ER visits tied to energy drinks double since 2007, from about 10,000 to more than 20,000.

[Follow The Money]

SAN FRANCISCO -- A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years, the same period in which the supercharged drink industry has surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.

From 2007 to 2011, the government estimates the number of emergency room visits involving the neon-labeled beverages shot up from about 10,000 to more than 20,000. Most of those cases involved teens or young adults, according to a survey of the nation's hospitals released late last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The report doesn't specify which symptoms brought people to the emergency room but calls energy drink consumption a "rising public health problem" that can cause insomnia, nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat and seizures that are severe enough to require emergency care.

Several emergency physicians said they had seen a clear uptick in the number of patients suffering from irregular heartbeats, anxiety and heart attacks who said they had recently downed an energy drink.

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_22385087/er-visits-tied-energy-drinks-double-since-2007

[MineralMan]

1. I'll just stick to coffee, I think.

Maybe folks shouldn't drink so much of that energy drink stuff. You think? Or were you planning to ban them?

[Follow The Money]

2. I think we should warn young people, we had two teen die out of the blue in my community alone

no one had any explanation and teenagers didn't use to just drop dead like that.

I have read about so many young people drop dead on the court playing sports, this did not use to be common.

This seems like it could be a cause.

Maybe the FDA should not have approved a drink that has the equivalent of 15 cups of coffee in it.

[Earth_First]

4. Which energy drink has an equivalent of 15 cups of coffee in it?

[MineralMan]

6. Young people rarely heed warnings, you know.

It's not in their nature.

Energy drinks are not all that good for you. However, they're very popular, and not just with kids. It's not only the caffeine in them. The niacin and other ingredients also play a role. Drinking one won't kill you. Drinking a lot of them might, if you have an underlying condition.

I think people are warning young people about them, for all the good that will do.

[Romulox]

10. What a surprise to see *you* defending this stuff. nt

[MineralMan]

11. Not defending it at all. I don't drink it, and don't recommend that others do.

Not good for you. However, the stuff's on the market, and kids seem to like it. That doesn't mean I think it's a good thing. There's lots of crap on the market that I wouldn't use for myself.

But, hey, thanks for dropping by and replying to my post.

[Romulox]

12. I know. Not "defending", more like "running interference"... nt

[MineralMan]

13. :shrug:

[frylock]

8. many of these drinks contain the same amount of caffeine as a lrg cup of coffee..

people don't generally chug coffee like you can a with a can of Monster though.

[MineralMan]

9. Yup, along with other stimulating things.

As for drinking lots of coffee, quite a few people do that, too, to their detriment. I drink two or three cups in a typical day.

[msongs]

3. this stuff is marketed to kids, with the help of the US military as well nt

[Earth_First]

5. The military is marketing energy drinks to children?

I gotta read this!

Link?

[MineralMan]

7. Really? You must have a link for that piece of info, right?

I'd love to see it.