Why Were Ephedrine Diet Pills Popular? At one time, ephedrine was actually quite a common ingredient in many diet pills. It is a drug that is comparable to amphetamines in its structure. However, in February 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the production, sale and purchase of any dietary supplements containing ephedra, ephedrine alkaloids, ma-huang and all the versions of that substance. The reason it was banned  [ Read More ]