Ephedra user April Skinner has lost 22 pounds with the drug and exercise.

For the first time, the government plans to ban the sale of an over-the-counter supplement.

In less than two months, the FDA will block all retail and online sales of the diet supplement Ephedra, which leaves many people wondering if there's a safer alternative.

"I can report to you that we're about to ban dietary supplements containing ephedra.” said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

The government says products with Ephedra can increase your risk of serious heart problems or stroke.

Right now it's not illegal for retail stores to sell products that contain Ephedra. But once the new regulation goes into effect, it will be nearly impossible to find the supplements.

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	Ephedra ban Future weight loss will have to be Ephedra-free.

And that's left people like hair stylist April Skinner scrambling to find what's left.

"My first, initial reaction was to go to every store I could possibly find and purchase more of the product,” Skinner said.

She’s been taking supplements with Ephedra for more than four years and hasn't had any bad reactions. In fact, between dieting and taking ephedra supplements, she's lost more than 22 pounds.

"I also had a check up recently for insurance purposes and my heart and everything else is fine,” Skinner said.

Austin cardiologist Dr. George Rodgers said Skinner is among the majority of people safely taking Ephedra.

"The problem is that there are a few people that are going to have a disastrous problem with it,” Rodgers said.

Problems like rapid heart rates, passing out -- even death. Rodgers said the scary part is that it's not obvious who those people are.

So what about a safer supplement? Can we trust the products that claim to burn calories while we sleep?

"Either that's an unrealistic claim or if it can do that, that's a fairly potent substance that could be dangerous, so it's one of those things, there's no free lunch,” Rodgers said.

But for now, it sounds like there's no safer alternative to Ephedra.

Rodgers said supervised weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers may be your best alternative. They're safer than supplements and typically have experienced health professionals overseeing the programs.