control of my life and get on the right track. Plus I don’t know if my parents could survive any more stress than what my sister has already put them through.

Thanks again

**bex** · 01-09-2002, 12:00 PM

Xenadrine contains ephedra

Ephedra can produce the following adverse reactions: heart attack, stroke, tachycardia, paranoid psychosis, depression, convulsions, coma, fever, vomiting, palpitations, hypertension, seizures, respiratory depression and death. The research adds to the long-standing controversy about the dietary supplement, which is also marketed as an energy booster and treatment for respiratory illness.

At the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's request, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed 140 reports of serious problems with ephedra-containing products. Among the problems they found:

43 cases were definitely or probably related to the supplements
44 cases were possibly related to the supplements
10 deaths
13 people who were left with permanent disabilities
To date, the FDA has reported over 44 deaths and over 1000 serious side effects linked to Ephedrine.

"The use of dietary supplements does pose a health risk to some people," says Neal Benowitz, MD, professor of medicine and chief of clinical pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. "Just because it's natural, doesn't mean it's safe." Benowitz and postdoctoral researcher Christine Haller, MD, reviewed the 140 reports of deaths or injuries the FDA received related to ephedra. Researchers concluded that ephedrine use "definitely" or "probably" caused harm in 31% of the cases. Of these cases, three people died, seven suffered permanent injury and four required ongoing medical treatment.

**KING P I G** · 01-09-2002, 08:26 PM

Ok this is quite easy to answer....you have an eating dissorder. man half a bowl of cerial a day! chucking your food up on purpose! These are all a dead giverway. You need to seek profesional help.

The original jason · 01-11-2002, 12:36 AM

King Pig hit the nail on the heas as for this

Well my answer would be just stop and get on with your life.YOU ARE THE BOSS OVER YOUR MIND AND BODY...

you can only diagnose yourself but from my opinion and experience you are a compulisve overeater, I identify with the fear of stopping the xenadrine I have felt it I know what its like and just stopping without help is not an option. Addiction is within and causes much fear and distress I have been a compulsive overeater all my life and gone from 330 to 180 at one point. I suggest you seek some more help outside of here, if you want to pm me feel free I can point you in the right direction many people will have opinions on this subject however not many have experience in dealing with it it is serious trust me I know many people who have died from compulsive eating disorders its lethal. You might go through controlled periods where you think you are ok and have it undercontrol however it will always return you will never eat normally. You need to identify trigger foods for me whitebread, any sugars, certain carb rich foods will do it any type of sweets once i start I cant stop so I just dont start now if I do start im like you at night I eat all night till I fall asleep there is no control the compulsion and obsession of your mind is to strong to fight it, it has nothing to do with willpower at all despite all the people who dont know who say it is to do with willpower. There is alot of anonymous self help groups that can help you I have been around this situation all my life and spent the last 8 years learning about this type of compulsion so dont feel so different pm me if you want and I will try to help

peace
Jason

**Iron horse** · 01-27-2002, 05:31 PM

I only skimmed through reply's so sorry if this is a repeat.
I'd say you have a borderline eating disorder. though, in fact many of us on this board do!!! anyone surprised?? but many of us thrive to gain weight instead of loose.

I'd say talk to a doctor/nutrientist.. and if not that.. try eating large amounts of good foods instead of bad, if you have no other choice.. and this is just a thought (most likely said already but..)
taper the ephedra very little at a time..

ie: 3 - 3 - 2.75 - 2.75 - 2.5 - 2.5 - 2.25 etc...

I'd say several people on this board have a borderline eating disorder.. but to thrive to gain quality weight isnt as serious as to loose body weight at any cost.

**Tobey** · 01-27-2002, 08:19 PM

There have been some really good responses. Listen to them all but definnitly get some professional help. If you think that you can not shake it on your own they you have a problem that is best left to the professionals. Party boy and Jason can help you eith their personall experiences and all. All I can do is basically work up a good diet plan for you to follow if your interested. Good luck.
IC

**G Child** · 01-28-2002, 12:34 AM

That's really way too long! Please get off that ish!

**groverman1** · 07-13-2003, 09:45 PM

Bex is right your mind is the key man. The mind controls the body

**sigrabbit** · 07-14-2003, 07:04 AM

I agree with the other board members when they say you should seek some professional help. With that being said, if the side effect you experience when you stop taking xenadrine is headaches, the most likely cause is the caffeine withdrawl. Do you consume caffeine from anyother source throughout the day?

**SneakerSeven** · 07-15-2003, 08:37 AM

I've taken ephedra for a long time as well- I tend to like it. But when I want to come off it, you must do so slowly; I've gotten to a point where I can do it in about 3 days, if I do cold turkey chances are pretty high that I'll get headaches and the sleepies. Just come off of it slowly, every couple days, take a little less. If you still feel lethargic, have a little caffeine to tide you over. Stay active- not only will it make the transition easier, but it'll get your mind off of it!

**hoss827** · 10-23-2003, 06:30 AM

Xenadrine can be very addictive...if you are trying to stop i would say go for one month, two weeks off...and try to take less and less of it through time. I was addicted to stacker 2 for awhile, and i know how hard it is to get off of it. But you have to control your mind and body as hard as that sounds.