Originally posted by MVPlaya
Xenadrine uses Ephedra, I would not use that sh*t. There are stories of perfectly normal guys having the bloodvessels in their brains burst. You need to bulk up the normal way or at least use something less destructive, see Men's Fitness's Article "Todd Weger's Brain on Ephedra." Its about a GI who got a perfect 300 on his military fitness test (translation: 90 perfect pushups in 1 minute followed without rest by 90 perfect situps in 1 minute followed without rest by 2 miles in 12 minutes). After using ephedra, several bloodvessels burst and he can no longer control the right half of his body. When he got to the hospital the doctors immediately guessed ephedra.
So, if bulking up is THAT important. Try something safer. Try CREATINE for instance, it helps you bulk up real fast and it is not as dangerous as ephedra. I hear of endocrinological problems (read: liver & kidney) but that has yet to be substantiated. Either way, thats a lot better than dying. Over 300 people die a year of Ephedra (Ma Huang) a year. So stay off it. Join your local Bally Total Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness (or whatever else) and buy some protein shakes.
Allow me to provide some clarification here. Firstly, ephedra/thermogenic products are used for cutting and not bulking. Hence the term "fat-burners". Perhaps that was just a typo on your part...
Those stories of perfectly normal guys whose 'blood vessels burst' were overdosing combined with putting their bodies under great physical strain together with the fact that they did not recommended quantities of water. The result was that they were severely dehydrated.
Studies have consistently shown ephedra products to be safe - IF THE DIRECTIONS OF USE ARE ADHERED TO. Do a Google search if you do not take my word. . . Millions of people have experienced the benefit of ephedra products - and those cases resulting in death have been due to improper use.
You are however correct to imply that it is not recommended that those with a history of heart trouble etc etc. and a list of ailments ought to use thermogenic products. That much is certainly true...but be realistic. Have you ever used ephedra products? You may be qualified to comment..sure...but you have to take what you read and look deeper into the 'whys' and also look at the bigger picture.
I've taken Xenadrine and have experienced fantastic results - it is a great supplement...
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As for the original Q posted - cannot help you much there I'm afraid - since production has ceased, demand supply issues have had their full impact in the US and prices have rocketed.
However, if you are willing to import from Europe, feel free to do so...prices here are far cheaper mainly because demand for such products here is minimal... Before Ephedra products really took off in Europe, the main manufacturers stopped production.
Try
www.beachpower.com (based in Spain) and you can still order RFA-1 for approx. $45 (45 Euros). Click on "product bestellen" and then "diätprodukte" and then scroll down.
You would have to pay a fee for shipping on top of this of course... but the final price would be far cheaper compared to the offers in the USA. Otherwise, I understand that there are good alternative ephedra supplements that you can use... do a search and I'm sure that you can find a good substitute.
And if you use ephedra products, just remember to ease yourself into it, follow the advice given, drink plenty of water, and the fat will burn off! I wrote a thread on this quite some moons ago ... it may have been deleted though - do a search.
good luck,
anakin.
