Ephedra, which is also commonly called "ma huang", was banned by the FDA from use in weight-loss medications in 2003 after it was linked with several reported deaths. There were several side effects which were noted with the use of ephedra, including increased blood pressure and alterations to heart rate, and several of the deaths involved stroke or blood clots which may have resulted from these effects. Most ephedra deaths have been linked with either taking higher than the recommended dose of the drug, or use of the drug by individuals with pre-existing health conditions which may have made the common side effects more dangerous. For example those who already had a heart condition may have been at greater risk of complications from the increase in blood pressure caused by ephedra, and therefore ephedra death. Ephedrine, the source from which ephedra is derived, is however still used in many over-the-counter medications and has not been linked with deaths.