Energy drinks and teens coming to ER with chest pain

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Specializes in ER, SANE.

I have seen an unreal amount of teen-young 20ish patients coming to the ER c/o severe chest pain after drinking 1-2 energy drinks. All have been negative on drug/alcohol screens and cardiac workups are also negative. I've never had an energy drink (I'll stick with coffee) so I can't relate to what these drinks do. We end up giving them antianxiety meds and d/c them home.

Anyone else seeing this?

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

I'm not a nurse yet (still a student), but the mom of a young teen. He had his first (and last) energy drink unbeknownst to me. When I picked him up from the event he was at, he was bouncing off the walls, eyes darting, and scaring the **** out of me. 8 hours later, he was still acting that way. I debated taking him to the hospital it was so bad. He will not be having any more, I can guarantee!

I am going to have to do some more research to find out just how much crud is in these things.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Yep, been seeing this for several years, in teens and adults.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Just did a quick google of energy drinks' ingredients---high high levels of caffeine and sugar also. B vitamins (think niacin) and various herbals (careful!) too. And a bunch of other things... No wonder they get all speeded up and bounce around!

Was talking caffeine beverages with some students once. Hadn't heard of Jolt soda and it wasn't sold in my area. One of the kids brought me in a can as I was a coffee-holic and I liked Mt Dew too. I was teaching and I do talk quickly at times. But all of sudden, I noticed a difference and asked the kids 'am I talking real fast'?!?! What a caffeine rush! I should have been paid by the word, not by the hour!!! Only had about 90 cc, but boy, did I feel it!!!Don't do much REGULAR caffeine anymore.

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Specializes in Trauma-Surgical, Case Management, Clinic.

I will have to do some research on the exact ingredients but I never thought energy drinks were that harmful. It's just vitamins and caffeine, right? I became addicted to them in nursing school. On days that I'm busy and need to get things done (like work, errands) I drink 2 a day. I can barely function otherwise. People usually are concerned with the amount of caffeine but it is around the same amount as a cup of coffee. I know there are artificial sugars as well. If anyone knows what the most unsafe ingredients in energy drinks are, please share. I tried switching to hot tea for a while but that didn't work out so well.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
Just did a quick google of energy drinks' ingredients---high high levels of caffeine and sugar also. B vitamins (think niacin) and various herbals (careful!) too. And a bunch of other things... No wonder they get all speeded up and bounce around!

My adrenal glands hurt just from reading that. The things we put into our bodies! The only time I've ever had an energy drink is with vodka. Because it was there. It takes like cough syrup and I really don't see the appeal.

What do high schoolers need all that energy for, anyway? Pulling algebra all-nighters?

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I have seen this at work. A couple pts also whose acute kidney failure in previously healthy pts was partially contributed to this by the drs. it was always a mix of a ton of energy drinks and extreme exercise (hours and hours for days and a couple of drinks) all tox screens negative. not sure how much if anything the drinks did aside from boost energy cor the exercise? hmmm i had a 5 hr energy drink twice and it did nothing. i drink coffee and soda regularly.

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I'm a new ICU nurse, but some of the nurses I work with told me about a 19 year old girl who came into our ER with arrhythmias from drinking several Monster drinks a day. They coded her twice and she came to ICU with anoxic brain energy. She was discharged to a LTC facility :/ So sad.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Just to follow up on my previous post --- googled again and the more I read again the more blown away I became!!!

I've long been caffeine-sensitive so I know what a simple can of caffeined diet pepsi (35 mgm/can as printed ON the can) does. Some of the energy drinks are 120 mgm and much, much more. I can see how folk start to motor-boat!! And sugar highs! Other amino-acids and herbs listed make those drinks scarey. Google articles describe the neuro, cardiac and renal effects etc.

Not for me! I have enough risk factors!

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.
I'm a new ICU nurse, but some of the nurses I work with told me about a 19 year old girl who came into our ER with arrhythmias from drinking several Monster drinks a day. They coded her twice and she came to ICU with anoxic brain energy. She was discharged to a LTC facility :/ So sad.

I know it was a typo but I found it amusing to see her dx was "anoxic brain ENERGY" LOL

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Just to follow up on my previous post --- googled again and the more I read again the more blown away I became!!!

I've long been caffeine-sensitive so I know what a simple can of caffeined diet pepsi (35 mgm/can as printed ON the can) does. Some of the energy drinks are 120 mgm and much, much more. I can see how folk start to motor-boat!! And sugar highs! Other amino-acids and herbs listed make those drinks scarey. Google articles describe the neuro, cardiac and renal effects etc.

120 is baby talk. Check this out:

ABB Speed Stack at Bodybuilding.com: Lowest Prices for Speed Stack

One of the best selling pre-work out energy drinks on the market. 250mg PER SERVING.

NOS products are up there... Fast Twitch.... all wildly popular pre-workout drinks packing 200+ per serving. We sell some powdered mixes at our gym that are upwards of 400.

I used to "enjoy" a 1/4 - 1/2 bottle of Fast Twitch before my workouts. Didn't make me feel to crazy if I drank alot of water along side. It honestly got to the point that I couldn't get up in the morning without drinking a pot of coffee (no joke, a pot). Thats when I decided to call it quits and oh were those withdraws miserable.

Its really shocking to me that people can just drink this stuff and then go about their daily lives, studying, going to work. Even after a 1/4 bottle of Fast Twitch and a 1.5 hour long grueling workout I would still have trouble sleeping.

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Specializes in Telemetry interested in hospice.

On our telemetry unit we have seen more than one case of A-fib in young people with energy drinks perhaps being the triggering factor. Scary.

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