I will be the first to admit that, at 21, I wasn't always making great choices for myself. That's part of growing up. You do stupid things, win some stupid prizes that, if you're lucky, don't have serious consequences, learn from that, and move forward.
Unfortunately, one young man's choices caught up with him in a terrifying way — but hopefully, others can learn from him and not suffer similar consequences.
As BMJ Case Reports outlined, the man had been experiencing bouts of indigestion, tremors, and heart palpitations for months, and had had to withdraw from university due to lethargy, migraines, and a general feeling of ill health — none of which he had sought medical help for.
He only headed to the hospital when he started having shortness of breath, breathlessness when lying down, and weight loss. While he had no family history of heart disease and had quit smoking three years earlier, he did have a significant history with energy drinks, consuming four 500mL cans per day for the previous two years.
So the patient had been consuming the equivalent of about eight cups of coffee every day for the past two years.
While everyone varies in their tolerance to caffeine, the upper limit on how much a person can consume safely in a day is about 400mg, or four or five cups of coffee, according to the FDA.
"I was eventually admitted to the ICU," he explained in the report. "This experience was extremely traumatizing for several reasons. First, I was suffering from delirium, I had memory problems to such an extent I could not remember why I was in the ICU. Second, I was constantly scared because I was struggling to move or speak, this eventually led to insomnia; I often would not fall asleep until early morning."
"Finally, I often became frustrated when I couldn’t think of the words to say when I wanted something and this often led to me becoming overwhelmed with emotions such as anxiety and depression," he added.
Tests showed he was in both heart and kidney failure, and doctors had to weigh whether or not to give the young man an organ transplant. While the kidney failure turned out to be linked to a separate condition, doctors placed the blame for the heart failure squarely on the energy drinks.
Nine months after his discharge, the patient had greatly improved, but he still had "mildly impaired function" of his heart.
"I think there should be more awareness about energy drink and the effect of their contents," he said in the report. "I believe they are very addictive and far too accessible to young children. I think warning labels, similar to smoking, should be made to illustrate the potential dangers of the ingredients in energy drink."
h/t: BMJ Case Reports
