# Ephedrine / Pitcher Steve Bechler



## Max. Q (Feb 18, 2003)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Orioles right-handed pitching prospect Steve Bechler, 23, died of multi-system organ failure resulting from heatstroke Monday 

..a supplement containing ephedrine, an amphetamine-like stimulant that has been linked to heatstroke and heart attacks, was found in Bechler's locker after he was rushed to the hospital Sunday. Ephedrine can help quell fatigue and aid weight loss, as well enhance performance. The Times also reported that the supplement found in Bechler's locker was thrown into the garbage as soon as it was found.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/n...&content_id=201272&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp


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## Fit Freak (Feb 18, 2003)

Very typical....media, etc. blaming another death on ephedrine!


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## Arnold (Feb 18, 2003)

yup, steroids will cause 'roid rage' and eventually kill you too. 

they did not even get the story correct, I highly doubt the supplement contained ephedrine, rather ephedra which is an herb.
most people do not realize the difference, but ephedra is the naturally occuring herb that is used in supplements.


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## Max. Q (Feb 18, 2003)

From what I've read on other news articles, it sounds like he was abusing those pills. He was over weight coming into spring training and trying to get ready for the baseball season. I think he's mistaken those pills as the "magic instant fat loss pill".


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## I Are Baboon (Feb 18, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Fit Freak *_
> Very typical....media, etc. blaming another death on ephedrine!



Two things:

A)  The death is not blamed _solely_ on Xenadrine.
B)  The local medical examiner, not baseball, reported this.


Here, read.


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## Arnold (Feb 18, 2003)

okay, but from what I just read the ephedra had little to nothing to do with the death...here is the cause:

"The fatal heatstroke that killed a Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect was brought on by hypertension, a liver problem, an unhealthy diet...."


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## ZECH (Feb 18, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Prince *_
> okay, but from what I just read the ephedra had little to nothing to do with the death...here is the cause:
> 
> "The fatal heatstroke that killed a Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect was brought on by hypertension, a liver problem, an unhealthy diet...."


Yeah but ephedrine can cause your body to heat up(thus the fat burning) and also raise your blood pressure. What it does not say is how much he took.....that is what pisses me off. He probably took 4 times the recommended dosage. None the less it is still a tragic event. Just another bad rap for ephedrine and closer to banning. One of the first things they mentioned when they found it was "the substance that is banned by the NFL, and banned by so and so and so and so!"


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## Arnold (Feb 18, 2003)

true


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## I Are Baboon (Feb 18, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Prince *_
> okay, but from what I just read the ephedra had little to nothing to do with the death...here is the cause:
> 
> "The fatal heatstroke that killed a Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect was brought on by hypertension, a liver problem, an unhealthy diet...."




Yup.  He was just out of shape.  They ought to be looking more at the fact that he was overweight and had a bad diet.  Besides, 81 degree "heat" is hardly hot.  There are days in August when the temps can reach 110 on the field.  There was a lot more going on in that guy's body besides Xenadrine.  *sarcasm warning* ---> You've got to blame something, so you might as well blame the supplement.  Surely, the team doctors and the player himself can't be blamed for the bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle.


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## ZECH (Feb 18, 2003)

not 81......that is when you freeze to death..........btw I think you get hypothermia at about 94. I think his temp was 108!


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## I Are Baboon (Feb 18, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by dg806 *_
> not 81......that is when you freeze to death..........btw I think you get hypothermia at about 94. I think his temp was 108!



Whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?  81 degrees was the temperature outside.  I didn't read about his body temp, but YEAH, 108 is kinda high!


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## ZECH (Feb 18, 2003)

sorry..................misunderstood!


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## MeanCuts (Feb 18, 2003)

Man this really sucks I personally think ephedrine is a good supplement if used correctly but I doubt it's going to be around much longer.


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## Freeman (Feb 18, 2003)

I agree Mean....I was so pissed when I heard this today, and of course, my mom calls me up to see if I'd heard about it (since we live in Florida and that's where he is from or wahtever)...and I"m like, "yeah, well I think I'd better go online and stock up on this shit b.c I have a feeling they're going to ban it soon" and she gives me the whole "it's deadly Mark, you don't need that shit!"  So, I had to give her a brief lesson in what exactly the shit is, and bring her attention to real factors that caused his death!


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## lina (Feb 18, 2003)

From this picture, he doesn't look mega overweight to me that that could have been a factor?


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## MeanCuts (Feb 18, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by freeman1504 *_
> I agree Mean....I was so pissed when I heard this today, and of course, my mom calls me up to see if I'd heard about it (since we live in Florida and that's where he is from or wahtever)...and I"m like, "yeah, well I think I'd better go online and stock up on this shit b.c I have a feeling they're going to ban it soon" and she gives me the whole "it's deadly Mark, you don't need that shit!"  So, I had to give her a brief lesson in what exactly the shit is, and bring her attention to real factors that caused his death!



You ever notice that most of these ephederine related deaths that the people are doing intense cardio not to mention we don't know what dose they were taking.Here's an amazing thought don't take something you don't know anything about.Ephederine raises your heart rate and body temperature and so does cardio.Wonder if these people ever heard of heart attack or heat stroke?The problem with having supplements on the market that require responsibility and common sense is that you have to many irresponsible and/or dumb people that can't handle it.So they usually end up outlawing them for public safety.Of course they allow alcohol and cigarettes but that's another subject.


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## Freeman (Feb 19, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by lina *_
> From this picture, he doesn't look mega overweight to me that that could have been a factor?



Lina, that pic is not a recent one.  They showed more recent video of him and he did not look good.  They say he came in to camp at around 250 (and no, not like a BB weighint 250lbs...just basically fat).  Now, apparently 250lbs is 10lbs over his playing weight.  240lbs still seems heavy to me for a pitcher!  His coach said he looked really out of shape.


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## Max. Q (Feb 19, 2003)

This was on the front of the sports section in today's newspaper, with a big picture of a Xenadrine bottle (there's a link to the article online at the bottom)

Because they're legal doesn't mean supplements are safe 
By Chris Jenkins  
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER 

February 19, 2003 

It's perfectly legal. Perhaps lethal, too. 

Already too familiar with the link between "supplements" and the deaths of athletes, the sports world was hardly shocked by yesterday's determination that the herbal stimulant ephedrine probably contributed to the death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, a 23-year-old who died of heatstroke after a spring-training workout in Florida. 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20030219-9999_1s19ephedra.html


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## Arnold (Feb 19, 2003)

I have one question:

Why doesn't the government ban tobacco and alcohol too? 

How many people die every year from drunk drivers, cancer, cirrhosis, etc.?

Why they're at they should ban caffeine because that is also a stimulant.


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## butterfly (Feb 19, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Prince *_
> I have one question:
> 
> Why doesn't the government ban tobacco and alcohol too?
> ...



Took the words right out of my mouth


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## Freeman (Feb 19, 2003)

We should also ban food because you can choke on it and water because you might fall in some and drown!!!!


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## Ebraum (Feb 20, 2003)

Fact: over 65 % of people who have been in a car accident have eaten carrots.

Fact: Over 40% of people involved in a plane crash have eaten carrots.

Fact: Every Civil War Vetran that has eaten carrots is dead today. 

You can make anything sound deadly. I bet he had also consumed some Gatoraide during practice...as well as the football death last year....that might call for further investigation. Geez....


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## I Are Baboon (Feb 20, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Prince *_
> I have one question:
> 
> Why doesn't the government ban tobacco and alcohol too?
> ...




Word to yo' mutha.   


Do these articles state anywhere that this is the first death of a professional athlete _ever_ in which ephedrine _may_ have played a role?  Personally, I have never used it, but there is no doubting it's effectiveness in weight loss.


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## Arnold (Feb 20, 2003)

check this out:

http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/articles/20030220/458122.html


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## Freeman (Feb 20, 2003)

The reporting is quite upsetting, especially the things this Angelos guy is doing/saying.  Specifically, what he says about the guy being a "healthy young man".  I propose that were he not overweight, eaten properly that day, ingested enough fluids..he'd still be alive.  Notice how I left out the ephedrine.  I think he would have been fine taking it.  We don't know his doses, and we can't control that.  People should not have to suffer because this guy may have downed a bottle of Xenedrine in hopes to lose weight quickly.


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## Max. Q (Feb 20, 2003)

...if you ask me the MLB should concentrate more on banning/enforcing the use of steriods and illegal substances used by their players. Instead of banning the use of ephedrine, how about having the teams doctor, nutritionist or physical fitness representative teach it's players the safe use of these products, that more is NOT better...


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## ShaqFu (Feb 22, 2003)

It's all a bunch of media hyped up nonsense.. Drugs + Baseball is just a cheap way to catch a reader's attention these days.. As for ephedrine getting a bad rap. So what if a bunch of ignorant people associate a good thing with some (false) negative images.

I just hope they don't do something stupid like start making it more difficult for responsible people to get their hands on their ephedrine. But all sports writers can do is talk.. which is a good thing. Because 90% of them are idiots IMO.


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