Energy Drinks such as Monster, 5 Hour Energy, Rockstar and RedBull can be dangerous, and should not be consumed by anyone with an underlying heart condition. On January 10, 2013 SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network published an article titled “Update on Emergency Department Visits Involving Energy Drinks: A Continuing Public Health Concern” the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate energy drinks but their website does post adverse event statistics for certain energy drinks.

The article reports that Energy Drink related hospital emergency room visits have increased from about 1,494 in 2005 to about 20,783 in 2011. This is particularly problematic because it impacts our children and youngest adults. In 2011 alone there were apparently 1,499 energy drink related emergency room visits for children aged 12 to 17 years old. Looking at young adults, there were 7,322 energy drink related emergency room visits for people aged 18-25 years old in 2011 (up from 4,200 in that age range in 2007). A new finding in the Article is that older adults may also be vulnerable to the effects of energy drinks, and that the safety of energy drinks is questioned for individuals with medical conditions and/or who may be taking other medications.

Our law firm represents individuals who have suffered serious injuries as a result of consuming energy drinks. The most common events we are seeing that may be related to energy drink consumption are is cardiac events, arrhythmias, heart attacks, and strokes. Any individual who has an underlying heart condition, or even high blood pressure for that matter, should avoid consuming energy drinks. If you or someone you know is injured as a result of consuming energy drinks, call a personal injury lawyer at our firm at (888) 213-8140 for a free consultation.