03-18-2007, 06:00 PM
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 | Senior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 7,350
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 Re: Kuo tests positive for ephedra
Why would anybody in their right mind take ephedra? Athletes have dropped dead from the effects of that drug. Remember this? Quote:
"Death of pitcher underscores risks of controversial stimulant"
By STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer
February 19, 2003
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The heatstroke death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler renewed calls for a baseball ban of the amphetaminelike stimulant tied to the case.
Bechler had been taking a weight-loss drug that contained ephedrine, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart trouble, Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper said Tuesday.
Ephedrine has been banned by the NCAA, NFL and International Olympic Committee, but not by major league baseball. Perper urged baseball to ban the stimulant, and its risks -- along with warnings about hot weather -- were a topic of grim clubhouse conversation in big league training camps.
Orioles team physician Dr. William Goldiner said he hopes the coroner's findings trigger a response by the sport.
``This is not just a problem of major league baseball,'' Goldiner said. ``This is a problem of over-the-counter supplements that are dangerous, and they are unregulated to the point where you don't even know what's in some of these things.''
While it appears likely that the ephedrine issue will be re-examined, no one wants to make any decisions yet.
``We're going to wait until we know more about what happened,'' baseball spokesman Rich Levin said.
Union head Donald Fehr added: ``I'm not going to say anything until after the funeral and the burial. It would be inappropriate.''
Bechler died Monday, less than 24 hours after a spring training workout sent his temperature to 108 degrees. Preliminary autopsy findings indicated he died from complications of heatstroke that caused multi-organ failure, Perper said.
Only toxicology tests can confirm there was ephedrine in Bechler's system, and those results won't be available for at least two weeks, Perper said.
The 6-foot-2 Bechler had battled a weight problem since joining the Orioles organization in 1998. He weighed 249 pounds Friday, 10 pounds above his listed weight.
Perper, who interviewed the player's family and Orioles officials, said he was told Bechler took three tablets each morning of Xenadrine RFA-1, an over-the-counter drug that contains ephedrine.
Cytodyne Technologies, which makes Xenadrine, noted that the recommended dosage for the drug is two capsules twice a day.
``Physicians warn that many adverse events related to ephedra are due to people taking more than the recommended dosages,'' the company said in a statement. ``Xenadrine has been the subject of numerous clinical trials on people, which have conclusively demonstrated that the product is safe and effective when used as directed.''
Among other factors cited by Perper as contributing to the 23-year-old pitcher's death:
-- a history of borderline high blood pressure;
-- liver abnormalities detected two years ago but not diagnosed;
-- warm, humid weather during the workout when he became ill Sunday;
-- he was on a diet and hadn't eaten much solid food the previous two days.
``All of those factors converged together and resulted in the fatal heatstroke,'' Perper said.
But Perper spent the bulk of a 30-minute news conference focusing on ephedrine, the active substance in the plant ephedra. Though common in supplements, Perper said they're too risky for athletes.
``I would like to hope that this very unfortunate and tragic death would prompt perhaps the baseball association and other athletic groups to ban them from their practice,'' he said.
A native of Medford, Ore., Bechler was a third-round draft pick by the Orioles. He made his major league debut last September and was expected to begin this season with the club's new Triple-A affiliate in Ottawa.
Married last October, Bechler spent much of the offseason in Baltimore but didn't participate regularly in team workouts. He was unable to complete running drills Saturday and was scolded by manager Mike Hargrove for being out of shape.
Teammate Matt Riley said Bechler acknowledged he failed to train properly during the offseason.
``He was really distraught,'' Riley said. ``He was like, `I messed up.'''
Andy Etchebarren, who managed Bechler last year at Triple-A Rochester, said they frequently talked about the need to get in better condition. Etchebarren said Bechler's death was sad because it was avoidable.
``If he had gotten into some kind of shape before he came here and done some running,'' Etchebarren said. ``Certainly if he was taking something ... if he did that, it was a bad choice.''
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