Benzedrine™

A Diet Aid That Pushes the

Nutraceutical Envelope!

By: Mark Wright, M.D.

Benzedrine was the trade name of the racemic mixture of amphetamine (dl-amphetamine). It was marketed under this brand name in the USA by Smith, Kline and French(currently GlaxoSmithKline) in the form of inhalers, starting in 1928. Benzedrine was used to enlarge nasal and bronchial passages and it is closely related to other stimulants produced later, such as Dexedrine (d-amphetamine) and methamphetamine. While the drug was initially used for medical purposes, as a bronchodilator, early users of the Benzedrine inhaler discovered that it had a euphoric stimulant effect, resulting in it being one of the earliest synthetic stimulants to be widely used for recreational (i.e., non-medical) purposes. Even though this drug was intended for inhalation, many people abused it by cracking the container open and swallowing the paper strip inside, which was covered in Benzedrine. The strips were often rolled into small balls and swallowed, or taken with coffee or alcohol. The drug was often referred to as "bennies" by users and in literature. Because of the stimulant side effect, physicians discovered that amphetamine could also be used to treat narcolepsy. This led to the production of Benzedrine in tablet form. Benzedrine was also used by doctors to perk up lethargic patients before breakfast. In 1937 the effects of benzedrine, and thus stimulant use, was studied in children with behavior and neurological disorders. In the 1940s and 1950s reports began to emerge about the abuse of Benzedrine inhalers, and in 1949, doctors began to move away from prescribing Benzedrine as a bronchodilator and appetite suppressant. In 1959, the FDA made it a prescription drug in the United States. Benzedrine and derived amphetamines were used as a stimulant for armed forces in World War II and Vietnam. Over the past ten years, I have worked with the top researchers, pharmacologists, and physicians from Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals to develop the perfect diet and energy pill. Hi-Tech has put out several blockbuster weight loss aids such as Lipodrene®, Stimerex-ES®, Fastin® and Lipodrene Xtreme®, to name a few. With the evolution of Hi-Tech's pharmacological research into weight loss compounds, I believe we have created our finest Diet & Energy Aid!

Supplement Facts Serving Size 1 pill Servings Per Container 60 Amount Per Serving % Daily Value Proprietary Blend with Acacia Rigidula 98% Extract (leaves) Yielding the following Alkaloids as Thermo-RX: 255 mg Phenylethylamine, R-Beta-Methylphenylethylamine, Methylsynephrine, N-Methyl-B-Methylphenylethylamine, N-Methyl-Phenylethylamine, N-Benzyl-Alpha-Phenylethylamine. Benzedrine Proprietay Blend: 100 mg Theobromine, Alpha-Phenylethylamine HCL, Synephrine HCl, 5-Methoxytryptamine HCL, L-Tyrosine Ethyl Ester HCL, Yohimbine HCL. Caffeine (Anhydrous): 200 mg Caffeine 100mg † Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established. Other Ingredients: Dextrose, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hydroxy Propyl Methylcellulose, Stearic Acid, Magnesium Stearate, Sodium Starch Glucolte, Starch, Triacetin, Titanium Dioxide, Silica Directions: Take 1-2 tablets in the morning and 1 tablet after lunch. Do not exceed 4 tablets daily. Warning: Do not use if you are under the age of 18. Do not use if you are pregnant. Individuals who consume caffeine with this product may experience severe adverse health effects.

As a bariatric (weight loss) physician, I knew of the diet and energy success of Benzedrine for decades. It had the reputation of being the strongest pill ever to hit the Market when I began my weight loss clinics. When Smith, Kline and French (now known as GlaxoSmithKline) withdrew Benzedrine from the market, it sent shockwaves through the weight loss industry. Due to its reputation in the industry I knew a new generation product with the same name was a "tall task." Hi-Tech has been doing some exhaustive research and development on a new formula with pharmaceutical fat mobilization and apoptosis agents to create the new and improved Benzedrine™! Benzedrine's effectiveness produced an almost cult following. In Fact, Benzedrine is also referenced in the song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth? by R.E.M. Much earlier, in 1946, a minor hit record by Harry Gibson was, "Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine," which was a song about a woman who partied at all the nightclubs and lost a lot of weight doing so. One line in the song was, "The benzedrine's the thing that makes her swing." On the song "Semi-Truck," the "speed freak anthem" by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, the singer laments his fate: "Here I sit, all alone with a broken heart. I took three bennies, and my semi-truck won't start."

Benzedrine is referenced in the song "Wet Sand" by rock-funk band Red Hot Chili Peppers: "The travesties that we have seen/Are treating me like Benzedrine/ Automatic laugher from a pro. The song "Roll Up Your Sleeves" by the rapper Mickey Avalon also references Benzedrine: "Juiced on bennys and hard lemonade I boost so many sweets I've got tooth decay" . The drug is referenced in the song "Cherry Bomb" by Ash from their album Free All Angels: "Is she real or just a dream? / My heart beats fast like Benzedrine." In the song "Swordfish trombones," Tom Wait sings, "Well he packed up all his/ expectations he lit out for California/ with a flyswatter banjo on his knee/with a lucky tiger in his angel hair/ and Benzedrine for getting there..." Singer Thea Gilmore penned a song called "Benzedrine" on her 2002 album Rules for Jokers. In "Bright College Days" song Tom Lehrer proposes a toast for "beer and benzedrine". In Sir Ian Fleming's novel Live and Let Die, the character James Bond receives Benzedrine tablets amongst other materials intended to aid him in a mission. Bond takes a tablet and later credits its effect with preventing him from fainting after severe injury.

Unwilling to attach the name "Benzedrine" to just any ole diet & energy formula, Hi-Tech has spent a countless amount of time and resources to find a formula to live up to the name Benzedrine, in terms of feeling and effect. Finally, after several years of research on this project, Hi-Tech developed a formula that is so strong even Hi-Tech was hesitant to put it on the market. Hi-Tech is so confident in Benzedrine™ that they are staking their name on it in many ways as the leaders in the diet& energy industry…as the shoes Hi-Tech had to fill were very large.

Although the feeling and effect of Hi-Tech's Benzedrine™ is at least as good as the original, the formula has changed in significant ways. The old Benzedrine formula was formulated around dl-amphetamine, while the new Benzedrine is formulated around the acacia rigidula alkaloid: N-Methyl-b-Methylphenylethylamine HCl and derivatives of this molecule. N-Methyl-b-Methylphenylethylamine HCl Phenylethylamine is an amazing compound that is naturally present in acacia rigidula. Hi-Tech has a use patent on acacia rigidula and has continued to study this amazing plant. After 5 years of researching the alkaloids in this plant Hi-Tech's R&D team finally was able to extract N-Methyl-b-Methylphenylethylamine HCl from the plant. One of the problems we encountered while extracting this alkaloid is that acacia rigidula also contains the alpha isomer, which is Methamphetamine A.K.A. "Crystal Meth", which is highly illegal. As you can imagine with all the well publicized battles Hi-Tech has had with the FDA and DEA the last thing we needed was our product to contain methamphetamine. It took our overseas factory over three years to finally isolate only the beta isomer.

This compound is probably the cleanest stimulant ever researched, which has the remarkable ability to stimulate the central nervous system, without causing nervousness or the jittery feeling. N-Methyl-b-Methylphenylethylamine HCl is responsible for its beneficial effects on mood, appetite, and sense of well-being.

Benzedrine's Launch Will Be the Largest Ever in the

Diet & Energy Category!

Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. knew the launch of Benzedrine™ was going to be their largest and possibly the largest in the nutritional industries history! Hi-Tech sought out to find a tablet press that could keep up with the overwhelming demand expected. Upon the mention of the Benzedrine™ launch to several of our customers we booked tens of millions of tablets of pre-orders. Hi-Tech found a press made by the German company Kilian model RX55, which was for sale from the pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Hi-Tech bought the tablet press pictured below and has it ready to produce the world's supply of Benzedrine™. This press will run 520,000 tablets per hour and over 10 million pills daily! Most nutrition companies do not have annual capacity of what this Kilian RX55 will do in a week.

Benzedrine™ may be more likely to increase insomnia, decrease appetite, and increase weight loss - probably because it has a longer duration of action. In a study where patients took Benzedrine™ almost 95% reported extreme diet & energy. The molecular structure above is the molecular makeup of Benzedrine™, which is almost indistinguishable from the original. Benzedrine™ exerts its behavioral and weight loss effects by modulating the behavior of several key neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

The major neural systems affected by Benzedrine™ are largely implicated in the brain's reward

circuitry. Moreover, neurotransmitters involved in various reward pathways of the brain appear to

be the primary targets of Benzedrine™. One such neurotransmitter is dopamine, a chemical messenger heavily active in "battle of the bulge." That Benzedrine™ influence neurotransmitter activity specifically in regions implicated in reward provides insight into the behavioral consequences of the drug, such as the stereotyped onset of euphoria. Endogenous amphetamines- Amphetamine has been found to have several endogenous analogues; that is, molecules of a similar structure found naturally in the brain. L-Phenylalanine and β-Phenylethylamine are two examples, which are formed in the peripheral nervous system as well as in the brain itself. These molecules are thought to modulate levels of excitement and alertness, among other related affective states.

Dopamine- Perhaps the most widely studied neurotransmitter with regard to amphetamine action is dopamine, the "reward neurotransmitter" that is highly active in numerous reward pathways of the brain. Various studies have shown that in select regions, amphetamine increases the concentrations of dopamine in the synaptic cleft, thereby heightening the response of the post-synaptic neuron. Benzedrine's unique ability to influence dopamine causing you to "feel good" is why most people talk about the ability to not binge as they feel rewarded or satisfied and not hungry. Benzedrine is the only dietary supplement that has been shown to significantly increase the amount of dopamine in the bloodstream, which is why everyone who has tried Benzedrine™ during our R&D phase raved about its incredible effects.

Benzedrine- The First Anorectic Dietary Supplement

Ever Produced

Anorexics, anorexigenics or appetite suppressants are substances (dietary supplements or drugs) that reduce the appetite and cause a person to eat less. The word comes from the greek an- = "without" and orexi- = "appetite".

Benzedrine works much like Phen-Fen as it has a Stimulant that triggers release of Norepinephrine and Dopamine, and it has a active ingredient that works on serotonin. Benzedrine does not cause heart valve issues like were found when Phen-Fen was released. Benzedrine will revolutionize the diet & energy category with its ability to effectively work on all three neurotransmitters.

ASK the Doctor: An Interview with Dr. Gill

Jared Wheat interviewed Dr. Gill by phone.

Wheat: How do you define and determine when to treat people who are overwight in your practice?

Gill: By directly measuring percent body fat. We don't base diagnosis or treatment decisions on body mass index (BMI).

Wheat: Why not?

Gill: We have found that BMI does not consistently correlate with percent body fat until BMI exceeds 35.

We based this on a study of 400 of our patients and found that many had excessive body fat relative to their lean body mass despite having a BMI of less than 30.

In other words, these "normal-sized" or even thin individuals had percent body fat measurements in the obese range.

We also found that it is also extremely important to measure percent body fat before and after weight loss or treatment.

Wheat: Why is that?

Gill: Some patients lose weight but their percent body fat actually increases.

Wheat: Can you give me an example?

Gill: Sure. One female patient lost 23 pounds on a calorie-restricted diet but her percent body fat increased from 38 percent to 43 percent, indicating that she lost only lean body mass and virtually no fat. This is not healthy weight loss.

Wheat: What causes this to happen?

Gill: It is the result of the calorie-restricted diet which I do not recommend. It is essential to change diet composition and to avoid a negative caloric balance. A person's daily caloric intake must come close to the body's actual metabolic needs.

Wheat: What about exercise?

Gill: Exercise alone has little or no effect on body composition in people with excess body fat. The

same is true of excessive calorie restriction. It causes weight loss but has little or no effect on

body composition.

The best that can be expected from diet and exercise is for a person to maintain their current percent body fat. I have NEVER had a patient reduce their percent body fat with diet and exercise alone. Reducing percent body fat to normal requires some type of medical management.

The ideal exercise plan consists of half aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, biking, swimming

or cross-country skiing and half strength training which involves lifting weights.

Wheat: What are your dietary recommendations?

Gill: It is most important to restrict or eliminate highly-refined carbohydrates, alcohol and soft drinks,

as well as increase the intake of high-quality protein.

Most people need to roughly double their intake of protein so it is 25-30 percent of calories. It is also important to decrease the intake of saturated fat and partially hydrogenated fats and to increase the intake of monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats from cold-water fish. And, as I said before, I do

not recommend calorie-restricted diets because they never significantly improve body composition.

In my experience the only effective treatment for people with excessive body fat is a combination

of healthy eating, exercise, medications and supplements.

Wheat: What medicines or dietary supplements do you use?

Gill: When medical treatment appears to be indicated, I use various combinations of medications including dopamine/norepinephrine-enhancing medications such as phentermine, Wellbutrin SR (bupropion sustained-release) or Tenuate Dospan (diethylpropion sustained-release) combined with serotonin enhancing medications such as Celexa (citalopram), Effexor XR (venlafaxine extended-release), Luvox (fluvoxamine) or Serzone (nefazodone). I have also begun using Benzedrine as it works on all three neurotransmitters. I have used many of Hi-Tech's dietary supplements in the past to help people lose weight. I have used Lipoodrene®, Stimerex-ES®, Lipodrene Xtreme®, and Fastin®. However, I believe for my practice Benzedrine is the strongest diet aid or combination I have found. Benzedrine contains 5-Methoxytryptamine HCl (5-MOT) in patients who have symptoms of serotonin deficiency. Benzedrine also contains a series of phenyethlamine alkaloids from acacia rigidula, and tyrosine ethyl ester HCl for patients with symptoms of a dopamine/norepinephrine deficiency.

Wheat: What dosages do you use?

Gill: It varies by patient and must be individually titrated against each patient's symptoms, but in general I use Benzedrine in the AM and sometimes add a second dose in the mid-afternoon. I often augment with low doses of Xenistat™ once or twice daily

The decision of which Hi-Tech weight loss aids to use and the appropriate doses are entirely based on the patients symptoms and response to treatment. Because these drugs are being used to treat symptoms rather than weight, their use falls well within current practice standards.

Wheat: Have you tried Meridia (sibutramine) or Xenical (orlistat)?

Gill: Yes, but they are not very effective in most patients. I've found that they improve body composition in only 20-25 percent

of patients who try them. Xenical might be useful in some patients but it probably is most effective as an add-on medication, possibly in people who have lipid

abnormalities.

Wheat: What are the symptoms of serotonin deficiency?

Gill: Carbohydrate craving, lack of satiety, mood swings, depression, dysthymia,

anxiety, premenstrual syndrome and

obsessive-compulsive thoughts.

Wheat: What are the symptoms of dopamine/norepinephrine deficiency?

Gill: Fatigue, excessive hunger, mental preoccupation with food or eating and chocolate craving.

Wheat: Are Phenylethylamine Alkaloids and Tyrosine Ethyl Ester HCl helpful?

Gill: Yes, when indicated. They augment weight loss regiments and enhance their effects, especially

in patients where improvements in body composition have plateaued but a patient's percent body fat

is still in the high-risk range.

Wheat: How do you measure body fat?

Gill: We use the Futrex 5000 Body Fat Analyzer. It uses near-infrared light technology. It is ideally

suited for a practice setting because of its ease of use and reliability.

Wheat: How much body fat do you consider excessive?

Gill: I use a table which shows age-related ranges of percent body fat, by far the most useful measure of body composition.

Wheat: How quickly does body fat decrease?

Gill: One or two percent per month.

Wheat: What is the average decrease in body fat?

Gill: Ninety percent of patients experience a decrease in percent body fat. Roughly one-third of

patients reduce body fat by 8 to 12 percent, another one-third by 4 to 7 percent, and the other

one-third by 1 to 3 percent.

Wheat: What is the average weight loss?

Gill: Approximately eighty percent of patients lose anywhere from 20 to 100 pounds, another twenty percent experience no weight loss.

Wheat: What is the average weight loss that accompanies improved

body composition?

Gill: I only weigh patients to calculate their BMI but otherwise all diagnostic and treatment decisions

are based on body composition. Weight is not used as a medical diagnosis. Overweight is defined

as excessive body fat which often does not correlate with weight or size. If a patient has an elevated percent body fat, weight and size are irrelevant.

Wheat: Did I hear you correctly?

Gill: Yes, weight and size are irrelevant. I don't care for the term obesity because it implies largeness

or excessive weight and does not reflect the underlying pathophysiology of the illness. I prefer to call

it hypothalamic dysfunction syndrome or HDS for short.

All of my patients with excessive body fat seem to share a very well defined set of symptoms indicating deficiencies in either dopamine/norepinephrine and/or serotonin in the hypothalamus. Whereas, people with normal body composition almost never experience these symptoms.

Wheat: What do you think causes HDS?

Gill: I believe that HDS is triggered in genetically susceptible individuals by eating a modern western diet which contains an excessive amount of highly-refined carbohydrates, partially hydrogenated oils and saturated fats.

It appears that the hypothalamus is able to auto-regulated percent body fat almost independent of

caloric intake in healthy individuals when food is abundant. However, in times of food shortage the

hypothalamus shifts to excessive fat storage in preparation for a possible famine.

I believe that the modern western diet damages the hypothalamus to the point where it is no longer able to auto-regulate fat stores and genetically-susceptible individuals gets stuck in a fat storage mode where body fat rises regardless of caloric intake.

Wheat: Does viewing the condition as HDS rather than obesity affect treatment?

Gill: Yes. Treatment should be based on the presence of these symptoms of hypothalamic dysfunction and on directly measured high percent body fat. Using this definition, the disease includes a wide range of disorders now thought to be psychiatric in nature including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, night eating disorder, atypical depression and traditional obesity. Patients with all of these disorders share the same symptoms--they all have excessive high percent body fat and they all respond to the same treatments.

Wheat: Are there other triggers for the disorder?

Gill: Yes. In addition to eating a modern western diet secondary triggers include childbirth, menopause, quitting cigarette smoking, surgery and stress. It can also be triggered by many different medications such as corticosteroids, antihistamines, many antidepressants and most anti-psychotic medications.

HDS is twice as common in females as males.

Triggers are most obvious when patients can remember the exact day that their symptoms started and these symptoms are always associated with a feeling of increased fatness and body expansion which occur long before body size or weight noticeably changes.

And the problem is that once the disorder surfaces, the symptoms are always progressive--the

hypothalamic damage is probably permanent and the only decision left to be made is whether to

treat the illness or not. In my experience, a person with HDS has no chance of normalizing their

body composition without medical intervention.

Wheat: What symptoms do you look for?

Gill: Symptoms of a dopamine/norepinephrine deficiency include:

1. Extreme fatigue or sluggishness is the most prominent symptom. Patients say that they feel lousy

and don't have enough energy to function normally.

2. Excessive hunger drives, that is a strong desire to eat regardless of food already eaten.

3. Abnormal eating drives which include eating when a person is not hungry, constantly thinking about

food or thinking about eating, night eating syndrome, and/or binge eating.

4. Abnormal cravings for chocolate.

Symptoms of a serotonin deficiency include:

1. Lack of satiety, that is not feeling full after eating a normal amount of food.

2. Menstrual irregularities which include heavy or irregular menstrual cycles or severe cramps.

3. Mood instability which includes depression, anxiety, panic disorder, premenstrual syndrome (PMS),

obsessive compulsive thinking, or unusual and excessive mood swings (dysthymia).

4. Carbohydrate cravings, that is cravings for sweets and/or starchy foods such as bread, potatoes

and junk food all of which are one of the hallmark symptoms of the illness.

Wheat: How important are treating symptoms?

Gill: Extremely important. In my experience symptoms MUST be significantly suppressed or disappear before body composition begins to change.

Diet, exercise and treatment with drugs and/or supplements must be titrated against the symptoms. When the dose and combination of medicines and supplements is correct, patients respond as though a light switch has been turned on. I call it the "Fen-Phen Effect".

Patients can tell you the exact day that they started feeling "normal". In fact, I can usually tell if a patient has improved their body composition just by asking them about their symptoms. If their symptoms have disappeared I know that their body composition has improved. I am completely symptom-based when it comes to treatment. I have learned that body composition never improves unless the symptoms of HDS improve or disappear.

Wheat: How important is Benzedrine in your practice?

Gill: It is essential for many patients but must be combined with proper diet and exercise. Hypothalamic Dysfunction Syndrome is a treatable illness, but no more curable than is diabetes or hypertension. The goals of treatment are to improve quality of life by eliminating the debilitating symptoms of the illness and decreasing morbidity and mortality by improving body composition.

Diet and exercise are not enough to correct the chemical imbalance or dysfunction in people with HDS. That is what is most frustrating for patients--that traditional treatments such as calorie restricted diets are not only ineffective but can make the condition worse.

I think it's encouraging for patients to know that HDS is an illness rather than a choice and I try to train patients to recognize their symptoms so that they know when their illness is stable or out of control and when to seek further medical advice about adjusting food composition, exercise, and the adjustment of their Benzedrine .

"What is in a Name?"

In Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the character, Juliet says, "What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Hi-Tech attached the name, Fastin, to the most effective diet aid of the 21st century. Hi-Tech now attaches Benzedrine™ to its most powerful diet & energy aid and expects to revive the cult following that Benzedrine™ previously enjoyed. Hi-Tech also enjoys the challenge of living up to a legend. In baseball, Ken Griffey, Jr. came into the league with big shoes to fill in his hall of fame father's Cincinnati Red eyes. Today, 593 home runs later, "the natural," as many call him, feels he achieved quite a bit more than his father ever did in baseball, and did more than just fill his father's shoes. In NASCAR racing, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has fans worldwide expecting him to continue winning and live up to his father's reputation - which is that he was the best driver to ever get behind the wheel of a car. Benzedrine™ by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals not only welcomes the challenge of living up to a legend, but chose the name in order to have a tell set of shoes to fill. Benzedrine™ is a world class diet & energy pill that will help anyone needing to lose weight or just needing a burst of energy. Whether you need to lose a little or a lot of weight - Benzedrine™ is just what the doctor ordered!