There are growing concerns over the health risks associated energy drinks and energy supplements, which have been linked to reports of heart problems and even death. Lawsuits allege that many of these products contain inadequate warnings about the potential side effects, yet they are aggressively promoted as safe.
ENERGY DRINK LAWSUIT STATUS: A number of product liability lawsuits, wrongful death lawsuits and class action lawsuits have been filed against makers of energy drinks, such as Monster Energy, Red Bull, Rockstar, Redline and others.
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OVERVIEW: Since the turn-of-the-century, the energy drink market has exploded. Twenty years ago there were few energy drinks on the market, such as Jolt Cola. Now, the industry has expanded exponentially, with beverages such as Monster, Redline, Red Bull, Rockstar, Four Loko and Hype. There are also energy supplements like 5-Hour Energy, Redline and others.
The drinks are sold next to traditional colas and soft drinks, but while a typical cola may contain 35 milligrams of caffeine, some energy drinks contain up to 400 milligrams. The size of the cans has also been increasing in recent years and marketing often promotes fast consumption of a large number of drinks.
All of the drinks contain high levels of caffeine and other additives designed to stimulate the body and act as an energy boos. However, concerns have surfaced about the safety of energy drinks, and some are pushing for stronger regulations requiring clearer label warnings about the health risks of high amounts of caffeine and the potential for caffeine toxicity.
Health problems from energy drinks can include an increased heart rate and other complications, including:
- Heart Attack
- Cardiac Arrest
- Cardiac Arrhythmia
- Death
ALCOHOLIC ENERGY DRINK SIDE EFFECTS LEAD TO BAN: For a while, the industry expanded into alcoholic energy drinks, like Joose and Liquid Charge. Experts and lawsuits raised concerns that the caffeine in products like MillerCoors’ Sparks masked the intoxicating effects of the alcohol, leading consumers to drink recklessly because they did not feel like they were under the influence.
Eventually, a number of deaths and highly-publicized incidents led to an investigation of alcoholic energy drinks such as Four Loko, and after they began being referred to as “blackout in a can,” an alcoholic energy drink ban was put in place by the FDA in November 2010.
Following the ban, the makers of Four Loko were the target of an alcoholic energy drink wrongful death lawsuit.
NON-ALCOHOLIC ENERGY DRINKS UNDER INVESTIGATION In February 2011, the findings of a study suggested that children and teens who drank energy drinks could be exposing themselves to unnecessary health risks. This was followed by an August 2012 announcement by the makers of Monster energy drinks that they had been targeted by a state attorney investigation.
In October 2012, following the death of a 14-year-old girl who suffered cardiac arrest after drinking two 24-ounce cans of Monster and subsequent lawsuit, the FDA released new information on energy drink adverse event reports that indicated it has received at least 37 complaints involving Monster drinks alone since 2004, and the side effects of Monster energy drinks are suspected as being factors in at least six deaths.
According to allegations raised in the complaint, there has been a spike in the number of emergency room visits each year due to caffeine overdoses, which coincides with the increase in use of energy drinks like Monster among teens and young adults.
Energy drink sales increased 240% between 2004 and 2009, and the number of caffeine overdose emergency visits increased from 1,128 in 2005 to 16,055 in 2008 and 13,114 in 2009. Approximately 56% of those visits involved individuals between 12 and 25 years of age.
In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine overdose symptoms are usually recognized by signs of jitters, nausea, anxiety, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting which are best warded off by ingestion of water.
In February 2018 the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) issued a statement saying that energy drinks should not be consumed by, or marketed to, children due to the health risks.
7 Comments
ShaylaJuly 7, 2023 at 10:07 am
My son was being gay Prime energy drinks by his stepmother we have been to the hospital for rapid heartbeat fevers and still couldn't figure out why he was sick every weekend he came back from your house you got depressed you want to come out his room he laid I had to force him to eat he would not eat he wouldn't even drink water he just complain of stomach aches and headaches every time he came f[Show More]My son was being gay Prime energy drinks by his stepmother we have been to the hospital for rapid heartbeat fevers and still couldn't figure out why he was sick every weekend he came back from your house you got depressed you want to come out his room he laid I had to force him to eat he would not eat he wouldn't even drink water he just complain of stomach aches and headaches every time he came from the house for the last year year and a half
VeronicaSeptember 29, 2021 at 8:32 pm
I have a 24 year old that drank energy drinks throughout high school without my knowledge of knowing and now has heart problems. My 11 year old just came home from school and said school let's kids drink them and they can't enforce it because it's between the parent and child, I cannot believe this
JessicaFebruary 19, 2021 at 2:12 pm
I am lost on what to do . my husband drinks 14 a day no joke has been for years . i wish red bull had to put how addicing it can be. Cause I can not get him off of it . he has tried he gets super sick . he wakes up in the night and opens one . he does not drink it for energy at this point .he does it cause he is addicted . I am truly scared he will die one day because of this . the doctor said h[Show More]I am lost on what to do . my husband drinks 14 a day no joke has been for years . i wish red bull had to put how addicing it can be. Cause I can not get him off of it . he has tried he gets super sick . he wakes up in the night and opens one . he does not drink it for energy at this point .he does it cause he is addicted . I am truly scared he will die one day because of this . the doctor said his heart os so use to it that it could kill him if he quit cold. This scares me as well . he has tried to wing down but like I said he gets super sick. Right now he struggles with sleep and gets sharp chest pain no in then but his heart was fine . he also gets dizzy and vomits at times for no reason but probably the res bull. He has also developed high cholesterol. He is only 43. What can I do to hold red bull accountable for this dangerous addiction if anything. I don't want to wait till it kills him. I am truly scared . also the money spent on it is ridiculous.
angelaJuly 25, 2016 at 9:47 pm
Really store r to blame as well. They should know better then to sale that crap to young kids. Everyone knows it can b very harmful. So there needs to b an age limit or over all band on energy drinks.
EricJuly 9, 2015 at 6:25 am
I drink roughly 3 monsters and 2 red bulls a day. I have health problems and depression which cause me to feel exhausted all the time. I had these problems b4 the energy drinks. They do help get me out of bed but they have caused my once normal blood pressure to skyrocket. Also I have gained a lot of weight due to the empty calories. Do I blame Monster or Red Bull? No. Amy stimulant will[Show More]I drink roughly 3 monsters and 2 red bulls a day. I have health problems and depression which cause me to feel exhausted all the time. I had these problems b4 the energy drinks. They do help get me out of bed but they have caused my once normal blood pressure to skyrocket. Also I have gained a lot of weight due to the empty calories. Do I blame Monster or Red Bull? No. Amy stimulant will cause higher blood pressure and any junk food will make you fat if you consume them often. It's time we take responsibility for our own actions. I know that it could be harmful but I continue drinking them. If something happens to me, that's my own damn fault. Nobody is holding a gun to my head and forcing Mr to drink them. The only crime I can accuse them of is robbery because they are so damn expensive. Lol
RichardJanuary 18, 2015 at 5:09 pm
I used to consume 3-5 energy drinks a day for several years followed by what I thought was plenty of water. Apparently I was wrong because I ended up in the ER on 01/09/15 with a-fib with rvr. The labels are misleading because they claim they are full of vitamins to make you believe they are safe for you while giving no indication they could be addicting or dangerous. They should have a warning la[Show More]I used to consume 3-5 energy drinks a day for several years followed by what I thought was plenty of water. Apparently I was wrong because I ended up in the ER on 01/09/15 with a-fib with rvr. The labels are misleading because they claim they are full of vitamins to make you believe they are safe for you while giving no indication they could be addicting or dangerous. They should have a warning label on each can in BOLD print below the product name on the can. They may perform the way they claim, but they leave you with permanent side effects such as having to visit a cardiologist for the rest of your life like I now have to do or death. These companies thrive on revenue and are willing to say whatever it takes to get you to buy it.
kaileyOctober 9, 2014 at 5:33 pm
I have bought so many en very drinks in the past 12 years and I do think red bull needs to remove there thing stating it gives u wings. However I also belive there needs to be a no under 21 buyers of enter drinks and they need to be limited to how many they can buy and how big the cans are