(OT)Energy drinks' caffeine buzz can land the unwary in the ER

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Posted on Fri, Feb. 09, 2007

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Energy drinks' caffeine buzz can land the unwary in the ER

By Dorsey Griffith

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Its promoters call it a " freaky scientific

breakthrough, " a " fat incinerator " that satisfies " your craving for that

killer jacked up burst of energy. "

But Silliman describes VPX Redline this way: " I'd call it an

immobilizer. I'd call it a drug. "

Just minutes after washing down a burrito with a second 8-ounce can of the

caffeine-laden product he'd bought at a 7-Eleven, the construction worker

said, he collapsed, his body shook violently, and his pulse raced.

" I've never felt that way in my life, " the 47-year-old said last week, one

day after he chugged the fruity, sweet beverage. " I thought I was having a

heart attack. I thought I was going to die. "

As the $3.4 billion caffeine energy-drink market explodes, apparent

overdoses of the products are adding up, too, with an increasing number of

calls to poison control centers and visits to hospital emergency rooms.

" All over-the-counter medication, including caffeine drinks and supplements,

are becoming widely abused by minors and adults alike, " said Dr.

Whitlow, a toxicologist and emergency room doctor at Virginia

Commonwealth University Medical Center and director of that state's poison

control program. " They are perceived as safe, legal, you can buy them

anywhere and they are popular. "

Redline's manufacturers, based in Florida, would not answer questions from

The Sacramento Bee.

A study on caffeine abuse presented at the most recent meeting of the

American College of Emergency Physicians determined that more than 250 cases

of medical complications from caffeine supplements were called in to a

Chicago poison center over three years.

Of those, 12 percent ended in hospitalization.

California's poison control center toxicologists have seen similar problems,

particularly among people who drank Redline. Concerned about the reported

symptoms, they analyzed their data and presented it at the North American

Congress of Clinical Toxicology in October, said Judith Alsop, the center's

director in Sacramento.

Alsop said the center logged 10 Redline intoxication calls between January

2004 and June 2006. The calls regarded patients ranging in age from 13 to

53; nine were male. While some had ingested a powdered concentrate version

of Redline (250 milligrams of caffeine per teaspoon), six had consumed just

one 8-ounce can of the ready-to-drink variety.

Their complaints: nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, hypertension, tremors,

dizziness and chest pain.

Four callers went to hospital emergency rooms.

As energy drinks go, Redline stands out for its caffeine content. But

Redline manufacturer VPX Sports Nutrition does not publicize how much

caffeine is contained in each can. The Food and Drug Administration does not

require drink makers to disclose the amount of caffeine in their products.

But in her research for the California Poison Control Center, toxicologist

Kathy Marquardt confirmed with VPX Sports that a single 8-ounce can of

Redline contains 250 milligrams of the drug. That's more than three times

the caffeine content of the popular Red Bull, which also comes in an 8-ounce

can. For comparison, a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola has 34 milligrams of

caffeine.

Of Redline, Energyfiend.com, a Web site devoted to caffeine, concludes:

" Unless you know the effect it has on your body, don't go doing anything

macho with this one. "

Redline is sold in convenience stores alongside other energy drinks, canned

iced teas and soft drinks, as well as in nutritional supplement outlets.

The product is part of a burgeoning industry. More than 500 energy drinks

were launched worldwide last year, each targeting different types of

consumers, said Angel Bellon, a trend researcher for BrainReserve, a

marketing consulting group in New York City.

Vida is marketed to Latinos, Pimp Juice to fans of hip-hop, 1 in 3 Trinity

to the faithful and Redline to weight lifters, she said.

The VPX Sports Web site proclaims that " Redline will `amp' you to the max

within minutes, ready to tear apart the weights and wear out the treadmill

like a tiger released from its cage! "

Silliman said he bought Redline for a pick-me-up after a groggy morning,

having heard about its energy-boosting properties from a co-worker. He said

he bought two cans because they are so small.

He drank one in his truck right away, and the other along with his lunch.

" I'm 5'11 " , 200 pounds and stocky, " Silliman said. " I am strong and healthy.

I don't have any problems, and this put me on my knees. They need to have

warning labels so the kids don't take it. "

In fact, Redline does carry a warning label, but the type is so tiny,

Silliman said he didn't notice it, and, besides, it was unreadable without a

magnifying glass.

He said if he had read it, he wouldn't have bought even a single can.

The label recommends drinking half of the can per day to gauge tolerance,

and never more than one can per day. It also warns that Redline is not for

pregnant or nursing women or anyone under age 18.

Redline's fine print also warns consumers to check with a physician before

drinking it if they have any number of ailments, from prostate enlargement

to depression, or if they have a family history of one of the listed

ailments.

And while the steel blue Redline container boasts " rapid fat loss

technology, " the same container warns: " Do not use this product if you are

more than 15 pounds over weight. "

Whitlow, the toxicologist, calls caffeine the " most consumed psychoactive

substance in the world " for its stimulant effects, which extend to the brain

and the heart.

Like cocaine or other stimulants, caffeine acts on the sympathetic nervous

system - the part of the body that responds, for example, after any brush

with danger, such as a close call in a speeding car. " Within seconds, your

heart begins to pound, you may get shaky and start to sweat, " said Dr. Doug

Zipes, a heart rhythm expert in Indiana and past president of the American

College of Cardiology.

In the same way, he said, high doses of caffeine can speed the heart rate,

raise blood pressure and force the heart muscle to contract more vigorously.

While moderate caffeine energy boosts aren't dangerous, an overdose can

upset the normal heart rhythm, and in people with serious heart conditions

can cause sudden death, he said.

Silliman, for his part, only thought he was dying after his overload of

Redline. After a few hours of rest at home, he said, his heart rate slowed

and the panic subsided. Still, he said, the shaking and tension from the

experience left him sore and exhausted, even the next day.

Silliman said he's learned his lesson, and he hopes others, especially

children, will take heed. " I'd never had an energy drink ever before in my

life. And I never will again.