Three patients developed clinical evidence of myocardial injury after acute ingestion of phenylpropanolamine, a sympathomimetic amine found in a large number of decongestant and appetite suppressant formulations. Increases in the serum creatine kinase and MB isoenzyme levels, ventricular arrhythmias, and electrocardiographic repolarisation abnormalities were seen. Excessive catecholamine stimul...

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is required, as part of the Methamphetamine Epidemic Elimination Act, to develop annual quotas for the manufacture and importation of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine products for legitimate utilization in the U.S. At DEA’s request, IMS Health (IMS) identified an approach for generating estimates of 2005 usage for ephedrine and pseudo...

Phenylpropanolamine is a sympathomimetic amine that shares structural similarities with amphetamine and ephedrine. It increases blood pressure primarily by increasing peripheral vascular resistance. This effect is the result of alpha-adrenergic agonist activity largely from both direct stimulation of adrenergic receptors and release of neuronal norepinephrine. As such, it has the potential to i...