Ephedrine (a drug derived from Ephedra, also known as Ma Huang) is a stimulant that increases metabolism and promotes weight loss. It was quite popular in the 1990s, but in rare cases it can cause health problems including death. It has been linked to the death of professional sports figures. The FDA has since heavily regulated its use such that it is no longer found in diet pills.

However, there are many people who have used ephedrine in the past with great success and these people continue to find ways to acquire it. One such way is to use either of these 2 over-the-counter asthma drugs.

The formulation of these drugs has changed as well. They both previously contained Ephedrine HCl, but more recently people have reported only finding them with Ephedrine sulfate. The sulfate variant is said to be 1/3 as strong as HCl.

Often these drugs are kept behind the counter, thus they have to be asked for. This is likely yet another measure to reduce abuse and likely theft as well.