StackItSmart

Compound reference

Ephedrine / ECA Stack

ECA

Other compounds4 cited findingsClinical review: not reviewed

Clinical & experimental findings

Human randomized studyAbstract inspected

A six-month trial of an herbal ephedra/caffeine product found greater weight loss and an increased heart rate versus placebo. This was not a trial of the ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin combination, and its size could not rule out rare serious events.[1]

  • Formulation differs from pharmaceutical ephedrine and contains no tested aspirin component.
  • Abstract-checked; no qualified clinical review.
Inspection history

Clinical review: not reviewed by a qualified clinician.

· Independent source inspection; applicability narrowed and inherited assertions excluded where unsupported. No qualified clinical review.

· Independently reopened the PubMed abstract via NCBI E-utilities. Confirmed exactly: 167 subjects (84 placebo/83 herbal), 90/192 mg/day ephedrine alkaloids/caffeine; body weight -5.3 vs -2.6 kg (P<0.001); heart rate +4 vs -3 bpm (P<0.001); cardiac arrhythmias not increased (P>0.05). Europe PMC confirms this record is not open access; full text remains unobtained. No correction needed to the claim text; no qualified clinical review.

Interaction evidence

Regulatory recordSupporting passage inspected

CYTOMEL labeling states that sympathomimetics may increase the effects of thyroid hormone or sympathomimetics; coronary insufficiency is a particular concern in coronary artery disease.[2]

  • A drug-class label warning for oral liothyronine; not a clinical trial of each selected pair.
  • Caffeine, phenylpiracetam and all products tagged “stimulant” cannot automatically be treated as equivalent.
Inspection history

Clinical review: not reviewed by a qualified clinician.

· Supporting passages inspected, scope corrected and legacy assertions reassessed; no clinician review performed.

· Independently reopened every cited source afresh on 2026-09-09 (interaction batch, fresh deep-research pass); disposition and wording reconfirmed against the live sources, not carried over from the prior pass. No qualified clinical review.

Mechanistic inferenceSupporting passage inspected

FDA warns that people who “stack” steroid-like bodybuilding products with other products, including stimulants, may be at greater risk for serious and life-threatening reactions. This broad warning does not establish the effect or severity of an individual compound pair.[3]

  • This evidence does not establish the magnitude or frequency of harm from the selected combination.
Inspection history

Clinical review: not reviewed by a qualified clinician.

· Supporting passages inspected, scope corrected and legacy assertions reassessed; no clinician review performed.

· Independently reopened every cited source afresh on 2026-09-09 (interaction batch, fresh deep-research pass); disposition and wording reconfirmed against the live sources, not carried over from the prior pass. No qualified clinical review.

Human randomized studyAbstract inspected

A controlled study found cardiovascular responses with oral ephedrine plus caffeine. The site records also include aspirin and L-theanine, which were not studied; the selected product combination is therefore an extrapolation.[4]

  • Single-dose study in 16 healthy adults; no evidence that every stimulant pair is synergistic.
Inspection history

Clinical review: not reviewed by a qualified clinician.

· Supporting passages inspected, scope corrected and legacy assertions reassessed; no clinician review performed.

· Independently reopened every cited source afresh on 2026-09-09 (interaction batch, fresh deep-research pass); disposition and wording reconfirmed against the live sources, not carried over from the prior pass. No qualified clinical review.

What remains unresolved

Editorial assessment

These notes describe the scope of this review. Linked PMIDs are audit identifiers; an identifier alone does not verify a claim.

Narrowly supported passages published with study/product limits; remaining inherited assertions withheld from established-fact displays.

  • Not a comprehensive systematic review. Original monograph topics beyond the individual published claims—including monitoring schedules, contraindication lists, recovery assurances and detailed mechanisms—remain unverified.
  • No qualified clinician has reviewed these claims. Long-term outcomes and all marketed formulations have not been fully assessed.

This reference does not supply a dosing plan, monitoring timetable or recovery regimen. Discuss personal symptoms, medicines and laboratory results with a qualified clinician.

Explore the interaction evidence for this compound →

References

  1. Herbal ephedra/caffeine for weight loss: a 6-month randomized safety and efficacy trial.

    2002-05. PMID:12032741 Abstract only.

    Inspected location: PubMed abstract: Methods: herbal ephedra/caffeine formulation; Results: body-weight and heart-rate comparisons

    Study context and inspection record
  2. CYTOMEL (liothyronine sodium) prescribing information

    2025-04. Product label.

    Inspected location: Boxed warning; sections 5.5, 7.2 and 7.7

    Study context and inspection record
  3. FDA: Caution - Bodybuilding Products Can Be Risky

    undated. Regulatory document.

    Inspected location: Opening paragraphs; adverse-reaction lists; "stacking" paragraph naming stimulants; "What to Do"; footer "Content current as of: 09/20/2024"

    Study context and inspection record
  4. Enhanced stimulant and metabolic effects of combined ephedrine and caffeine

    2004-04. PMID:15060505 Abstract only.

    Inspected location: PubMed abstract; publication types and CommentsCorrections in NLM EFetch XML

    Study context and inspection record

Source inspection and clinical review are separate. An abstract check is not a full-text review. The records above identify what was actually inspected and do not certify the complete literature.

Recorded verification attempts
  • Fresh PubMed EUtils retrieval for inherited lead PMID 12032741; identity, abstract and linked corrections checked where an abstract existed.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12032741/ — abstract; PubMed abstract: Methods: herbal ephedra/caffeine formulation; Results: body-weight and heart-rate comparisons

View this compound in the research library →

Related records in this class

Grouped under Other compounds for navigation only. Shared class membership does not make findings, formulations or evidence interchangeable between records.

StackItSmart

Age confirmation

This reference discusses steroids, SARMs and other compounds. It is educational, not medical advice, and does not recommend using or combining them.

Your confirmation is saved in this browser when storage is available.