Health

Government says energy drink ER visits doubled in 3-year time frame

By WEEK Producer
By NBC News

Government says energy drink ER visits doubled in 3-year time frame

January 16, 2013 Updated Jan 16, 2013 at 11:15 AM CDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new government survey has revealed that ER visits linked to energy drinks are on the rise.

Researchers say the number of people needing medical attention after consuming energy drinks doubled between 2007 and 2011.

That's the same time span these drinks became more popular in convenience stories, bars, and college campuses.

Most of the 20,000 cases involved teens or young adults.

While the survey doesn't list the symptoms that brought the patients to the ER, the drinks are known to cause insomnia, nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat and even seizures.

This survey was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

To submit a comment on this article, your email address is required. We respect your privacy and your email will not be visible to others nor will it be added to any email lists.