Originally posted by once was fat
Dose Psuedoephedrine have any relation to ephedrine(ephedra..
If you will allow me.
Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are
the exact same chemical compound!
The only
difference, (and thus changes its actions markedly) is that pseudoephedrine is the right handed mirror image of ephedrine(stereoisomer) or a
dextroisomer of ephedrine. Thus, if you look at the chemical structure of both on paper and spectrographic analysis, they are exactly the same but are different only by being mirror image compounds.
Ephedrine was and is still used as an asthma medicine due to its alpha and beta adrenergic effects. (The beta opens up the bronchial tubes preferentially and stimulates greater contraction of heart muscle.) Pseudoephedrine is a lousy asthma medicine, but like ephedrine, has alpha effects on the adrenergic system and some mild beta agonist effect. It is ephedrine's greater predilection for the beta receptors that make it more cardiotoxic though.
How is it that a chemical compound that is exactly the same identically have different effects? That is because our body as a whole preferentially processes left handed amino acids, chemicals, drugs etc. much more efficiently as a result of serendipity. (In fact all animals and plants have adopted the same basic preference) In other words, if we landed in a mirror universe where alll the animals and plants were right handed or dextroisomers, we would probably almost starve to death when we killed and ate them. Thus, pseudoephedrine being right handed molecule has less affinity for our body's receptors
Now ephedra, as sold in the herbal industry is not just ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. Ephedra as derived from plants and sold in preparations like ma huang, ephedra etc. contain six, ephedrine alkaloids, two of which are ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. They usually constitute 80 percent of the "ephedra" though. Perhaps that is why it has more side effects.
Just be careful, you have all heard the cases of deaths associated with the use of ephedra...I believe the tally is over 150 in the last JAMA review. Most of it occured with irresponsible overdoses and the concominant intake of caffeine. So if you ever get chest pain or dizziness or fast heart rates that won't quit, may want to cut back.