New Lab Studies Show Creatine Ethyl Ester & Kre-Alkalyn Ineffective

At the recent International Society of Sports Nutrition, two new studies were released showing that both Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE) and Kre-Alkalyn were ineffective in vitro. The studies were conducted by The Division of Sport Sciences at Northumbria University, Newcastle UK and Kingston University London, Department of Life Sciences by Dr. MJ. Tallon Dr. R. Child.

Both studies used similar methods to compare the rates of conversion of CEE and Kre-Alkalyn to the waste by-product creatinine when compared to Creapure brand micronized creatine monohydrate. "Each product was incubated in 900ml of pH 1 HCL [hydrochloric acid] at 37º +/- 1ºC and samples where drawn at 5, 30 and 120 minutes and immediately analyzed by HPLC [high-performance liquid chromatography] (UV) for creatine and creatinine." [1,2] This occured in both product studies. Although this test was conducted in a laboratory, it was meant to mimic conditions that would be present in the human stomach.

Creatine Ethyl Ester

"Creatine ethyl ester is merely creatine monohydrate with an added ester attached to make the creatine molecule more lipophilic [having an ability to be absorbed by lipids, or fats]." [3] Adding an ester to compounds is nothing new, but until this point, there has been no real data indicating that creatine ethyl ester was any better than any other form of creatine on the market - particularly the most studied form, creatine monohydrate. By adding an ester to a compound for oral consumption, it attempts to allow it to pass through the harsh acidic stomach content and be taken up by lymphatic absorption. Esterification is the process that allows an acid molecule to combine with an alcohol molecule, which removes water from the equation. This makes it more soluble in an oil or fat - similar to esterfied steroids.

Creatine Ethyl Ester has a long history - longer than I actually imagined, with studies dating back to the 1920s. [3] However, this most recent form, which was originally conceived to be used as a dietary supplement was first introduced by The University of Nebraska, which holds patent #6897334: Production of creatine esters using in situ acid production. This patent does not specify the usage of CEE, but only it's production and manufacturer. Initially, CEE was submitted to the FDA for review to market it as an OTC dietary supplement, CE2™, it was rejected by the FDA (PDF) following safety concerns. However, that didn't stop every other supplement company on the planet from picking up the ingredient and selling it, despite the lack of pre-market approval by the FDA of from its patent holders.

The new study involving CEE uses two products, SAN CM2 Alpha - a blended product that includes Di-L-Arginine-L-Malate, Beta-Alanine, and CEE HCL. SAN previously sold a version of CEE that was methylated, a molecular change to the creatine in an attempt to enhance absorption by avoiding breakdown in the stomach and liver. However, this version was removed at concerns about it's potential conversion to methanol. The second brand tested was MRI CE2, which is the original Medical Research Institute that requested approval to market CEE from the FDA. MRI is the company that was founded by Ed Byrd, who also popularized NO2 products. CE2 contains only creatine ethyl ester HCl.

Creatine ethyl ester rapidly degrades to creatinine in stomach acid

Child R and Tallon MJ

Department of Life Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Rd, Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom. University of Northumbria, Sport Sciences, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, DrChild@CR-Technologies.net

Creatine ethyl ester (CEE) is a commercially available synthetic creatine that is now widely used in dietary supplements. It comprises of creatine with an ethyl group attached and this molecular configuration is reported to provide several advantages over creatine monohydrate (CM). The Medical Research Institute (CA, USA) claim that the CEE in their product (CE2) provides greater solubility in lipids, leading to improved absorption. Similarly San (San Corporation, CA, USA) claim that the CEE in their product (San CM2 Alpha) avoids the breakdown of creatine to creatinine in stomach acids. Ultimately it is claimed that CEE products provide greater absorption and efficacy than CM. To date, none of these claims have been evaluated by an independent, or university laboratory and no comparative data are available on CEE and CM.

This study assessed the availability of creatine from three commercial creatine products during degradation in acidic conditions similar to those that occur in the stomach. They comprised of two products containing CEE (San CM2 Alpha and CE2) and commercially available CM (Creapure™). An independent laboratory, using testing guidelines recommended by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), performed the analysis. Each product was incubated in 900ml of pH 1 HCL at 37º +/- 1ºC and samples where drawn at 5, 30 and 120 minutes and immediately analyzed by HPLC (UV).

After 30 minutes incubation only 73% of the initial CEE present was available from CE2, while the amount of CEE available from San CM2 Alpha was even lower at only 62%. In contrast, more than 99% of the creatine remained available from the CM product. These reductions in CEE availability were accompanied by substantial creatinine formation, without the appearance of free creatine. After 120 minutes incubation 72% of the CEE was available from CE2 with only 11% available from San CM2 Alpha, while more than 99% of the creatine remained available from CM.

CEE is claimed to provide several advantages over CM because of increased solubility and stability. In practice, the addition of the ethyl group to creatine actually reduces acid stability and accelerates its breakdown to creatinine. This substantially reduces creatine availability in its esterified form and as a consequence creatines such as San CM2 and CE2 are inferior to CM as a source of free creatine.

As indicated by the study, the products tested in the sample under performed that of regular micronized creatine monohydrate. In real world terms this would equate to purchasing a product that itself advertises to be superior to "regular" creatine by withstanding breakdown in the stomach and other common problems, yet it turns out that it does not perform as advertised, at least in the lab. The conversion of creatine into creatinine is an unwanted effect of the compound, as creatine needs to make it's way into skeletal muscle cells to be effective. Creatinine is not effective at anything, and high levels in individuals with kidney problems can be hazardous. In fact, creatinine is one of the markers doctors check for when doing routine blood tests to determine if renal failure is occurring.

Kre-Alkalyn

Kre-Alkalyn [KA] is not a modification to creatine itself, but an alternative delivery system for the compound. However, the claims made for Kre-Alkalyn have generally been viewed with skepticism due to the fact that there has been no clinical research performed on it, and the claims made about KA are similar to those made in the past by products such as the well known and bunk liquid creatine.

Here is a partial description taken from an advertisement for a KA product:

Kre-Alkalyn...a patented Creatine in a pharmaceutical delivery system providing maximum stability and absorption. Creatine Monohydrate has been proven through a decade and more of research to enhance strength, endurance, and subsequent athletic performance. The only disadvantages of traditional Creatine Monohydrate are the extremely short term stability, rapid conversation into the bi-product Creatinine when exposed to liquid, and subsequent poor absorption into the bloodstream. Kre-Alkalyn...which is buffered for maximum absorption and stability, solves this dilemma. Kre-Alkalyn...offers the athlete Creatine which is 100% stable, will not break down into Creatinine, and will absorb efficiently into the bloodstream. In fact, each 1 gram of Kre-Alkalyn is equivalent to ingesting 10 grams of Creatine powder allowing the athlete to take far less product while experiencing even more explosive results.

Kre-Alkalyn is covered under several patents for it's usage as a creatine supplement delivery system. Patent #6,399,661 details some of the inner workings of KA:

Abstract
The present invention relates to an oral creatine supplement and the method of making this supplement which includes mixing an alkaline powder with a powdered creatine until the pH of the mixture is in the range between 7-14. A powdered additive is added to the mixture for improving sweetness and taste. Finally, a further alkaline powder is added to the mixture to adjust the pH of the mixture to a range between 7-14. This mixture is then mixed with water prior to ingestion.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for producing a creatine mixture for ingestion comprising the steps of:

mixing an alkaline powder with a powdered creatine to adjust the pH of the mixture to a range between 7-14;
adding a powdered additive to the mixture for improving sweetness and taste; and
adding a further alkaline powder to the mixture to adjust the pH of the mixture to a range between 7-14.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the alkaline powder is comprised of soda ash.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the alkaline powder is comprised of magnesium glycerol phosphate.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the alkaline powder is selected from a hydroxide, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, tree latex or a phosphate.

5-8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the creatine powder is comprised of creatine monohydrate, creatine phosphate, creatine pyruvate, creatine citrate.

The patent itself includes tests demonstrating KA's ability to defeat conversion to creatinine and the reasoning behind how it works. Like CEE, Kre-Alkalyn is a higher priced creatine product that has less total creatine per dose than standard the monohydrate version. Unfortunately, as with the previous study for CEE, this new study, using the same methods, successfully demonstrates that KA doesn't live up to it's claims and that micronized creatine monohydrate still wins out.

Kre-alkalyn® supplementation has no beneficial effect on creatine-to-creatinine conversion rates.

Tallon MJ and Child R

University of Northumbria, Sport Sciences, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Department of Life Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Rd, Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom. DrTallon@CR-Technologies.net

All American Pharmaceutical and Natural Foods Corp. (Billings, MT, USA) claim that Kre-alkalyn® (KA) a "Buffered" creatine, is 100% stable in stomach acid and does not convert to creatinine. In contrast, they also claim that creatine monohydrate (CM) is highly pH labile with more than 90% of the creatine converting to the degradation product creatinine in stomach acids. To date, no independent or university laboratory has evaluated the stability of KA in stomach acids, assessed its possible conversion to creatinine, or made direct comparisons of acid stability with CM.

This study examined whether KA supplementation reduced the rate of creatine conversion to creatinine, relative to commercially available CM (Creapure™). Creatine products were analyzed by an independent commercial laboratory using testing guidelines recommended by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Each product was incubated in 900ml of pH 1 HCL at 37º +/- 1ºC and samples where drawn at 5, 30 and 120 minutes and immediately analyzed by HPLC (UV) for creatine and creatinine.

In contrast to the claims of All American Pharmaceutical and Natural Foods Corp., the rate of creatinine formation from CM was found to be less than 1% of the initial dose, demonstrating that CM is extremely stable under acidic conditions that replicate those of the stomach. This study also showed that KA supplementation actually resulted in 35% greater conversion of creatine to creatinine than CM. In conclusion the conversion of creatine to creatinine is not a limitation in the delivery of creatine from CM and KA is less stable than CM in the acid conditions of the stomach.

Conclusions

Both studies demonstrate that two new and very highly-touted creatine products do not live up to their claims in lab conditions. Contrary to claims made by both products that they can withstand the supposed problems of regular creatine conversion to creatinine in the body, the in fact work less well than the regular versions. However, it should be emphasized that both of these test are performed in vitro and more studies need to be done, especially on male athletes and weight lifters, to see how they stack up in real world conditions. It is also important to make the determination as to whether or not they have a real effect on strength and body composition. Another factor that is noticeable is the email addresses of the two doctors that conducted the study. Although I am not personally familiar with either of them or their ties to CR-Technologies.net, it does appear that the web page for that domain sells a product called Creasafe™, which claims to be "the worlds safest and most advance [sic] creatine", bringing up the possibility of a conflict of interest. UPDATE: Dr. Tallon has responded to this criticism.

Still, for now, it appears that the best bet for people supplementing with creatine is what has been recommended all along - micronized creatine monohydrate.

References

Thanks to Anssi Manninen for clearing up some confusion in the studies text.

1. Child R and Tallon MJ. Creatine ethyl ester rapidly degrades to creatinine in stomach acid. Department of Life Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Rd, Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom. University of Northumbria, Sport Sciences, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, DrChild@CR-Technologies.net

2. Tallon MJ and Child R. Kre-alkalyn® supplementation has no beneficial effect on creatine-to-creatinine conversion rates. University of Northumbria, Sport Sciences, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Department of Life Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Rd, Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom. DrTallon@CR-Technologies.net

NOTE: The original abstracts of these studies have been posted online at NPICenter. The abstracts which are in this blog were copied and after Layne Norton (str8flexed) posted them on bodybuilding.com, which lead to some of the characters showing up incorrectly.

3. Creatine Ethyl Ester…Reviewing the Literature by Deserusan

New Study Finds CLA Helps in Fat Loss

A new study by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) at a level of around 3 grams per day may have a significant reduction in fat loss when used in conjunction with a regular diet. [1]

CLA in the past has been viewed with skepticism by many because of the variety of studies, some showing that it has no or negative effects in the body, while others showing it has muscle building and fat building properties. There are many different isomers of CLA, and as such, there is no single version of CLA that has proven to be positive or negative overall, and there has been much debate to this end. CLA is also a trans fat which the USDA has reported that it may be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. [2] Shedding a little more light on the differences of the isomers of CLA is an article by Tom Rayhawk for M&M Magazine, entitled "SREBP-1 Proteins, part 2":

CLA or conjugated linoleic acid has received considerable attention in both the medicinal and supplementation industry. Initially, there did seem to be support for its use as a ‘repartitioning’ agent, as CLA improved feed efficiency in mammals, by reducing fat storage pathways and enhancing beta-oxidation through an increase in lipolytic proteins. Their effects, however, seem to be isomer specific. There are two isomers of CLA – cis-9, trans-11 (abbreviated c9,t-11) and trans-10,cis-12 (abbreviated t10,c-12). In essence the ‘good’ characteristics of CLA seem to be attributed to the c9, t11 isomer. In fact, the two seem to have opposing actions... the implications of CLA use depend on the type of isomer used.

There is considerably more information on CLA in Mr. Rayhawk's article starting at the bottom of page one and beginning on page two, from what is quoted above, so I highly recommend checking out the full article for the scoop.

So, as you can see, there is much controversy and confusion over the whole issue of CLA supplementation. However, in this most recent study, which is actual a review of other studies, has demonstrated that supplementation with CLA lost an average of 0.2lbs of fat per week more than others who were not using it. It also showed that these effects started to diminish after around six months of continuous usage. The dosage used in the studies was 3.2gm per day. Since most dietary supplements promoting fat loss benefits with CLA contain only 1gm or less of the compound(s), this may be the reason why many failed to see any benefits when using it in a diet and exercise program. For some time, CLA was somewhat of a "fad" supplement that was advertised as being able to increase lean muscle mass, while at the same time decreasing adipose (fat) storage made it high in demand and quite expensive. The general recommended dosage by most who had researched the CLA stated that in needed to be taken in ranges of 5-10gm per day. Obviously, this was not cost effective for most people and with the minimal fat loss that occurred while taking it caused many people to shy away from it entirely. In fact, in a previous study done in 2004 by the same organization, AJCN, using an animal model showed that "the effect of CLA on body fat is considerably less than that anticipated from mice studies and that CLA has no major effect on plasma lipids." [3]

In 2001, Dr. Lonnie Lowery, a member of the board of directors for the American Society of Exercise Physiologists, attended a conference on CLA supplementation and reported back with his findings in an article, "CLA: Poison or Gift?" for T-Nation. Dr. Lowery reported that the conclusions made were that some of the isomers of CLA were only responsible for muscle increase and no fat loss at all, seemingly contradicting more recent evidence.

First up, Dr. Michael Pariza, a CLA patent holder and "king" of the field, explained the "isomer paradox." What did he mean? For starters, he showed data regarding how the 9,11 isomer of CLA, not the 10,12 version, appears responsible for improving muscle growth. This is interesting because the body can make a bit of 9,11 CLA on its own. Perhaps it is, in fact, a necessary "natural" factor in resistance-training hypertrophy. Regarding body fat, the opposite appears true: only the 10,12 isomer affects fat metabolism. Since the human body can’t synthesize trans-10, cis-12 CLA, its intake from dietary sources (e.g. beef, dairy) appears especially important. He then went on to show that 10,12 CLA has NEVER been shown to have lipolytic (fat burning) effects.

These claims are quoted in the article as being from a single source - the conference that was being attended by Dr. Lowery himself. However, the article itself contains much more information on the subject, and a jumble of more confusing and contradicting claims. The final conclusion?

So what’s the final synopsis on CLA after my European escapade? First, CLA certainly has promise for bodybuilders or powerlifters during a bulking phase [emphasis added] (say, October through February). Holiday season festivities and the associated dietary binges should provide plenty of help during this "mass cycle," eh?

Second, the advent of different isomer-specific products may usher in a more "targeted" approach to CLA supplementation. Third, the necessary dose for bodybuilders and powerlifters may far exceed the cancer-fighting and heart disease-combating doses. This is not an excuse to mega-dose, however. CLA interacts with dozens of genes, with, as yet, unknown consequences. And finally, unusual dietary fats other than CLA, like CLNA and others, may make interesting additions to physique athletes’ arsenals one day.

Because research often moves so quickly it can be hard to keep up with, it seems that these assertions from this 6 year old article might be a bit dated. Still, the scientific and bodybuilding world is still divided as to whether or not CLA may build muscle, cause fat loss, do both, or maybe even neither. However, this new study seems to indicate that there is at least cause to believe that CLA can probably cause a small amount of fat loss when used at the proper dosage. That, along with the fact that it's effects seem to taper out after around six months probably help negate some of the potentially negative long term side effects of CLA supplementation.

So, what's my verdict? It appears that currently the cheapest way to use CLA to the full advantage of someone trying to do a lean bulk or lose fat would be to pick up a few bottles of PBL Clarinol CLA Plus, coming in at only $23 for 8oz and a serving size of 3.5gm per 1/2 tablespoon, which would be a full 30 day supply as recommended by the study. It looks to be the best price for the right amount, the only thing that could potentially be a setback is the "orange creamsicle" flavor. But, for anyone who's ever downed pure olive, flax, or even fish oil, that might be a treat. Be aware that CLA appears to deplete levels of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) [2], an omega-3 fatty acid found primarily in fish, so you will probably want to take a fish oil supplement along with it. Whether or not CLA stacks well with other supplements to promote fat loss has not been explored much in a clinical setting, with the exception of chromium, which showed no added benefit. [4] Looking at animal studies involving high doses of CLA, it also seems to block out other essential fatty acids (EFAs) and their enzyme pathways [5], so products that include other EFAs, such as VPX's Thinfat or SAN Lipidex could help in preventing deficiencies. For those obviously seeking much more quick and substantial fat loss gains would probably do well to stack CLA with a standard fat burner product, such as German American Technologies JetFuel.

Reuters Health Information (2007-05-31): Fatty acid supplement may aid body fat loss

References

1. Whigham LD, Watras AC, Schoeller DA. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 May;85(5):1203-11.

2. Kelley DS, Bartolini GL, Newman JW, Vemuri M, Mackey BE. Fatty Acid Profiles of Liver, Adipose Tissue, Speen, and Heart of Mice Fed Diets Containing T10, C-12-, and C9, T11-Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2006 May;74(5):331-8. Epub 2006 May 2.

3. Terpstra AH. Effect of conjugated linoleic acid on body composition and plasma lipids in humans: an overview of the literature. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Mar;79(3):352-61.

4. Diaz ML, Watkins BA, Li Y, Anderson RA, Campbell WW. Chromium picolinate and conjugated linoleic acid do not synergistically influence diet- and exercise-induced changes in body composition and health indexes in overweight women. J Nutr Biochem. 2007 May 23.

5. Raes K, Huyghebaert G, De Smet S, Nollet L, Arnouts S, Demeyer D. The deposition of conjugated linoleic acids in eggs of laying hens fed diets varying in fat level and fatty acid profile. J Nutr. 2002 Feb;132(2):182-9.

Search to Win!

With the ever expanding list of search engines to pick from, there are now several that give their users more than just good results as an incentive to use them. Like what, you might ask? Prizes, points, gift certificates, and cash, in some instances. This new concept in search engine marketing is winning over a wide audience as they have learned from the mistakes of some of their predecessors, like iWon, and have avoided the annoyances of spyware, spam, and over-advertising. Currently, there are two search portals that allow users who sign up to their site to have the ability to win a prize just by doing a search - something all internet users do during their normal course of being online. Searching the internet, like checking your email, chatting with friends, watching videos and downloading files is all part of the daily routine of millions of people who now have included "surfing the web" as part of their daily lives. Companies want to take advantage of this huge market of searchers, and giving people the chance to win something for doing something they will normally do anyway is just a simple choice for most.

A Little History

Before the days of the world wide web, browser wars, and dot coms, there was just the gopher protocol. A sort of plain text web site that was developed at the University of Minnesota. It was a precursor to the hyper text transfer protocol that has come to dominate the web today. But, at the time, it was sort of like a text based FTP that contained no graphics and had no way to stylize it, it was just essentially a way to post information - which is what the post-military internet was mostly about. The main way to query gophers was with search engines like Archie, Veronica, and Jughead. However, once the internet was opened up to people outside of university, military and purely technical institutions, the gopher crawled back in its hole, as a whole new audience came onboard.

Not soon after, the dot-com bubble started expanding, and companies started to create companies based entirely on a model under the assumption that advertising, through banner ads mainly, would pay for just about anything you wanted to give away for free. Once that idea failed, it was back to square one for most companies who relied on the standard business model for internet based businesses. You either had to sell something or provide a service, and non-search companies like Amazon and eBay showed the potential of a strictly internet based company making it big.

Fast forward to today, and big search engines and advertising have come back in a major way. With Google and the contextual advertising concept, content has started to be provided for free once again and people are making real money off it.

Okay, so how do I win stuff?

Right now, there are two popular sites that give you the chance to win prizes. The first is Blingo, which was purchased in the summer of 2006 by Publishers Clearing House. Blingo retrieves its search results directly from Google, so searching Blingo will turn up the same results if you searched for the same term on Google. Prizes are given out randomly throughout the day, and the first 25 results per user are eligible for a prize. These include gift certificates to Amazon and movie tickets as the most common prizes, but some of the larger prizes include electronics like iPods and large cash prizes that would be similar to the amount you might expect to win from a scratch off lotto ticket. Blingo is easy to integrate into your usual search by using their toolbar or search plugin (for IE and Firefox).

Blingo also has a referral program, so you can let friends sign up under you. You can sign up as many friends as you want, and the more friends you have, the more you have a chance to win because each time they search and win a prize, you win the same prize. This month, a single friend I had signed up won twice. My first prize was the choice of a $5 Amazon gift certificate or a free movie ticket, which is what most people will end up winning. However, yesterday I got an email notifying me I had won my choice of a 80-hour TiVO with one year of free service or $250 cash!



With Blingo your chances of winning are totally random, and so it's hard to know when or how often you can win a prize. However, there is another search engine using a similar model that gives you a little more flexibility in how and what you can win.

Read more about Blingo:

• Win with Blingo: About.com
• Blingo - Wikipedia
• Blingo Buzz - The Official Blingo Blog
• Tips for winning on Blingo

Winzy is another search engine that lets you search and get prizes at random times. Winzy retrieves its results from Ask.com. However, it has a few more options that give you chances to win than Blingo. Winzy uses a points based system that gives you points everytime you search. There are also different levels of membership (which are all free) based on how you use Winzy. When you start out, you are at the basic level. But if you set Winzy as your homepage or search from their toolbar or the search box (in Firefox or IE) you become a Gold Member, which gives you more benefits.

Benefits of Gold Star membership include:

• Your first 50 searches each day are eligible to win an instant prize
• You now earn 2x Points for each Winzy search
• You can now earn up to 100 points each day
• You are automatically entered into the month-end iPod Giveaway limited to Gold Star members
• You should see a gold star Upgrade next to your account status

You can also upgrade the level of the "Winzy Fan Club" by having a friend join under you. Like Blingo, Winzy also has a similar feature of allowing friends to join under your referral program and if they win, you also win. The points you earn can be used to play games in their arcade, such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, a slot machine type game for Gold members and a roulette wheel for fan club members. You can choose how many points you want to "bet" in the game and winning can give you more points or prizes.

So, Winzy also gives you the chance to win each time you search through them (up to 50 searches per day for Gold members). You are also entered into sweepstakes and random drawings, giving you more chances to win. They also encourage you to invite more friends, which gives you more chances of winning if your friends use Winzy. They give you a wide range of options to invite friends which include sending an email that comes with a free game that lets a friend win points or a prize instantly, buttons and banners you can place in your signatures on forums or email, your own web site, and etc. You can also add a search box for Winzy on your website. Their referral links are a lot 'cleaner' looking than Blingos, which is made up of a series of random letters and numbers. Winzy's link just has your username after their domain (ie: http://www.winzy.com/pogue)

So what's the catch?

Well, as I mentioned earlier, these new search engines have learned from earlier sites that attempted similar methods of giving away prizes. Both have sites have strict privacy policies and you only have to provide your name and address for being sent prizes. You don't receive any spam, junk mail or telephone calls from either company nor is your name sold, shared or rented to anyone for marketing purposes. The only time you'll get an email from them is for notifications you select, such as when a friend signs up or you win a prize. Their toolbars don't have any hidden spyware or garbage in them, although I just use the search box plugins for Firefox, since I use the Google toolbar. But how can these companies work to give away so many prizes and loot? The simple answer is the basic advertising model that worked so long ago, but is now based on contextual ads. These are shown in every search engine you use, normally at the top and the side, labeled as "Sponsored Results". Since these ads show up results based on what you're searching for, you're more likely to click on them and they make money. Advertisers pay good money for targeted results that people are actually interested in, instead of just some random ad that may or may not have any interest to the person viewing it. Blingo is owned by Publishers Clearing House, a very large company that has plenty of money to give away and invest in this new business model.

In the future, we're likely to see more of these search engines that give away prizes, or maybe even more. Right now, InboxDollars just added a "Paid Search" function that pays you 2¢ just to search on Snap.com. Although that isn't really worth investing a lot of time in using, their search results are actually pretty good and it just goes to show that if search engines are willing to pay people just to perform a simple search, there is clearly a lot of money to be made in the search business.


So, give Blingo and Winzy a try and see how you do. Searching is something you do anyway, so why not get something back for doing it? Feel free to post any comments or if you have had any luck in winning anything!

Colorodo High School Bans Spike Energy Drink After Students Become Sick

According to a video report by CNN, Doherty High School, in Colorado Springs, Colorado has banned it's students from consuming Biotest's Spike Shooters Energy Drink after "In a span of a week, 18 Doherty High School students [...] reported becoming, after drinking an energy drink called "Spike Shooter". The principle of the school banned the drink "on campus" and then "convinced a near-by convenience store to pull [Spike Shooters] off the shelves".

Dr. Jill Martin, the high school's principle, is quoted as saying "If this product is so potent that you have to read the instructions and consider whether to drink it or not something is wrong." Although CNN clearly points out that the label states very clearly that drink should not be consumed by anyone under eighteen. However, it is unreported at this point as to whether any of the students at the high school who consumed the energy drink and reported sickness were over this age, one girl in the report, a 14 year old diabetic, Rachael Woodrum (I'm unsure if I am spelling her name correctly due to a lack of transcript of the video), consumed the drink and become violently ill. According to doctors, the drink may have actually increased her metabolism, something that would be a selling point for any supplement product on the market that would advertise itself for weight loss.

Yet, there appears to be a discrepancy in the report and what is actually written on the products label. An image from the video clearly shows that the label reads: "WARNING: DO NOT IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 OR ELDERLY." (I wonder what the standard age for "elderly" is? When you can get the seniors special at IHOP or your hair starts turning gray?) But, on a can of Spike Shooter I purchased a few weeks ago at Vitamin Shoppe, the label reads
"...IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 16 OF ELDERLY." This is also reflected on the label on the Bodybuilding.com store. This is quite a strange age range to limit users of a dietary supplement to (as Spike Shooter would be classified as a dietary supplement). Click the thumbnail image below to view the enlarged label as shown in the CNN video report.



Warning: Extremely Potent

Spike Shooter is an offshoot energy product, introduced by BioTest Laboratories last August. It was initially only sold in cases of 48 off of the Biotest/T-Nation website. Although it is known that Spike is a creation of Biotest, the manufacturer on the can and in the interview is listed as Spike LLC, possibly a move by the company to limit it's liability in case lawsuits start flying. The original incarnation of Spike is an energy pill, which contains a completely different set of ingredients than the Spike Shooter drink, although both have identical packaging. The Spike energy pill comes as a single serving size tablet, which contains a proprietary formula called T-MAX. The ingredients of T-MAX are labeled as:

Spike Tablet: 400 mg
-T-MAX™[Biotest proprietary thiamine di(2-methylpropionate) disulfide], caffeine

It is believed that this is nomenclature for a "gray area" compound known as Sulbutiamine. Sulbutiamine is sold as a drug in some countries, and is precursor to thiamine (Vitamin B1). It's known as a stimulant and a nootropic (smart drug). The caffeine is included to enhance the stimulant effects of the compound, although a caffeine free version of the Spike tablets are available. Spike tablets were sold at stores such as Walmart and Walgreens for a time, but recently mysteriously disappeared off the shelves, while other similar fat burners and energy pills, such as VPX Redline, continue to be available. Reviews of Spike tablets have been mixed, however, other supplement companies have added this same ingredient to their post-ephedra stimulant products, such as Anabolic Xtreme's Stimulant X.

Spike Shooter has a completely different formula than it's predecessor, and sets itself apart from most energy drinks in that it isn't loaded with sugar as one of it's main ingredients. Spike Shooter contains no calories, no carbohydrates, no fat, no protein and no sugar. The first major ingredient on the can is Vitamin B12 in the form methylcobalamin, a version of B12 mostly studied for reducing homocysteine levels, but also thought to be more effective in areas of the brain. The rest of it's ingredients are also in the form of a proprietary blend.



Two of the most controversial ingredients in this product are Yohimbine HCL (incorrectly labeled here as "Yohimbe HCL" (a non-existant ingredient - either a typo on this printed label or from the manufacturer) and the staggering 300mg of caffeine.



Yohimbine HCL is another "gray area" supplements that is also sold as a drug in other countries for erectile dysfunction, but classified in the US as an "Unclassified Therapeutic Agent" according to the PDR. Prior to a few underground manufacturers selling this synthetic alkaloid, it was only available as Yohimbe, often standardized for Yohimbine, which is thought to be the alkaloid responsible for it's main effects on libido and fat burning by way of blocking alpha(2) adrenoreceptors, responsible for fat storage. α2 receptor sites are located in areas known for fat storage, such as abdominal adipose tissue. Yohimbe and Yohimbine also have a very low dosage required for its stimulating effects, with users not recommended to take more than 3mg at a single serving. Since Spike Shooter has a proprietary blend, it is unknown how much Yohimbine HCL is in the drink, although it is the last one listed, so it should be the smallest dose in the formula.

At the top of the Spike Shooter can it reads "WARNING: EXTREMELY POTENT" and "READ LABEL BEFORE DRINKING", which is what the high school's principle was referring to, quoted above. Whether or not this is a marketing technique or an actual warning is up for debate.



Irregular Heart beat After One Can?

The reporter of the story decided to test out Spike Shooter for himself. He claimed to have a healthy heart history, works out several times a week, and drinks several cups of coffee a day. It's unknown whether or not he had any coffee prior to his ingestion of the Spike Shooter drink that day. However, he had a doctor hook him up to an EKG machine and test his results before and after drinking the can of Spike. Before consuming the drink, his heart results were normal, according to the exam. Afterwards, not only did his blood pressure rise, but he reported developed an irregular heart beat - an extremely dangerous side effect for a simple OTC energy drink. This is exactly the same problems that were reported with ephedra before its ban, and now it appears Spike, and possibly even Yohimbine, might be headed towards that same road.

Double Standards?

Despite the fact that CNN was extremely critical of the Spike Shooter drink, they don't seem to have any problems with advertising some of the same (and competing) energy drinks mentioned in this article on their site. As I was doing a search for a text version of the article I could link to for this blog post, I noticed the following advertisements at the top of CNN's "Sponsored Results". Click the thumbnail image below to view the full image.



You can view the full report on this story from CNN through YouTube in the embedded player below. Feel free to post your comments.

Quick Tips for Saving Money When Shopping Online

Whenever you visit an online store and make a purchase, you'll often see an open box towards the end of your purchase that says "Promo Code/Coupon". This is a box specially reserved for coupons and codes you can enter to save money on your purchase. Sometimes the store you're buying from will send you codes and coupons like these in a mailing (either email or postal) if you subscribe to their newsletter. Most of the time, if you're a new customer, you might get a free shipping discount or some other special promotion. Other times they might have a special going on that only select people know about or you have to hunt for online. So what do you do if you don't have one of these promotional codes or coupons for the store you're shopping at?

Three Sites to Find Hidden Promotions or Coupons

There are three easy to use sites that you can use to find promotional codes or coupons that are sometimes only available to certain people, but you might not know about. Let's use overstock.com as an example of a store that we might be shopping at, but looking for a coupon for to save some money on a purchase.








RetailMeNot.com (RMN) is brought to you by the same people who created the BugMeNot site and uses the same basic idea. RMN has two basic ways it works to bring you discounts for stores. First, people who have or know about special coupons (often that might expire soon) can enter them into the free online database and share them with anyone who wants to use them. The other factor is that they are an affiliate with LinkShare, a large company, which I am also an affiliate with. LinkShare represents many large companies in promoting their products online to pay out a referral fee or commission to sites who link to their online sites or stores. Often times these merchants give out discounts and coupons only available to their affiliates, which they in turn post on their site in order to drive traffic to the merchant, and thus make the affiliate money. So, with RMN you get both. I noticed right away when I visited the RMN site on the front page there was a button with a link to get 8% off a purchase of Overstock.com - a company which has an affiliate program through LinkShare. So, when you click the link, you get the discount and RMN makes a commission - a win for both people.

But, I went ahead and searched the RMN database for "overstock.com" (without the quotes) and found two other coupons. One was a code to save $5 off a purchase of $45 or more, and one that didn't specify exactly what sort of savings you got. At the top was RMN's link for the 8% discount, which was stated as "Guaranteed to work". Any other user entered coupons can be voted on whether the coupons work or not and have a red indicator if people have not been successful in using the coupon or green if they have. RMN doesn't say whether or not they remove coupons if they go past their expiration date or if enough people vote on it to indicate it doesn't work or not, but I suspect that they eventually purge their database of old and outdated coupons.

Secret-Coupons.com (S-C) is another site that has coupons for many online stores and merchants. They too appear to be an affiliate with LinkShare and have many coupons and promos for lots of major online stores. Unfortunately, S-C is a little tricker to navigate. Although they have a listing of a lot of stores on the front page, they have everything divided up into categories. This allows you to browse if you want to find a store that has a product you're looking for that might have the best deal at the time. But what if you're looking for a coupon for a store you're already at? Although S-C has a Google search box on the top of their page, this only searches other websites, and not their own. So, in order to search their site for a particular store, you need to use the Google Site Search "Domain Search" function. This is simple to do, especially if you have the Google toolbar. If you are using Firefox, while you are at the S-C site, just enter the merchant you want to look for in the search box, click the down arrow to the right of the search button and choose "Current Site". In IE, you do the same thing, except you click the arrow to the right of the Google "G" in the search box and choose "Current Site". To perform the search manually, all you would do is type in the name of merchant you want to in the search box, followed by the name of the the S-C domain. So, it would look like this "overstock.com site:www.secret-coupons.com" (without the quotes). The first hit you'll get will show you the Overstock.com page on S-C, which includes many links for discounts and promotions. As with RMN, S-C had a button on their front page which offered a 10% discount on Overstock.com (for new customers only). So clearly, you want to make sure and search all the coupon sites (including the one I mention below) for the best deals before you hit the "Confirm Order" button. An important thing to remember is that in order to get the discounts, you have to first click on the link on their site, and then go through placing the order. This is because it has to set a cookie in your browser in order to give you the discount. If by the end of your purchase you don't see the discount, you may have cookies disabled or blocked in some way. Many anti-virus software, firewalls, anti-spyware programs and other software block cookies, so you may have to disable this before using the links or you might need to use another browser. Also, if you already have your shopping cart full, you might have to go through and re-add the items to your cart again and place to order to receive the savings.

InboxDollars.com (IBD) is somewhat different than the other two coupon sites mentioned above. IBD is what is called a Get Paid To (GPT) site, which means you GPT read emails, sign up for offers, play games, and do other things like shop online. You have to sign up and become a member in order to use IBD, but it's easy to do and you get $5 free just for registering. If you recruit a friend with your affiliate link, you make $5. It's not a pyramid, since membership is optional, and you can cancel anytime. It's not multi-level marketing or anything like that, since levels below you who sign up under your friend don't make you any money. Basically, with IBD, you are just given a variety of options to make cash. But, the reason I mention it in this article is because they have a HUGE list of online stores that they have promotions, coupons, or cash back offers when you shop with them through IBD.

Basically it works like this. After you've signed up for IBD, you can visit the section of the site labeled "CA$H Shopping" on the left, then click the "LET'S GO SHOPPING" button. Then, click "All Stores" on the menu on the left. In your browser, hit the CTRL key plus F and the "Find" box will open up. Just type in the name of the merchant you're looking for and if IBD is affiliated with it, it will find it within the page.

So, IBD also has discounts for Overstock.com. It has the coupon for 8% off your entire order when you click their link and make your purchase, and you also get 2% cashback to your IBD account when you complete your order. They also have a discount and cashback bonus for the Overstock store in Canada. It generally takes a day or so for IBD to credit the cashback to your account, and you'll receive an email once you receive the cashback bonus. If your order is really large, the cashback discounts can really add up. As with the S-C site, you need to click the link on the IBD site and make sure you have your cookies enabled to make sure you get the discount and cashback bonus.



There's a couple other important things to know about IBD. IBD requires you to receive emails (normally daily) that you must click the link on, which takes you to a page that you need to view a small advertisement for. Each time you do this, you get paid (normally about 20-30¢). Not much, but it is required to keep your account active. You must continue to click the links in these emails during the time you wish to keep your IBD up. Along with the payments you get for shopping, there are many other ways to make money in IBD. For example, if you are not a member of eBay, they will pay you $6 to sign up as a new member. There are other trial offers, free offers, surveys, and things that you can sign up for and get paid a varying amount of money. You can also play games through SkillJam to make some money through their system (games like Solitaire, trivia games, and other stuff - not gambling), then IBD pays you an extra percentage of your winnings. So, there is a lot more to IBD than just shopping, but you have to keep those things in mind if you decide to become a member there. You aren't required to do anything except to keep clicking the emails if you want to withdrawal the money you earn there. Clicking the emails normally take about 10-30 seconds, so it's not hard, and you aren't overwhelmed with emails or spammed, so it's not something problematic. Once you decide you want to withdrawal your money from IBD, you simply click the "Request Payment" on the left side of the menu on the main IBD page. They will then send you a check for your earnings, which normally takes a month or so.

There are numerous other ways to find coupons and promotions online, but those are three of the easiest ways to find them. Anytime I make a purchase online, I always check those 3 sites, which normally takes a couple minutes, and if there are any discounts or coupons, I save some money, or even get a cashback reward. That combined with a reward program that many credit cards have nowadays, you have the potential to not only save money, but earn money (or points).

Keep looking around, and you'll find all sorts of other deals on the web. The TalkGold forum has a special section for Freebies and Hot Online Deals that constantly has special deals and cool freebies posted daily. Often a Google search will turn up some matches too. If you have or know of any other cool coupon sites, feel free to email them to me or post them in the comments!

FBI & New York Police on the Trail of StudioTraffic

StudioTraffic was once one of the largest paid to autosurf sites on the net. It had existed for several years and was branded as one of the safest and most long lasting investment sites on the net, somewhat akin to AllAdvantage. StudioTraffic paid out a 1% daily investment on whatever money the user inputted into their account through their own payment processor system, StudioPay. All they had to do was run the auto-surf script everyday to make their 1% income. Investors were assured that the money put into StudioTraffic was being used, by their other companies, such as an upstart record label, a web hosting company, an internet cafe was in the discussion of being open. All the while, the investors did not know that what they were participating in was an age old scheme known as a prime bank fraud and ponzi scheme.

This was the time of the auto-surf boom, and another company just springing up was 12DailyPro, which paid out at a rate of 12% cycles over 12 days of a persons investment. In the end, the SEC shut 12DailyPro down and most of the last investors are left with very little money to be had, and not expecting much from the government.

At the end of StudioTraffic, it crumbled slowly. A hacker broke into StudioPay and posted online thousands of pictures of individuals who had submitted their drivers licenses and other personally identifying information. It is not know what has become of this data and what other security risks might have been brought from that incident. However, the staff at StudioTraffic sent out an email to it's members which seems to insinuate that they not only did not know what happened, how to fix it, or what action to take.

Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 12:52:47 -0600 [02/21/2006 12:52:47 PM CST]
From: service@studiopay.com
To: xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Hello

Dear Member

Security issues have been our priority recently following claims
from an individual that he/she hacked the StudioPay information on some
members accounts.

At this point in time we are investigating this issue and
working closely with authorities worldwide to trace this person.

In the following link you will find some advice about identity theft,
how to discover it, who to contact and also some preventative measures.

http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/identity_theft_learn.html

This information is specific to USA, but any member can enter "identity
theft" into a search engine and get information specific to their
own country.

Until our investigations are complete we feel that we should treat these
allegations seriously. To this end we recommend that you take any
steps you feel necessary to protect yourself.

Our recommendations are:

Report to your local police station the possibility that your
identity information has been compromised. In the event that this
does arise then there will be a record for you to refer to.

Make a report to your credit card company if you used your credit card
statement to verify your account. By doing this your credit card
account will be noted and both you and the credit card company can w
be vigilant and watch for unusual or suspicious transactions.

If you used your bank account statement to verify your account submit a
report to your bank, again this will ensure that your accounts
are noted.

Please follow any advice that your bank or other companies you contact
give you.

At this point in time we are unable to determine how much, if any,
informaton [sic] this person has obtained. As stated earlier, we are
working closely with authorities in different countries try and track
this individual.

We are introducing some new security features. You may recall that you
were asked to change your StudioTraffic password recently. The same
security feature, planned for StudioPay, has now been introduced ahead
of schedule and we would ask that all members change their StudioPay
password immediately. You will be prompted to change it every
three months (every 6 months in StudioTraffic). In doing so please
ensure that you use a strong password that cannot be easily worked
out.

Any steps you take now may be of huge importance in the future. The
security and safety of our members is our utmost priority and we
urge you to err on the side of caution and follow our recommendations.

Should any of our members experience fraudulent use of their personal
information into the future please contact us and we will work with
you and the authorities to resolve the situation.

For now we will continue to investigate the situation and should we
be able to pinpoint any members that may be targetted we will
contact those members directly.

Regards

StudioPrograms Admin Team

Soon, members of the inner circle of StudioTraffic began to break ranks and posted the truth behind ST and it's sister companies. Although it was clear that ST was on it's way out, some people still heldfast to the belief that StudioTraffic could make it, and continued to donate to it to keep it alive, all to no avail in the end.

The StudioTraffic website was taken down with the help of members at the talkgold forum, by contacting the administrators of the ISP who was hosting the site. They decided that the manner in which ST operated was not in compliance with their Terms of Service and/or Acceptable Use Policy. Prior to that, the anonymous John Horan, owner of the site, sent out an email to all users regarding the situation.

After that, all went quite for several months. User's submitted their complaints online, and we did not hear much about it since then. In May 2006 I received a call from the
Onondaga County Sheriff's Dept. requesting information on my interactions with StudioTraffic and StudioPay, which seems to have been registered in Brookport New York, and was operating as an illegal unlicensed money transfer service. I spoke to a detective with the Sheriff's department and told him everything he knew. His name was John Scarson and, with his partner, Jamie Bloomer, they were investigating the StudioPay lead. They told me they had gotten my number off the complaint I filed at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). After that, I hadn't heard much, until I got this email in my inbox a few weeks ago.

Date: 20 Dec 2006 18:08:07 -0500 [12/20/2006 05:08:07 PM CST]
From: Do not reply
Subject: Studiopay/Studiotraffic investigation

Dear xxxxxxxx:

Studiopay/Studiotraffic is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and Onondaga County Sheriffs Department. Investigation of this matter has developed information that you have had financial transactions with one, or both, of these companies. If you have been victimized by either of these companies please file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at the following website:

http://www.ic3.gov/

Please reference Studiopay as the subject of the investigation when filing your complaint. Provide as much detail as possible pertaining to monies invested, individuals contacted, method of contact (telephone, mail, E-mail etc...), amounts, and dates of payment and any amounts received from Studiopay. If possible, include dates of contact, the Studiopay employees contacted and brief summaries of the conversations.

I verified that this email was actually from the FBI's IC3 department by examining the headers of the email. So, now it seems that the FBI and the Onondaga County Sheriffs Department are dedicated to tracking down the operators of StudioTraffic and bringing them to justice for their crimes fraud, deceit, and total disregard for anything but their own selfish money stealing scheme.

So, if you have further information about StudioTraffic or StudioPay or any of their related dealings, please send them to the IC3 site above. You may also contact the FBI at their HQ in Washington, DC. At the time I spoke to the Onondaga County Sheriffs Department their phone number was (315)435-1401 and fax (315)435-1402, although I am not sure these two numbers are still valid.

You can find more information about the legacy of StudioTraffic on these sites.

• Studiotraffic.co.uk: living memory of one of the biggest Internet scams
• StudioTraffic Scam
• Wikipedia's entry on StudioTraffic
• Many old posts with quite a bit of information (albeit very disorganized) can be found in the TalkGold forum archives. Simply do a search for "StudioTraffic" in that section and you will come back with many results.
• Internet Archive: StudioTraffic & StudioPay
• Two Better Business Bureau in Canada's reports on ST at two different addresses. BBB Reliability Report: Studio Traffic (1) BBB Reliability Report: Studio Traffic (2).
• Many reports on Ripoffreport.com on StudioTraffic

With your help, we can put the owners, operators, and propagators of StudioTraffic where they belong and finally bring this criminal regime down to smoke, ash, and to the rust bin of history.

Where Did all the Ephedrine Go?

Please note: I am not advocating in any way, shape or form the illegal purchasing of prohibited products. I am not a licensed doctor, so please check with a doctor before taking any of the products mentioned below. However, because of the abuse of many illegal drug users, people who have a legitimate need to use ephedrine based products are being strictly limited in access to them and this article attempts to shed light on sources to purchase these products for legitimate medical needs.

As you may have noticed if you have been shopping around for ephedrine lately is that almost none of the supplement shops are carrying it in stock anymore. Due to recent legislation and the continuing risk of lawsuits, most companies that manufacturer or even sell ephedrine have stopped. The cause of this is the drug epidemic of methamphetamine production and abuse, which is illicitly manufactured from ephedrine or it's chemical cousin, pseudoephedrine. The herbal ephedra formulas have all but disappeared after an Appeals Court judge struck down a ruling that the FDA ban against the herb was illegal.

So, what's left for the people who use ephedrine as a staple in their supplement regiments? There are a couple options. SupplementPriceMatch.com is having a final closeout sale on many popular ephedra and ephedrine products, even some that have expired several years ago, but were some of the most popular blends available. But, the prices are quite high for many of the generic products and even the synthetic ephedrine hcl tablets in small amounts. Most of the products in the closeout sale are made by a company called American Generic Labs and the formulas are knock-offs of supplements like Ripped Fuel, Xenadrine, Yellow Jackets & Hydroxycut. They do also have some original brands, like D&E's Bolt Ephedrine, Megapro Vasopro, NVE's Stacker line and others. Before the first ephedra ban went into place, I stocked up on some of my favorite products. Now, however, stimulants like Stimulant X, AMP and Spike blow those formulas out of the water in terms of jitter free energy with no crash. Still, it's hard to match the good old reliable ECA stack in terms of successful fat loss.

Another place to get ephedrine online, which will probably remain available, is D&E Pharmaceuticals. D&E makes a wide variety of ephedrine hcl products, including the very popular Bolt Ephedrine without guaifenesin, which some people claim can hinder the effects of ephedrine. Unfortunately, one problem with D&E is that you have to submit a valid ID card so you can order ephedrine, and you cannot exceed purchasing a certain alloted amount per month. Bolt Ephedrine now costs a staggering $89.95 for one box of 272 25mg tablets. That amount is clearly intended to dissuade people who would want to buy this to manufacture speed, but it is also outrageously over priced for any normal customer, even people who suffer from nasal congestion would be turned off by a price like that.

eBay seems to be another place to find ephedrine, although their policies strictly forbid it. Some of the products you may find there might be from other countries that don't have as tough laws on the drug as in the US, and others might just be fake, so be cautious when ordering. If you do order, eBay and it's payment system PayPal, might not afford you any protection you would get from other auctions, since they are just as able to cancel an auction of ephedrine, even after it's been sold - voiding out any insurance that would have been kept on the auction otherwise.

Another obvious place to find ephedrine would be at your local pharmacy, where ephedrine was once commonly found in many cold medicines, only to be replaced by pseudoephedrine, and now phenylephrine - an extremely expensive compound with little in the way of options (such as time released formulas). However, there are still a few ephedrine products available. Although they don't seem to be listed on any of the pharmacies websites, many of them do still carry ephedrine products, but they can be tucked away behind the counter, up high on shelves or in other places that you would need to ask for help from an employee to find and purchase. Yet, another haven for ephedrine is your neighborhood gas station. Although most convenience stores like 711 don't carry it, many gas stations near highways still sell Minithin tablets at the register or in the isle with small packets of cold medicine. Sometimes you may have to ask at the register for them, and you will probably have to show ID for it. Many truckers still use ephedrine to stay awake for long hauls, but many new energy drinks are fast replacing it as a cheaper means to keep from falling asleep on the highway.

One product still sold at most local pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS, and even some stores like Walmart is Bronkaid. In most states, you are now required to carry a slip with a picture of the product to the pharmacy and sign a ledger to purchase it. In Texas, they will only allow you to purchase a single box, and attempting to purchase more, or go to other stores and purchase more can be viewed as highly suspicious by law enforcement. Bronkaid contains 25mg of ephedrine sulphate and 400mg of guaifenesin (an extremely large amount) per tablet. They are generally sold in boxes of 60 tabs. I found it being sold on Amazon.com as Bronkaid Dual Action Formula Coated Caplets - 60 ea for $9.99 and Bronkaid Caplets - 60 for $12.99 - both appear to have the same ingredients. But, I have a suspicion that the dual action formula might be a slow release form of the product, although I am not sure of that.


Another ephedrine containing product which should be available at the same locations is Primatene tablets, which contain 12.5mg of ephedrine hcl and 200mg of guaifenesin per tablet. It is available on Amazon as Primatene Bronchial Asthma Relief Tablets 60 ea for $10.63 at the time of this writing. Primatene even has a $2 off coupon on their website currently, although it appears to require you to input personal information in order to print out or receive. They also have information on stating that the Primatene tablets are now only available behind-the-counter at pharmacies now.

You may have noticed Primatene® Tablets missing from the shelves of your favorite retailer. Well, that's because in many stores, Primatene® Tablets have moved behind the pharmacy counter. Don't worry-Primatene® Tablets are still available without a prescription. Primatene is still the #1 over-the-counter medicine sold for the relief of physician-diagnosed, bronchial asthma. It's the one that has helped so many asthma sufferers get relief, every time.

BioTek Pharmacuticals also sells ephedrine in boxes with a maximum 24 count per box. As with all the other sellers of ephedrine, it comes with 200mg of guaifenesin included with the 25mg of ephedrine hcl. They also require you to mail in your identification and comply with all state and federal laws. Once you've sent in your info to them, they store it on file, so that once you're an established customer, you don't have to resubmit your information again. They do have reasonable prices and two special offers of buying 3 boxes and get a 4th for free, and if you buy 5 boxes and you get a 6th free plus free shipping.

I've also stumbled across a couple new interesting "legal ephedra" supplements. A company called Viridis Labs sells a product called Ephedra 5 and a bottled tea, appropriately called Ephedra Tea. The Ephedra 5 product contains 100mg of "Ephedra Viridis", a real genus of the ephedra family which is also known as "Mormon Tea". Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information on this compound and it's unknown at this time how much of the active ephedrine alkaloids are contained in ephedra virdis. The tea simply states that it contains "ephedra" as one of it's ingredients, and the FDA specifically mentioned that herbal tea products would be exempt from the original ban.

Are all products containing ephedra affected?

Essentially all currently marketed dietary supplements that contain ephedrine alkaloids will be affected by the rule. The scope of the rule does not pertain to traditional Chinese herbal remedies. It generally doesn't apply to products like herbal teas that are regulated as conventional foods. Ephedra is not Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for foods and not approved for use as a food additive.

Questions and Answers about FDA's Actions on Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids



One last refuge for cheap ephedrine may also be in Canada, where sndcanada.com has been selling 8mg tablets of ephedrine hcl under the 4EverFit brand for years. The price for one bottle of 50tabs is $3.99 CAD, which converts to around $3.77 USD. However, I am unsure if they are still shipping this product to the US. Another place I was able to find Vasopro Ephedrine still being sold at a reasonable price was at Taylor's Nutrition. However, as other sites in the US require, they have a details picture and map detailing exactly what you need to file with them and which states the product can and cannot be shipped to.

Finally, many people will probably have some luck checking on Froogle (now called Google Product Search).

• Primatene Tablets
• MegaPro Vasopro Ephedrine
• Bronkaid
• Mini Thin (it appears that Mini Thin has sold their name to a variety of other non-ephedrine related products, such as energy bars and so forth)
• Bolt Ephedrine (looks like some good leads here)

Be sure and check with the BBB before purchasing from a company you haven't dealt with before.

So, would there be anywhere else to find ephedrine? Probably the most unfortunate outcome of the creeping criminalization of ephedrine will be it showing up more and more on the black market, on underground steroid dealers lists and on nefarious online pharmacies. Ephedrine is a legitimate drug with a very legitimate use as a decongestant. Many people find that other compounds that claim to work to help relieve sinus passages aren't as near as effective as ephedrine is, and that leaves consumers out in the cold, no pun intended. Where does that leave people who want an effective fat burner? Probably in the realm of the new and untested world of ephedra free fat loss supplements - some of them good, some not so good.

Good luck in your search and please feel free to post any comments with your results in acquiring ephedrine or any legitimate sources for it.