Ephedra diet pills became immensely popular in the 1990’s as a weight loss aid. This is thanks to a key alkaloid it contained: ephedrine. After ephedrine was banned in 2004, most supplement manufacturers removed ephedra from its products (after all, the key ingredient was banned).
But a few kept using ephedra and simply stripped out the ephedrine alkaloids.
Below you’ll find these products.
Are they worth it?
Maybe, but not because of the ephedra extract. Most of them are combinations of stimulants and some ingredients with marginal weight loss benefit. The most likely benefit they would provide you is a boost of energy and decreased appetite.
An exception to this is Shogun, which does not contain any ephedra.
Instead, it contains grains of paradise. Grains of paradise has some promising research that suggest it could genuinely help burn calories.
Some folks still like that “old school” stimulant fat burner feel though. For them, I recommend Lipodrene, featured below.
The infamous "yellow hexagon" fat burner is one of the most well-established weight loss aids in the industry.
If you want a manageable but effective jolt of energy with mild appetite suppression, Lipodrene might be right for you.
A heavy hitting ephedra fat burner for advanced users only. Containing 150 mg of ephedra per serving, Stimamine 150 helps provide energy and appetite suppression to help you achieve your dieting goals.
A stim heavy weight loss supplement designed to boost your energy and reduce cravings. Contains 25 mg of ephedra extract, 150 mg, and a blend of stimulants including DMHA to help carry you through the day.
Caffeine, DMHA, and senegalia berlandieri extract combine to provide a powerful stimulant experience for great energy and focus throughout the day. If dieting makes you lethargic, this may help you get over the hump.
Shogun delivers sky high energy, intense thermogenesis, and tons of sweat.
If you've tried the rest, get ready to try the best.
Discount codes:
LIFTVAULT = 15% off at Nutri Cartel
Table of Contents
The 5 Best Ephedra Diet Pills
- Shogun Fat Burner – Apollon Nutrition
- Lipodrene – Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals
- Stimamine 150 Fat Burner
- Stimerex Fat Burner – Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals
- ECA Xtreme Fat Burner
Shogun Fat Burner
Shogun delivers sky high energy, intense thermogenesis, and tons of sweat.
If you've tried the rest, get ready to try the best.
Discount codes:
LIFTVAULT = 15% off at Nutri Cartel
Shogun does not contain ephedra, but it does contain clinical dosages of its thermogenic and weight loss ingredients, along with some powerful stimulants like DMHA. It is manufactured by Apollon Nutrition, a manufacturer known for top of the line quality and potency.
I would recommend it over all of the other products on this list because it transparently discloses all of its ingredients instead of hiding behind a proprietary blend.
It also includes a key ingredient you won’t see in most of the other ephedra fat loss aids below: Paradoxine (Grains of Paradise).
Grains of Paradise “…may be an effective and safe tool for reducing body fat, mainly by preventing visceral fat accumulation.” (PubMed) It’s included in most of the strongest fat burners available today.
If you want a hardcore fat burning supplement, Shogun certainly fits the bill. If you want a fat burner with ephedra, all of the other weight loss supplements on this page do.
For more information, read my full Shogun fat burner review.
Lipodrene Fat Burner
The infamous "yellow hexagon" fat burner is one of the most well-established weight loss aids in the industry.
If you want a manageable but effective jolt of energy with mild appetite suppression, Lipodrene might be right for you.
Lipodrene is an ephedra diet pill manufactured by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals. It is likely one of the most popular diet pills containing ephedra, having been available since 2002. It has an iconic yellow hexagon shape that makes it unmistakeable to the eye.
It has been reformulated multiple times over the years to comply with FDA regulations. That included swapping the old ephedrine alkaloids and DMAA for ephedra extract and DMHA, both of which are in the current version of this fat burner.
Despite relatively modest amount of caffeine anhydrous in each pill (100 mg), they pack a surprising punch, helping boost energy and reduce appetite a bit.
Each serving of Lipodrene contains 25 mg of ephedra extract.
For more information, read my full Lipodrene fat burner review.
Stimamine 150 Fat Burner
A heavy hitting ephedra fat burner for advanced users only. Containing 150 mg of ephedra per serving, Stimamine 150 helps provide energy and appetite suppression to help you achieve your dieting goals.
Stimamine 150 is named after the 150 mg of ephedra contained in each pill. Like all of the supplements in this list, Stimamine 150 likely does not contain ephedrine alkaloids, as those are illegal to include in supplements. Most likely these alkaloids have been removed in order to avoid legal issues.
On the plus side, this product contains green tea extract, green coffee bean extract, 5-HTP, and Yohimbine HCL, all of which have been shown to possess marginal weight loss or appetite suppressant qualities.
Unfortunately, we do not know how much of these ingredients are included in each serving because the manufacturer uses a proprietary blend. As a result, it’s impossible to say if the ingredients are dosed appropriately to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Stimerex Hardcore Fat Burner
A stim heavy weight loss supplement designed to boost your energy and reduce cravings. Contains 25 mg of ephedra extract, 150 mg, and a blend of stimulants including DMHA to help carry you through the day.
Manufactured by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Stimerex contains 25 mg of ephedra extract per serving along with a slew of other stimulants and weight loss ingredients.
As is to be expected from an old school manufacturer like Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Stimerex utilizes a proprietary ingredient blend. This makes it impossible to know the precise dosage of most of its ingredients, meaning we also can’t say definitely if they’re dosed adequately or not.
Stimerex does contain a few ingredients with marginal weight loss benefits, like caffeine, green tea extract, and yohimbe extract.
Caffeine anhydrous dosage is disclosed at 150 mg per serving, along with ephedra extract at 25 mg per serving.
Compared to Lipodrene, Stimerex has a stronger stimulant feel to it and is recommended for more advanced users. If you’re on the fence between the two, I’d recommend Lipodrene. Frankly, both products are pretty similar at the end of the day, with Stimerex having a bit more “kick” to it.
ECA Xtreme Fat Burner
Caffeine, DMHA, and senegalia berlandieri extract combine to provide a powerful stimulant experience for great energy and focus throughout the day. If dieting makes you lethargic, this may help you get over the hump.
ECA Xtreme is named after the classic ephedrine, caffeine, and aspirin stack. Confusingly, it contains neither ephedrine nor aspirin, only maintaining the “c” from the original stack. Each serving still includes 25 mg of ephedra extract, like the other Hi-Tech products here.
It does contain some ingredients shown to have marginal weight loss benefits, like white willow extract, green tea extract, caffeine, and synephrine. Unfortunately, it does not disclose the dosage of most of those ingredients, so it is impossible to determine if they are dosed adequately.
ECA Xtreme contains 200 mg of caffeine along with senegalia berlandieri extract and DMHA, all of which are powerful stimulants. If you’re looking for energy, ECA Xtreme should leave you satisfied.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ephedra Diet Pills
Below you’ll find some common questions about supplements containing ephedra.
Are ephedra diet pills legal?
Yes, it is legal for supplements to contain ephedra as long as the ephedrine alkaloids have been removed.
How is ephedra different than ephedrine?
Ephedra is a shrub that contains a mix of alkaloids and other compounds. One of them is ephedrine, an alpha/beta adrenergic agonist. Others include epicatechins, polyphenols, and tannins.
Can ephedra diet pills be purchased over the counter (OTC)?
Yes. In the US, diet pills made with alkaloid-free ephedra extract can be bought over the counter.
Does GNC have ephedra diet pills for sale online?
No, GNC stopped carrying supplements containing ephedra in 2003. This was the same time that health concerns grew around ephedrine alkaloids.
Do ephedra diet pills actually work?
Some ephedra diet pills may contain ingredients shown to help with weight loss. But once the ephedrine alkaloids are removed, the ephedra itself no longer adds anything shown to help with weight loss or thermogenesis.
Most companies likely include ephedra as a marketing tactic.
Generally speaking, the primary benefits of weight loss supplements containing ephedra are increased energy and reduced appetite. There are no magic weight loss tricks.
