Ah... Fuck. I feel like this is the signal I've been waiting for all these years :(<p>Since 2006 (in uni), when I was first introduced to energy drinks, I've been more or less addicted to them ever since. I even go so far as to regulate my consumption of them in cycles to get the most I can out of it: <a href="https://www.rdegges.com/2011/my-use-and-abuse-of-caffeine/" rel="nofollow">https://www.rdegges.com/2011/my-use-and-abuse-of-caffeine/</a><p>I never really liked the taste of coffee much (without loads of cream and sugar/splenda), so energy drinks were a happy medium because they taste really good, they come in lots of 0 sugar / calorie varieties (which is great when you're trying to stay in shape), and give you a LOT of caffeine per serving which makes me feel super high: happy, productive, focused.<p>Since 2006, I've probably had roughly 2 energy drinks per day (and over the last few years: maybe 4).<p>So... This really sucks.<p>I always "felt" like they were bad for me, but never really did any research as I knew it would most likely make me stop drinking them.<p>It's surprisingly easy to convince yourself not to look into something so you can continue justifying your actions. But now, I suppose, the fun is up.<p>It's really time I start being more careful with myself :(
Did anyone think for a second that those things <i>aren't</i> bad for you?<p>Washing down multiple cans of it per day and coupled with an unhealthy lifestyle is a guarantee to have trouble down the line.<p>I'm astonished that the author seemed to expect a different outcome.
The cached version is here: <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:iVkhl9bp0QgJ:yiddish.ninja/the-hidden-cost-of-energy-drinks-they-poisoned-me/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" rel="nofollow">http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:iVkhl9b...</a>
The issue appears to be the 2000% DV of B6. This isn't the first I've heard of this (e.g. with supplements). Most energy drinks don't have this in them. Be careful with vitamins and minerals. More isn't always better.
tl;dr: "5 hour energy", as well as Costco's generic version thereof, contain a megadose of vitamin B6 which is not safe for daily consumption.<p>The lesson you should take from this is that, when taking a combination drug like an energy drink, you have to go through ingredient by ingredient checking the dosages and reading the corresponding wikipedia pages. I do consume energy drinks, but I used that procedure to reject the brand that's reported causing a problem here.
It's almost like making a habit of consuming something with addictive properties is a bad idea.<p>Yeah, they're good for helping finish a late-night essay or helping sustain your programming train of thought... but they're not designed to be used often. Too much of anything will more often than not kill you.
I was involved in the nootropics community for years, doing Gwen.net style double blinded assessments on various compounds. The biggest thing I've learned (aside from the fact that almost all nootropics are ineffective or only marginally effective, the marginally effective being the most popular: nicotine, caffeine, modafinil and amphetamines) is, if you're using performance enhancing drugs, you have to be honest with yourself about this and be really nerdy about it. Proprietary blends and energy drinks are just bad news. I would recommend taking caffeine pills instead of energy drinks. You can easily optimize your dose and you know what your taking. You can also get a years supply of caffeine for like 20 bucks in pill form. Being honest with yourself about the fact that you don't so much like the taste of coffee as the highly-addictive drug in it can save you a decent amount of money.<p>There's no evidence that any of the other compounds in energy drinks beside caffeine do anything for alertness, and caffeine is a very safe drug.
I used to be an energy drink addict. I drank two Rockstar a day for several years. I stopped cold turkey and my skin and health in general improved. I also swore off drinking anything in an aluminum can because of the BPA lining. Larger energy drinks have the largest detectable amounts of BPA in them.[1]<p>These days I drink bulletproof coffee that I make at home and keep in a stainless steel mug. It takes a bit of getting used to, but drinking butter + mct oil+ coffee without sweeteeners is a pretty good way to start the day, IMHO. I feel much healthier because of it and love that it's compatible with the ketogenic diet, which I have lost about 20 lbs doing.<p>[1]<a href="http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2009/03/health-canada-finds-bpa-most-soft-drinks-energy-drinks-top-list" rel="nofollow">http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2009/03/health-canada-finds-bp...</a>
tl;dr<p>Continued consumption of energy drinks like 5 Hour Energy / Costco Energy Shot / RockStar Pure Zero gave him the 2000% of the US recommended daily B6 of 2mg. Main effect: numbness in half of the body, a known side effect of B6 overdosing.
Thank goodness that coffee is something I actually like. I stick to no more than 4 cups a day, 5 cups if I'm feeling lucky. And by a cup, I mean an 8 oz cup (a 20oz to me is 2.5 cups of coffee).<p>When I was in college I was admitted to the ER for arrythmia. The condition was exacerbated by excess caffeine. I went from a pot of coffee a day to 3 cups a day for years, this included exercise and meditation. I refuse to touch energy drinks; while it gives me a shot of energy, prolonged use has consequences like my visit to the ER due to excessive coffee intake. I'd rather focus on getting the correct amount of sleep and taking regular breaks to recoup my energy rather than relying on coffee to feel awake.
For B6, 46mg by 10am isn't very much. Most B6 supplements come in 100mg capsules.<p><i>The FNB noted that although several reports show sensory neuropathy occurring at doses lower than 500 mg/day, studies in patients treated with vitamin B6 (average dose of 200 mg/day) for up to 5 years found no evidence of this effect. Based on limitations in the data on potential harms from long-term use, the FNB halved the dose used in these studies to establish a UL of 100 mg/day for adults.</i><p><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/" rel="nofollow">https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfession...</a>
If anybody needed an article or a news report to realize that an energy drink is far from "healthy" then I pity them.<p>Just take a quick glance at the ingredient list: Sugar. Caffeine. High-fructose corn syrup.<p>This is the case with most off the shelf beverages and processed foods. Remember: The majority of manufacturers do not care about your well-being or health. Toxic ingredients are so abundant, that eating "healthy" in the 21st century is a massive under-taking. Green tea might be a better and somewhat healthier substitute to any energy drink addicts that are reading this.
TLDR OP overdosed on B6.<p>Sometimes I drink the Runa energy drinks and I can verify they have no supplemental B6. I can also verify they taste really bizarre and many people cannot stomach them. Ironically the only thing making the taste of "regular energy drinks" drinkable is weird artificial flavorings and tons of syrupy carbs. Its not as weird tasting as some liquors, someone who can stomach a shot of scotch will probably be fine with a Runa. They taste like strong green tea mixed with a paint store, if that makes any sense.<p>I was mystified by the claims of poisoning because the dose where people start getting sick according to the medical data I found is about 5000% of the RDA. Only two documented cases in the whole world have resulted in problems at or below 5000% of the RDA. OP is something of a medical miracle to have been the third person on the planet to get symptoms below 5000%. I suppose somebody has to be the unlucky one. More than 50000% of RDA, about 10 times higher, is generally medically recognized as being unsafe for people in general. The ED/LD ratio for B6 is pretty safe compared to aspirin or tylenol or alcohol for that matter.<p>From wikipedia "For vitamin B6 labeling purposes 100% of the Daily Value is 2.0 mg."<p>The guy blames his rockstar drink, his 5 hour energy shot, and his supplements equally, but I checked online and the rockstar he's blaming is only 100% of the RDA (which is none the less a bit high) but the "Kirkland energy shot" is marked as 40 mg of B6 which is about 2000% of his RDA! That is a WTF product right there.<p><a href="http://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-content/kirkland-energy-shot" rel="nofollow">http://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-content/kirkland-en...</a><p>Doing some math his unnamed OTC vitamin supplement is providing 4 mg or 200% of the RDA. Which is also unreasonably high, although not dangerously so.<p>I would say the title is very misleading as many (most?) energy drinks don't have near toxic levels of B6. One very specific generic copy of a brand does have a level that sickens people at a rate of 0.5 parts per billion but its still only about a tenth of what most medical professionals think would sicken most people.
I still consume energy drinks, right now I am drinking a rip it sugar free zero carb/calorie energy drink with 120% vitamin C, 100% vitamin B6 and 170% vitamin B12. Sure I can probably skip this and slug through the day, but I find it's a good balance for me, other than this all I drink is water and I only have a single serving a day.
Yup. Guessed it was B vitamins before reading through the entire article. As always, too much of a good thing. Most energy drinks contain a ton of B12 and B6—and I've suspected for a long time is actually more responsible for the feeling of energy from these drinks than caffeine or taurine.
Well this strikes close to home. During grad school, I'd drink a red bull (or two) a day. Now, I've quit caffeine completely (save a tiny cup of coffee in the morning occasionally).<p>I hope the author has a quick and easy recovery.
My solution to getting enough caffeine: a 50 cent 100 gramm bag of roasted robusta beans.<p>They also taste pretty nice, if you eat them singly. Much better than any coffee that can be brewed from such..
Really?? It takes a trip to the hospital with paralysis before you notice that shit is poison? The heart palpitations and industrial aftertaste didn't give you any hints?