FDA probing if deaths were linked to energy shots
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of 13 deaths possibly linked to so-called "energy shots" and cautioning consumers to talk to their doctors before they take them or other energy drinks.
The agency has received 92 reports that cite illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths after consumption of a product marketed as 5-Hour Energy. The FDA has also received reports that cited the highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink in five deaths and one non-fatal heart attack.
Agency officials said the reports to the FDA from consumers, doctors and others don't necessarily prove that the drinks caused the deaths or injuries, but said they are investigating each one. In a statement, FDA officials said they will take action if they can link the deaths to consumption of the energy drink. Such action could include forcing the company to take the drinks, often found at convenience store checkout counters, off the market.
FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said the agency is cautioning consumers that these "energy shots" or "energy drinks" are not alternatives to rest or sleep.
"If someone is thinking about taking one of these products, they should consult with their health care provider to ensure that there are no underlying or undiagnosed medical conditions that could worsen as a result of using them," Burgess said.
The agency doesn't individually regulate caffeinated drinks or supplements such as the energy shots but can take action if they are proven to do harm. Makers of caffeinated alcoholic drinks took those products off the market in 2010 after the FDA sent the companies warning letters saying that combinations of caffeine and alcohol in the drinks was a public health concern and could lead to alcohol poisoning, car accidents and assaults.
5-Hour Energy's small size can also be dangerous to consumers with underlying conditions because it's easier to take several of them or mix them with alcohol. Though it is liquid, the 5-Hour Energy "shot" is marketed not as a drink but as a dietary supplement. FDA regulations require supplement manufacturers themselves to be responsible for products' safety.
A spokeswoman for the company that makes the product, Michigan-based Living Essentials, LLC, says 5-Hour Energy is a "compact-sized energy shot intended for busy adults - it is not an energy drink, nor marketed as a beverage."
Elaine Lutz said the company is not aware of any deaths proven to have been caused by their product. She said the company's website advises consumers to drink no more than two bottles of the shots per day, spaced several hours apart, and for new consumers to drink half a bottle to start.
The New York Times first reported that 13 deaths were linked to 5-Hour Energy.
The agency has received 92 reports that cite illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths after consumption of a product marketed as 5-Hour Energy. The FDA has also received reports that cited the highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink in five deaths and one non-fatal heart attack.
Agency officials said the reports to the FDA from consumers, doctors and others don't necessarily prove that the drinks caused the deaths or injuries, but said they are investigating each one. In a statement, FDA officials said they will take action if they can link the deaths to consumption of the energy drink. Such action could include forcing the company to take the drinks, often found at convenience store checkout counters, off the market.
FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said the agency is cautioning consumers that these "energy shots" or "energy drinks" are not alternatives to rest or sleep.
"If someone is thinking about taking one of these products, they should consult with their health care provider to ensure that there are no underlying or undiagnosed medical conditions that could worsen as a result of using them," Burgess said.
The agency doesn't individually regulate caffeinated drinks or supplements such as the energy shots but can take action if they are proven to do harm. Makers of caffeinated alcoholic drinks took those products off the market in 2010 after the FDA sent the companies warning letters saying that combinations of caffeine and alcohol in the drinks was a public health concern and could lead to alcohol poisoning, car accidents and assaults.
5-Hour Energy's small size can also be dangerous to consumers with underlying conditions because it's easier to take several of them or mix them with alcohol. Though it is liquid, the 5-Hour Energy "shot" is marketed not as a drink but as a dietary supplement. FDA regulations require supplement manufacturers themselves to be responsible for products' safety.
A spokeswoman for the company that makes the product, Michigan-based Living Essentials, LLC, says 5-Hour Energy is a "compact-sized energy shot intended for busy adults - it is not an energy drink, nor marketed as a beverage."
Elaine Lutz said the company is not aware of any deaths proven to have been caused by their product. She said the company's website advises consumers to drink no more than two bottles of the shots per day, spaced several hours apart, and for new consumers to drink half a bottle to start.
The New York Times first reported that 13 deaths were linked to 5-Hour Energy.
maybe I should stop speedballing Rockstars with 5 hour, and doing lines of coffee grinds
What is funny about this stuff is you can buy it in bulk at costco...its like cmon, why would you want to do this to yourself and feel like your on drugs?
Trimethylxanthine (caffeine) can cause problems with those that have a congenital heart defect. The most common one that I am aware of is prolonged QT segment which can lead to Torsades de Pointes and eventually ventricular fibrillation which is a lethal rhythm causing death.
Â
The faster the heart rate the more chances there are of having a R on T causing death. This may be related to exercised induced prolonged QT segment in kids during sports activities which is under investigation as a inherited channelopathy. Anything that increases heart rates may cause the R on T and caffeine does increase heart rates even at low levels.
Â
The other issue is that caffeine actually inhibits the effectiveness of acetylcholinesterase and in the case of a massive release of acetylcholine may cause a severe and sustained symptomatic bradycardia where the patient my not pull out of it leading to death. This is still being investigated and more studies would need to be done before this is confirmed.
Â
The Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by caffeine is not a pathological issue and can affect anyone from the studies I have read on the subject.
i know a guy who died on his 18th birthday a few years back in the meadow land area of Portland. he was drinking energy drinks all day into night. and his heart stopped. when a product can make your heart beat so hard it stops. uh, its time to take another look at it.
Joey:
At18 I would like to believe most people can read the label. I don't want to offend you about your friend, but it realy sucks when a few stupid people ruin stuff for all.
 @Joey Stockert I'm sorry for your loss, but we are surrounded by things that can kill us if over consumed. I think the best answer, so people are clear (those that need help in that area) would be to take them off the food isle. Like the 5 Hour energies.
Lips, I think the best answer is for people to pull their head out of their a-s-s so they can see the label.
Â
 @Joey Stockert I'm sorry but that was death by stupidity. If you actually read the label it warns against consuming to many of these drinks in a day.
I smell a government ban coming down the road.
I don't use 5 hour often, but when I do, I really appreciate them. Love my B's for a multitude of reasons.. You couldn't pay me to drink any of the carbonated drinks. I'm thinking these were bad hearts waiting for a nudge.
Everybody dies and everbody drinks water. Does that make drinking water the cause of death? Tens or hundreds of millions of bottles of 5-hour energy shots and allegedly 13 deaths without any more information sounds like it could easily be coincidence or some bizarre anomaly.
Out of the thousands of people abusing the e-drinks, I think 13 is a low number. I can just see it, a panic: OH MY GOD< THOSE E-DRINKS! THEY ARE GOING TO KILL US ALL!
@I812 water does not make your heart beat so fast and erratic it stops. now does it.
@Joey Stockert Neither does 5-Hour energy; particularly when used as directed. A shot of 5-Hour energy has the caffeine equivalent of 1 cup of coffee. The rest is vitamins. Get a grip, Dude. A person can go into a sugar coma drinking sugared soft drinks. This is not an issue for the FDA or any other government agency.Â
Â
Thirty-five to fifty thousand Americans die every year in automobile crashes. Should the government ban cars?
 @Joey Stockert  @I812 Joey you can actually drink yourself to death with water, like all things moderation is the key, but those that want the nanny state to protect us all from our own stupidity will never understand this.
and all the while drinking alcohol contributes to ZERO deaths. what a crock
OH yes, like any of the teens I see downing energy drinks talk to a Doctor before they do!!! Â If this is what is recommended then why are the drinks available anywhere you look - gas stations, drug stores, you name it....they should be behind the counter. Â I know kids who drink more than one a day - and I am betting there have been more deaths but no one investigated them - maybe street people, or young kids who totaled a car....who'd suspect an energy drink? Â Why they were were ever marketed is beyond me - they are not safe, they do not promote health, and they scare me.
@BCH mom "...they scare me." I've a feeling that you generally live life in fear. Do you want The State to address ALL of your fears and regulate everything that you are personally afraid of? At some point I think you need to just let go of your fears and embrace life and living. If you're not willing to do that, perhaps you could at least quit turning to government to provide solutions to everything you fear. You'll be much happier.
 @BCH mom So of course because they scare you they should be pulled from the market. Here is a thought it is the responsibility of the individual to make the choice to drink or not to drink, and then live with the consequences. When did we lose the idea of personal responsibility in this country? These drinks are available because they are made with all legal ingredients, and when used in MODERATION are perfectly safe. I find it funny how you go on about these drinks that may have some tenuous link to possibly contributing to someones death, yet say nothing about alcohol that is directly responsible for hundreds of deaths per year.
@BCH mom its just speed in a can. call it energy drink, but its the same as snorting two lines of coke, or smoking meth, its a legal upper. uncontrolled and unregulated.
 @Joey Stockert  @BCH Hahaha!!! Did you really just say these caffeine drinks and Vit B complexes are on par with cocaine and meth? Wow...
 @BCH mom Don't be scared. I have no idea why teenagers drink them. When I was a teenager I could have bottled my own excess energy. Now at 48, I love the B3, 6 and 12 dose. Better concentration, memory, energy and sex. =) You should try it.
@BCH mom I'll drink to that
I'll take a double, please. Lemon flav.