June 15, 2001 my boyfriend a healthy 25 year old who does not have a past medical history had a stoke because of the use of Xenadrine (which has ma huang a form of ephedrine. It all started with a severe headache that made him fall to the ground with no feeling on the left side of his body and face. He spent 5 days in the hospital. He had a MRI, MRA, Cat Scan, Blood work, and a Spinal Tap which showed no signs of a stroke so therefore they sent him home with no medications. Thursday the next day after he was released his left side went numb again. Rushing him back to the hospital they found the stroke in the Cat Scan and found two blockages in the arteries of his neck by doing a angiogram which is a insertion of a long thin wire in the main artery of the upper leg injecting dye. After two days of a blood thinner Heprain the Cat Scan now looks good and should be returing home in a day or two. PLEASE THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT USING THESE DRUGS. STROKES DON'T ONLY HAPPEN TO "OLD PEOPLE" IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!!
**UPDATE** 6/30/01 - Well, he woke up the following day after I wrote this and his left side is completely paralyzed. After thinking he was going to go home he will be in there a little longer. His spirits are reaching higher and higher everyday!! Finally tonight his personality is coming back alive.