What to do if you've had too much energy drinks. Poisoning from energy drinks. What happens when you drink a large amount of the drink?

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Energy drinks are gaining popularity among teenagers and young adults, and doctors continue to count the health toll on the next generation.

A new study finds that energy drinks in doses of two cans per day are dangerous for the cardiovascular system.

Scientists say these doses of stimulants can cause tachycardia, chest pain and more serious problems requiring hospitalization.

In the United States, 31% of teenagers 12-17 years old regularly indulge in energy drinks, and among young people 18-24 years old this figure is already 34%. US CDC experts are very alarmed by these figures.

“Energy drinks have become too popular in last decade. Half of consumers buy energy drinks to overcome fatigue, improve concentration and attention, mainly for active night rest and entertainment,” says Dr. Ian Musgrave, a pharmacologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

In the latest issue of the International Journal of Cardiology, scientists said that caffeine and other plant-based psychostimulants added to such drinks pose a serious threat to the cardiovascular system, not to mention sugar and synthetic additives.

The more, the more dangerous

The study looked at patients admitted to South Australian emergency departments in 2014-2015.

According to the authors, 70% of young patients with tachycardia and chest pain had previously consumed some kind of energy drink, with 36% of them doing so within 24 hours before hospitalization. Many managed to drink 5 cans of energy drink, and a few unique people managed to consume 12 cans in a day!

The researchers calculated that the risk of serious side effects increases sharply when drinking 2 or more cans of energy drink per day. One jar passes without consequences for most people, but the authors strongly advise not to test this day after day.

Energy drink + alcohol = heart attack

Dr. Musgrave says drinks with alcohol and caffeine are the least tolerated.

In November 2010, the FDA warned seven manufacturing companies that their products would be removed from the US market due to health risks. FDA experts were concerned that manufacturers' claims about the safety of such drinks were incorrect and misleading to consumers.

“The first problem is that alcohol makes you less able to make informed decisions about taking energy drinks. The second problem is that alcohol slows down the metabolism of caffeine, which is why the concentration of this alkaloid in the blood can reach enormous levels,” warns Musgrave.

According to Australian scientists, combination drinks with alcohol and caffeine should be banned.

“You probably won’t want to drink seven cups of espresso one after another, but you’ll want to drink a can of energy drink. Meanwhile, it contains exactly the same amount of caffeine. This is risky even for a healthy person, not to mention people with cardiac problems,” they say.

Energy drinks are very popular, especially among young people. They help relieve fatigue and get rid of drowsiness. But poisoning from energy drinks often occurs. How do energy drinks affect the body and how do they provide miraculous energy?

What are energy drinks

Energy drinks are made from natural psychostimulants. The production of this drink was founded in 1984 by the Red Bull company. It turned out to be so popular that the Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola companies began producing it.
Now energy drinks are sold in kiosks, supermarkets, clubs and bars. Manufacturers position them as means to combat fatigue. These drinks contain no alcohol at all. Therefore, many people - intensively engaged in mental activity, lovers of sports and club dancing, students during the session - became so “addicted” to energy drinks that they have already become dependent on them.

In Russia, energy drinks Adrenalin Rush from PepsiCo, Red Bull and Bullit from Red Bull and Burn from Coca-Cola are sold. The Happyland association offers low-alcohol energy drinks - the Dutch Red Devil and the British Jaguar.

Any energy drinks taste a little like lemonade with a tart, sour taste.

The composition of all energy drinks is similar:

It is difficult to list all the elements. Almost the entire periodic table is contained in the energy can. Caffeine-like substances accelerate blood, vitamins and other “energy” substances, speed up metabolism, break down carbohydrates, and actively affect the functioning of the brain and muscles.

How does an overdose occur?

Often, many young people drink energy drinks as a tribute to fashion. Bright advertisements for energy drinks make you want to try them. Unknowing people consider these drinks to be good-quality products that contain vitamins and amino acids, harmless energy substances from natural ingredients. This is true. But their concentration is so high that energy drinks become dangerous to human health. They are especially dangerous when the dose is exceeded. Overdose causes various side effects.

Energy drinks should not be consumed by people who are sensitive to caffeine, teenagers, pregnant women, or people over 50 years of age. They are harmful to people with cardiovascular diseases and glaucoma. They are dangerous in cases of increased excitability and insomnia.

Symptoms of poisoning

When overdosing on energy drinks, the following symptoms are observed:

After taking the energy drink, the nervous system is excited and therefore the desire to sleep goes away, and the feeling of fatigue disappears without a trace. Vigor appears, increased efficiency, mood rises. But after the energy drink wears off, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and irritability come, since it simply helped a person “borrow” his own resources.

Over time, the nervous and cardiovascular systems begin to weaken, and diseases appear gastrointestinal tract. An overdose can lead to unpredictable things. Students who abuse energy drinks during a session often suffer from mental disorders. Typically, those who have experienced an overdose of energy drinks describe their sensations as extremely unpleasant. Sometimes sudden death from cardiac arrest can occur.

First aid and treatment

According to the latest research, people who drink energy drinks poison their brain cells.

Having realized that an overdose of energy drinks has occurred, you should stop using them and go out into the fresh air. If you feel sick, take it activated carbon and induce vomiting. You can neutralize caffeine by drinking green tea or milk or cream. Eat foods high in magnesium, it is found in cabbage, beans, and avocados.

If, due to an overdose, a person has lost consciousness or is in a foggy state, it is necessary to ensure that he can breathe freely and call an ambulance. The victim should not be left alone until doctors arrive.

In the hospital, such patients usually undergo gastric lavage and are given an IV.

Energy drinks do not replace rest and sleep, they only help you stay emergency. Their regular use causes great harm to the human body.

Energy drinks are non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks that have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system. After the first jar you drink, you will experience long-awaited relief and the ability to work at an accelerated pace. This is a real salvation for a student, office worker, athlete, driver, nightclub visitor, as well as simply tired people who want to tone up their body. Everyone thinks that energy drinks are a modern invention. However, many of their constituent components have been used as stimulants since ancient times.

But few people know that an overdose of energy drinks leads to a rapid depletion of the body's resources. Let's take a closer look at this issue and find out whether energy drinks are harmful or beneficial to the body? What are the symptoms of an overdose of energy drinks and what first aid methods will be needed if necessary.

Composition of energy drinks

Manufacturers of energy drinks insist that their drinks are only beneficial and are coming up with new flavors every day. What are the active ingredients in energy drinks?

Caffeine. This component is included in almost all energy drinks. Acts on the body as a stimulant.
Taurine. One can of the drink contains 400–1000 mg of the substance. This is a sulfonic acid that accumulates in muscle tissue. Used as a dietary supplement. It is credited with antioxidant properties. According to medical data, taurine has no effect on the body.
L-carnitine. Used to enhance metabolism and reduce fatigue. It is worth noting that this substance is independently produced by the body in sufficient quantities.
Guarana and ginseng are pharmaceutical plants that have biostimulating and general tonic effects.
B vitamins. Used to activate metabolic processes.
Melatonin for adjusting the body's circadian rhythms and regulating the functioning of brain cells.
Matein. A substance found in mate tea from South America. Ancient tree extract copes with hunger and eliminates excess weight.

In addition, almost all energy drinks are highly carbonated and contain huge amount carbonic acid.

Types of energy drinks

Tonic drinks were used in the first stages of the development of civilization. Ancient energy drinks were classified as stimulants of natural origin. Tea, herbs, and coca leaves were used as energy drinks.

Modern energy drinks come in the following types:

Harm of energy drinks to the human body

Many people think that consuming energy drinks replenishes the body’s resources, while the harm of energy drinks on the human body when consumed in excess has long been proven by scientists. The energy drink stimulates the functioning of the cardiac, nervous and endocrine systems. As a result of consumption, the body experiences stress and begins to work at double speed, releasing adrenaline into the blood. In this state the resource internal organs decreases, and the tone of the body increases.

We must not forget that there are certain contraindications to drinking energy drinks:

Symptoms of energy drink poisoning

After drinking an energy drink, the nervous system is excited, the ability to work increases, vigor, and mood are elevated. After the stimulant wears off, fatigue, irritation, depression sets in, and the person starts drinking energy drinks again, which is absolutely forbidden to do.

Excessive consumption of energy drinks and exceeding the recommended daily intake may result in the following symptoms of overdose:

Over time, with frequent use of energy drinks, the nervous system becomes unstable and gastrointestinal tract disorders appear. With frequent overdose, a person may experience mental disorder. In rare cases, with severe overdose of energy drinks, deaths from cardiac arrest have been reported.

First aid for energy drink poisoning

If a person becomes ill after drinking an energy drink, he needs first aid. In severe cases, the patient must be taken to a medical facility.

Clear the stomach of any remaining drink by inducing vomiting.
Provide access to fresh air.
Taking sorbents and drinking plenty of fluids will help the body cleanse itself faster.
If a person becomes very ill, has a rapid heartbeat, a red face, high blood pressure, or has lost consciousness, then do not hesitate - call an ambulance.

You can drink energy drinks, but not on a regular basis, in recommended doses, when a person is completely healthy and has no contraindications or chronic diseases.

Composition of energy drinks

Manufacturers of energy drinks insist that their drinks are only beneficial and are coming up with new flavors every day. What are the active ingredients in energy drinks?

Caffeine. This component is included in almost all energy drinks. Acts on the body as a stimulant.
Taurine. One can of the drink contains 400–1000 mg of the substance. This is a sulfonic acid that accumulates in muscle tissue. Used as a dietary supplement. It is credited with antioxidant properties. According to medical data, taurine has no effect on the body.
L-carnitine. Used to enhance metabolism and reduce fatigue. It is worth noting that this substance is independently produced by the body in sufficient quantities.
Guarana and ginseng are pharmaceutical plants that have biostimulating and general tonic effects.
B vitamins. Used to activate metabolic processes.
Melatonin for adjusting the body's circadian rhythms and regulating the functioning of brain cells.
Matein. A substance found in mate tea from South America. Ancient tree extract copes with hunger and eliminates excess weight.

In addition, almost all energy drinks are highly carbonated and contain a huge amount of carbonic acid.

Types of energy drinks

Modern energy drinks come in the following types:

Harm of energy drinks to the human body

Many people think that consuming energy drinks replenishes the body’s resources, while the harm of energy drinks on the human body when consumed in excess has long been proven by scientists. The energy drink stimulates the functioning of the cardiac, nervous and endocrine systems. As a result of consumption, the body experiences stress and begins to work at double speed, releasing adrenaline into the blood. In this state, the resource of internal organs decreases, and the tone of the body increases.

We must not forget that there are certain contraindications to drinking energy drinks:

Symptoms of energy drink poisoning

Excessive consumption of energy drinks and exceeding the recommended daily intake may result in the following symptoms of overdose:

First aid for energy drink poisoning

If a person becomes ill after drinking an energy drink, he needs first aid. In severe cases, the patient must be taken to a medical facility.

Clear the stomach of any remaining drink by inducing vomiting.
Provide access to fresh air.
Taking sorbents and drinking plenty of fluids will help the body cleanse itself faster.
If a person becomes very ill, has a rapid heartbeat, a red face, high blood pressure, or has lost consciousness, then do not hesitate - call an ambulance.

You can drink energy drinks, but not on a regular basis, in recommended doses, when a person is completely healthy and has no contraindications or chronic diseases.

I am an unscrupulous pig - I have a lot of people here on my blog, and I’m kicking ass =). Laziness is the main ailment that crippled my enthusiasm. But, as they say, for every action there is a reaction. For me a cure for laziness, in at the moment, you are, my dear readers. I don’t know how it happened, but search engines gave me a plus and great uncle Google dumped a whole bunch (on a modest scale) of targeted traffic, which I am immensely happy about.

Okay, now to the point. Summer! That's it, actually. What can I say? Unexpected =). Ahead are 3 months of complete fun, warm days, the sea, summer terraces and other delights of this time of year. And, of course, a lot of sleepless nights, which then lead to very, I must say, difficult morning hours. The body will gradually become exhausted and require more energy, but people cope with this problem quickly. Some people will get hooked on coffee, some will prefer to take time to sleep, and some will simply start pouring liters of energy drinks into themselves, pushing their body to its limits. Today I would like to pay attention specifically to the issue of energy drinks, namely their overdose.

Working at a bar for 15 hours and getting only 4-5 hours of sleep, I know first-hand what it’s like to be hooked on energy drinks. Sometimes they really save you – they tone you up for a couple of hours and bring your body into at least some order. But, sooner or later, you stop feeling the measure, and the so-called medicine turns against you. Let me start, perhaps, with the basics, namely, what are energy drinks and how do they act on the body?

According to one of the Wiki authors, Energy drinks are non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks, advertising of which promotes their ability to stimulate a person’s physical and intellectual abilities (not literally). Be that as it may, an energy drink is, first of all, a mixture of chemical components that affect the functioning of the human body. In principle, substances that tone the body have been known to the population of our planet for quite a long time. In the East, in Asia they drink tea, in South America they use the unusual drink mate, which I will definitely mention, in Africa there are cola nuts. In the North-Eastern part of Asia, people are addicted to various stimulant plants: ginseng, eleutherococcus, Chinese lemongrass and aralia.

The first energy drinks appeared at the end of the 20th century, when the “inspiring” Red Bull hit the market. Of course, the Pepsi and Cola conglomerates immediately sensed the threat and began producing their energy drinks - Burn and Adrenaline Rush. Today, with energy drinks, things are not as smooth as they used to be. A couple of overdoses, a couple deaths and governments different countries sensed a threat. In some countries, energy drinks can only be bought at a pharmacy; in Russia there is an entire article of the law that specifies restrictions on components and sales rules.

The composition of all energy drinks is approximately similar. At the origins lie sucrose and glucose. Sucrose is regular sugar and is broken down into carbohydrates, the body's main source of energy. Glucose is quickly absorbed into the blood and supplies energy to all vital organs. Glucose is also closely related to adrenaline, which is known to stimulate the cardiovascular system. The tonic substances are caffeine(matein, thein, etc.) , theobromine(cocoa alkaloid) , taurine, guarana, carnitine and many others. Energy drinks also contain a heavy dose of vitamins.

Caffeine– the most popular component of energy drinks, which is a powerful psychostimulant. It gives a temporary effect (about 1-2 hours) - relieves fatigue, drowsiness, accelerates the pulse, etc.

Studies have shown that among people who regularly drink coffee, the suicide rate is significantly lower than among those who neglect this drink.

Theobromine is a cocoa alkaloid that is found in small doses even in chocolate. In principle, the substance is poisonous, but after chemical treatment it is quite tonic.

Taurine– a derivative element from cysteine (amino acid). Stimulates the activity of the nervous system, accelerates metabolism, etc. It is synthesized in the body independently.

Carnitine– something like a B vitamin. It is synthesized in the body independently and affects metabolism.

Ginseng and guarana– natural stimulants contained in plants. They contain the same caffeine, so the effect is similar.

Mate– contains mateine, which has the same effect as coffee.

In general, the list could go on forever. In one jar of energy, almost the entire periodic table. I don’t think it’s worth telling how all these components work. In a nutshell, caffeine-like substances accelerate the blood, which already contains a shock dose of vitamins and other “energy” substances that accelerate metabolism, the breakdown of carbohydrates, and brain and muscle function. But this is, in essence, the removal of a large amount of energy from the body overnight, after which total fatigue sets in.

Energy drink overdose syndromes

You can get an overdose from any product, no matter how you twist it. But when you go out into the street and see bright advertisements for Red Bull and other energy drinks, you immediately feel the desire to follow the crowd. As a result, energy drinks are consumed as a fashion statement rather than as a necessity. And they are used, it must be said, in exorbitant quantities. One can of Red Bull contains more than 2 daily doses of caffeine, an exorbitant amount of taurine (400 mg) and even niacin, which is mildly addictive. In fact, you can drink only 1 250 ml can per day, but we, as a rule, are content with at least three. The situation is the same with coffee - a cup in the morning, then another, then another, and then an overdose.

insomnia;
irritability;
facial redness;
rapid pulse;
digestive tract disorder;
tremor (when your hands and everything else shakes);
cold sweat;
period of non-fatigue;
increased anxiety, etc.

I got my first overdose of coffee while working at Caffeine - about 6 cups were enough for me. Then the guys were preparing for the Ukrainian Championship, and I had the honor of being a taster and part-time waiter. Most a clear sign caffeine overdose – tremors and cold sweat, total fatigue, lack of concentration. So how to deal with this?

What to do if you overdose on caffeine, taurine, guarana and other components of energy drinks

Of course, you should stop, in the sense of putting the next can of energy drink or cup of coffee aside.
Provide yourself with fresh air.
Excess B vitamins are easily excreted in urine, so drink plenty of fluids. In principle, any overdose of vitamins can be corrected by drinking plenty of water and stopping the use of these vitamins.
Caffeine is neutralized by green tea (due to flavonoids), protein (cream, milk) and foods rich in magnesium. I relieved my coffee overdose with milk and meat - it just went away. This method was suggested to me by Val, a barista with many years of experience.
The accelerating effect of energy drinks, oddly enough, can be slowed down with alcohol, with the calculation of 50 ml in terms of pure alcohol. This same rule has another side - some symptoms of an alcohol overdose can be neutralized with a cup of coffee. For the same reason, you should not drink energy drinks with alcohol. The energy drink masks the harm of alcohol - for this reason you can get very severe alcohol poisoning (another point for the article about).

Gag

Drink the right energy drinks. Here I don’t mean specific manufacturers (by the way, Burn energy drink contains the largest amount of caffeine, guarana and taurine compared to other brands). It is better to stimulate yourself with natural substances - brew mate, drink tinctures of natural stimulants (Eleutherococcus, ginseng, guarana), coffee, tea (tea also contains caffeine, even green tea), cocoa. I have personally tested mate - it stimulates, dulls the feeling of hunger, and tones. Last summer I periodically drank eleutherococcus tincture - excellent. Also tested not by me, but by a good friend, tincture of ginseng helped him survive behind the bar during the summer.

Well, happy first day of summer to you, my dear readers. Have a wonderful holiday, warm sea, delicious drinks. Relax wisely and tastefully, and the mood will follow by itself =)

P.S. and this happens if there is too much coffee =)