Energy drinks and teens coming to ER with chest pain

Specialties Emergency

Published

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?

Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.

YES! The amount of adolescents coming in with this is incredible. We have also had teens come in with tonic clonic seizures from this, and also one case of a temporary hallucination (lasted approx 2 hours, almost "acid-like", not psychosis) that can only be attributed to that.

The tonic clonic seizures are what really scares me. These teens often have an abnormal EEG (but not always), and I think the energy drinks just spark off a low seizure threshold they may have. We also give anti-anxiety meds for the cardiac pain and paracetamol and it sorts out, they simply have sinus tachycardia on ECG. And give them a strict warning that they cannot drink those energy drinks, their body cannot handle it.

I am wondering how long it is going to be before they will ban these drinks. I mean, caffeine is a drug, pure and simple. It's used in hospitals on our neonates! It has effects on our bodies... their should be an age limit. There is no reason for these kids to have them.

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Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.

How about red bull and jager meister? Was that mentioned? That tastes so good. I have it rarely, but I have a friend that drinks that every weekend... so just wondering??

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Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.

quite frankly I think people need to take responsibility for their own health. Everyone in America seems to be suing each other for the most stupid things, like companies have responsibility for everything. If they know smoking is bad for their foetus, why do they smoke and then sue the company for a deformed child? If they know this stuff, they shouldn't be doing it. A box of laundry powder shouldn't have to have on it DO NOT INGEST, because obviously you don't do it. The world is mad and people need to take responsibility. Cans of energy drink in Australia have on it "do not consume more than one can a day. Do not consume when pregnant, lactating or if you have a heart condition. Do not allow children to consume". It's just common sense.

Its not that the company should be held liable for people not following the warning label. I think there needs to be a clear reason for people. For instance "do not consume alcohol while pregnant, fetal defects may occur" - even if a bottle of alcohol doesn't say that, the general public knows. Why? because it has been publicized and drilled into our brains. The general public does not know that energy drinks are dangerous. In fact, I didn't even know it had harmful effects until I came upon this topic today. Thankfully I don't drink the stuff anyway.

Its like the big businesses in food (for example: the documentary "food inc"). They make tons and tons of money, and the head honchos for the FDA used to be a big part of these food industries. So obviously its fishy.. and it makes you think the FDA gets a big cut for saying the food is safe even if it may not be. Whats to say this isn't happening with the drinks as well?

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In a related note, has anyone seen the new ad for 5 hour energy shots in which the marketer describes a study given to 3000 medical MDs in which 73% gave 100% support to giving a 5 hour energy shot to their patients?

I think the ad actually says that the MDs recommend A SUGAR-FREE energy drink for pts who consume energy drinks. As in, "if your pt uses energy drinks, would you recommend one with sugar or one that's sugar-free?" Notice that they do not ask "do you recommend that your pt consume energy drinks?" because that's a totally different question.

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And upon what basis would you like the companies held liable because stupid people refuse to follow directions?

I too think these drinks are horrible, but they are legal to make and sell, and if people use them in ways they are instructed not to, then how can one hold the manufacturer liable? That would be like suing Reynolds because people smoke their drugs off of tinfoil.

If the company is marketing to kids, they should be held liable. The cigarette companies were held liable for doing that.

Food and drug regulation in this country is spread over several government agencies. It's incoherent, and therefore, regulation is incoherent. Energy drinks are classified as "dietary supplements," and therefore are not required to list the amount of caffeine they contain, even though the purpose of an energy drink is to induce a pharmacological psychoactive effect.

If you don't even know how much caffeine they contain, how do you keep from poisoning yourself?

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In a related note, has anyone seen the new ad for 5 hour energy shots in which the marketer describes a study given to 3000 medical MDs in which 73% gave 100% support to giving a 5 hour energy shot to their patients?

That commercial is complete and utter bs! what MDs say that??... the ones on the venice beach boardwalk I bet! The sad part is you just know that underinformed individuals use that as the green light to drink 2 of them a day (yes I know people who drink 2 a day. that plus about 10 cigarettes, some cheetos and an orange soda and swear by it b/c they lose weight on this regimen).

Somethings gonna give down the road, these things are unsafe

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If the company is marketing to kids, they should be held liable. The cigarette companies were held liable for doing that.

Food and drug regulation in this country is spread over several government agencies. It's incoherent, and therefore, regulation is incoherent. Energy drinks are classified as "dietary supplements," and therefore are not required to list the amount of caffeine they contain, even though the purpose of an energy drink is to induce a pharmacological psychoactive effect.

If you don't even know how much caffeine they contain, how do you keep from poisoning yourself?

I agree. If believe the 18+ population has the right to drink as many as they choose so long as they know the warnings beforehand.

Kids, however, aren't mature enough to make that call for themselves. These things are indeed marketed at tweens and teens. It makes them feel bad to the bone because theres no ID required lol. I recall drinking these things at 14 (24 now) thinking I was one bad B, and don't even get me started on the Sparks (malt liquor + energy drink combo that taste delicious), they were the business in high school.

I'm 24 and these things bother me so much because I see firsthand how badly these really are abused in the high school and college crowds. Ive known people in nursing school who work in the ER and tell stories about the people who come in from these drinks AS THEY DRINK A MONSTER lol.

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Specializes in geriatrics, IV, Nurse management.
I think the ad actually says that the MDs recommend A SUGAR-FREE energy drink for pts who consume energy drinks. As in, "if your pt uses energy drinks, would you recommend one with sugar or one that's sugar-free?" Notice that they do not ask "do you recommend that your pt consume energy drinks?" because that's a totally different question.

It wasn't in the advertisement. I was watching it on the Canadian Comedy channel. And it was marketed like an infomercial. They stated that Dr's would reccomend their patients drink an energy drink if they had no addition health complications. It caught me off guard b/c I found myself asking my DH, "In this day and age, who doesn't have a health history with some form of a complication?"

@[COLOR=#003366]amoLucia

Quote: Wonder where the study is published? National Enquirer? So much for truthful advartising.

I tried googling the company on my tablet after the ad, but couldn't find anything. I wish they cracked down on marketing issues like that.

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Specializes in hospice.

You want government to take the parent's job. I think that's horribly ill-advised. Some kids are unfortunate enough to get stupid, lazy, or ignorant parents. But the consequences to our rights when government tries to take on the role they should be performing are too egregious to be justifiable. Personally, I don't want the government sticking its nose into every decision I make for my family.

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You want government to take the parent's job. I think that's horribly ill-advised. Some kids are unfortunate enough to get stupid, lazy, or ignorant parents. But the consequences to our rights when government tries to take on the role they should be performing are too egregious to be justifiable. Personally, I don't want the government sticking its nose into every decision I make for my family.

Yeah, I agree with this. However, I think we can cut down the need for government to tell parents "don't let your kids do stupid things" by requiring people to have a license to breed. I don't care how offensive or politically incorrect this sounds: some people don't need to reproduce.

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We had a 20 yr old come in to our CDU/obs for kidney failure for drinking 5 Monsters while at work. He worked for a construction company and was "hydrating" himself with these....we promptly advised him he was doing the opposite...I refuse to allow my 11 yr old son to have one....

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Specializes in cardiac.
And upon what basis would you like the companies held liable because stupid people refuse to follow directions?

I too think these drinks are horrible, but they are legal to make and sell, and if people use them in ways they are instructed not to, then how can one hold the manufacturer liable? That would be like suing Reynolds because people smoke their drugs off of tinfoil.

It was more of a dig at the companies who advertise in night clubs, bars, casinos, loungers, etc.

I am a nurse and I didn't realize the dangerous effects it was having on me. Granted I am far from a saint and kind a million things I have done in my life that have but me in a bad situation.

Coming from the inner city, a failing school district, absent parents, and all in all on my own from an early age, I never thought about the warning labels. To me at the time it was decoration of the bottle....that's sounds so stupid now.

When you are at an impressionable age and want to stay up for all hours of the night and get drunk, red bull and vodka was a growing trend.

A lot of companies advertise things to teenagers but cover their butts by putting warning labels on them....that was my main point. My mindset at the time was drink to forget and do it all night. Now at 28 I will have life long issues from it. Yes, I messed up....yes, I realized I messed up......not everyone does until it is too late.

*Had a "friend" die in the club from MI and no one knew until the club closed b/c

we all thought she was drunk and passed out. Media is a scary thing :cry:

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