Ephedrine and Caffeine Stack (EC Stack)
Posted by Chris on Feb 4, 2010 in Reviews, Supplements, Workout Info | 1 comment
It has been quite a few years since ephedrine was banned from dietary supplements, the ban upset a lot of people since many of the studies have shown ephedrine to be safe when used properly. Most of the reports I have read about deaths due to ephedrine relate to people who took more than double the recommended dosage. There is a great site that has a ton of information on the EC, here is the link hotnfit.com. I am not a health professional, nor am I condoning the use of ephedrine, what you do with your body is your decision I am just providing some info on the subject.
So why are you writing about the EC Stack when it is no longer available?
Many people believe you either can’t get ephedrine any more, or you have to pay outrageous amounts to get ephedrine. Which is true in the dietary supplement realm. You could be looking at $60-$70 a bottle for a proprietary EC Stack. But what if you could buy ephedrine and caffeine separately and then just take them together? Well you can! Ephedrine is available in asthma medicine. The most common brand used is Bronkaid, you can buy it from any drug store (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc) for about $10 for 60 tablets. Each pill of Bronkaid provides you with 25mg of ephedrine sulfate which is perfect for 1 dose of the EC Stack. Caffeine, again can be bought from any of these places for about $4 for 30 200mg pills (again perfect dosing). I found caffeine online in bottles of 100 for $5 also 200mg a pill.
Dosing and Cost
Most followers of the EC Stack agree that the proper dosing should be 25mg epherine sulfate (20mg ephedrine hcl) with 200mg caffeine about 3 times a day or every 4 hours. Now lets look at the cost of this supplement:
60 ephedrine pills / 3 times a day = 20 days ~ $10
100 caffeine pills / 3 times a day = 33.333333 days ~ $5
You can see that this stack if fairly cheap, I bet you can’t find an ephedrine free diet supplement for cheaper!
Like I said earlier people have died from taking too much of the stack, so take it at your own risk. One thing that should be monitored is your BP as this can increase while taking these two drugs together.
Generally you want to start dosing gradually until you can achieve the 20/200 dose 3 times a day. Check out the dosing chart on hotnfit.com
Combating Side Effects
One of the most common side effects is an increase in BP, most people will recommend you take omega 3′s to help stabilize this along with EGCG or green tea extract. This will help maintain the proper BP but you still should monitor and stop taking the stack immediately if your BP is getting to high. Another side effect is dehydration, caffeine is a diuretic so it will pull water out of your body, you need to drink a lot of water while taking this stack. I would recommend 6-8 bottles of water a day which is leaning towards a gallon a day. You also want to avoid any extreme cardio that raises your HR, pretty much avoid doing HIIT. You will experience a loss of appetite, which could lead you to feel like vomitting if you eat too much. If you are doing this stack you should be on a solid diet anyway…finally, try to avoid using this stack in the heat, as it is a thermogenic you will need to keep extra hydrated.
Check out the information on hotnfit.com.
Use and Results
This stack has been proven in 24 week long trials to be one of the most effective weight loss supplements when combined with proper exercise and diet. The results vary but you expect some of the best weight loss you have probably ever seen if you have a solid diet and work out routine. Generally people will cycle this stack every 6-8 weeks, by taking 2 weeks off of it. then gradually building back up to the full dosage.
If you are unsure about taking the stack, then don’t. If you body is telling you to stop taking it, then stop! Always listen to your body and follow what is healthiest for you. Dropping some extra pounds is not worth hurting yourself.
When taking this stack it also isn’t really necessary to hit cardio that hard. You can just lift and still see results since you are still increasing your energy usage, your just not shooting your HR through the roof for long periods of time. HIIT and other intense cardio should not be done while on the stack (even sports!) since your HR will be up much higher than normal for extended periods of time which could like to problems like heart palpitations. Be smart and be patient and you will see results.
I hope you enjoyed this article, if you have any questions/comments/concerns feel free to leave a comment!
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Ephedrine Hcl is a very strong fat burner but you have to be careful when using. One dose a day of 30 mgs is fine for two weeks then with one or two weeks off as the body will start to get used to it. This is when the user feels they have to increase the dose,
but like I said should discontinue use.