One of the reasons ephedrine is such a powerful agent is that it operates through a variety of mechanisms, including increasing levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, and stimulating both alpha and beta adrenoreceptors. Appetite suppression - Ephedrine (through facilitating the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline) stimulates the alpha 1-adrenoreceptor subtype, which is known to induce hypophagia (appetite suppression). It is estimated that appetite supression accounts for 75-80% of the weight loss attributed to ephedrine.

50 mg of ephedrine alone increases total energy expenditure by about 4% when administered acutely, but 60 mg per day increases metabolic rate by 10% when used chronically. Although beta 1, beta 2, and beta 2-adrenoreceptors all play a role in ephedrine-induced thermogenesis, the fact that tolerance develops quickly to most of the cardiovascular effects but the thermogenic effects appear to be enhanced over time may be explained by direct activation of beta or atypical adrenoreceptors, which is responsible for at least 40% of the thermogenesis induced by ephedrine.

Similar to clenbuterol, which is commonly used to lose fat while maintaining muscle, ephedrine is a beta agonist. Stimulating the beta 2-adrenoreceptors increases protein synthesis and counteracts the catabolism of muscle commonly seen with low calorie diets.

Ephedrine is generally taken twice daily with a total dosage of 20-60 mg. Some users prefer taking twice as much in the morning as the second dose (for example, 40 mg and then 20 mg). The most common schedule is 20 mg of ephedrine and 200 mg of caffeine twice daily, and a study comparing various ephedrine/caffeine mixtures found this to be an ideal dose. For maximum effect, ephedrine should be taken in combination with a calorie restricted diet and a regular exercise schedule.