I have recently become aware of a huge fad right now in the teen community... starting in about middle school.

Many of the kids 'live' on energy drinks (ie Red Bull, Rockstar, etc.).

My son at age 12 has never had one of these that I am aware of but I see and hear about many of his friends who are into them.

My concern is that it is a form of speed for them (high doses of caffeine) and what happens when the buzz from energy drinks no longer satisfies.

Thoughts? I am concerned about our young people.

My kids (nor my DH or I) have never had an energy drink. The counselor at the middle school sent out a schoolwide voicemail to all the parents asking that they not allow their kids to have these before school. They are having a huge problem especially in the 1st 2 hours of school where the kids are hyper and not attentive at all.

I have since read an article (I think it was in Readers Digest) about the affects of those high levels of caffeine on kids and they can end up in the ER and die from excessive caffeine. Some of their systems cannot handle it.

I think it's just best to stay away from those drinks and steer your kids away from them, too.

Lisa

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I have read alot about these drinks and they say that kids should not drink them. they are like liquid speed.i have only drank one and it made my pulse race.

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Those are big around here. My boys have had 1 each, that I know of. They were literally bouncing off the walls afterward.

My DS that is in middle school just came home Friday telling me about a boy at school that had drank a bunch of these. He said the boy drank a 4/6pk (how ever they come). He drank them while waiting for school to start. (A bunch of them go in early to play ball and get their horsing around over.) Anyways, he wanted to know if it would make you sick to drink that many. We had a whole discussion on energy drinks.

These kids are doing crazy things around her lately. A couple of weeks ago some kids crushed up Lortabs and sniffed them. During school. DS said they were messed up while walking around school. They ended up at the hospital getting their stomaches pumped. These are middle school kids!!! How crazy.

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Geez, I tried one once, and it made my heart race like crazy. There is no way on this earth I am giving that junk to my kids! I know my nephew is hooked on those drinks. My SIL tells me that he will drink one, and when it starts to wear off, he gets really crabby, and than super tired. Sounds like a drug to me - NO THANKS!!

I think these effect kids by size just like alcohol does adults. My son is 6'2, 195 and during all day wrestling tournaments he and teammates usually have a redbull and I've seen it effect smaller kids differently. I can't stand the sweet smell they have and have never tried one.

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"Never loan your car to someone you have given birth too"

My son wanted to try these before workign out at the gym (weights/cardio) when he was 12, so I bought a few cans for him to try. He thought they really helped him the first couple times, then he said they made him feel dizzy. Haven't bought them since. I would not have allowed him to drink them before school; only before some sort of physical exertion (that's what I thought they were for)

Are these middle schoolers buying them or are their parents supplying them? These drinks may be the fad, but parenting has apparently gone out of style.

cj/

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I don't know the answer to that - probably a bit of both. I do know that my daughter wasn't one of them. I agree with your last statement, too, on so many levels!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I have seen the middle school kids in the convenience stores in the AM buying them. I am guessing their parents are not providing them but somehow they are coming up with the money for them. These drinks are not cheap. This is not their lunch money, they are more expensive than lunch. Wonder how many mom's purses are being raided for $3 a day or so for this habit that their young ones have???

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I have never had an energy drink but I took Dexatrim once a few years ago -- it was/is (???) a diet over-the-counter that was loaded with caffeine. After about 2 days, I had a pounding headache and felt dizzy when I stood up. I quit immediately and went to a more sensible way of losing weight.

Hopefully kids who are into these drinks would be wise enough to stop if they buzzed?? or hungover?? But, that is probably wishful thinking.

I was in the grocery store yesterday and almost bought one (so that I could try it myself and know what the kids are experiencing) but walked by the display without purchasing.

I don't know about the price of school lunches where your at, but around here, the 2 dollars for lunch could buy an energy drink at one of gas station/conveinance store around the school......red bull goes for 1.75

I don't even let my kids have soda that has caffeine in it...they already have too much energey for me

I drank 3 of these last time I had to drive from Ohio to Texas by myself, and let me tell ya, I was mighty awake for a long time, and then just crashed, and I had the worst headache for days.....I'm a caffeine junky, but it was bad!

I really don't think they should be able to be sold to kids....to me this can be as dangerous as the cold medicines they pulled, the diet pills you have to be 18 to buy....JMO

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No one in my family has ever had an energy drink of any kind. My children aren't into sports and I don't even allow Gatorade or anything close to it. Gatorade is just a sugar/salt drink that's so totally unnecessary also. I see kids that bring Gatorade daily in their lunch and still haven't figured out why.

I actually do not mind it, it does give me energy. I don't drink them everyday but once in awhile. Some people drink a pot or two of coffee each day. Gatorade is great for kids in sports because it does help with dehydration. I am not a doctor but I have seen great things from gatorade.

I agree.....Gatorade is made for those that participate in sports and need the extra that's provided in the drink. However, to drink Gatorade the same as a bottle of water for lunch is not necessary.

Yeah, my kids love Gatorade after a game or practice, but they drink milk or water for meals. Personally I hate Gatorade - I think it tastes like watered down koolaid. Yuck!

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

ITA!!! I could never figure how anyone could like the taste of Gatorade.....it always taste like someone poured themself a glass full of ice and all the ice melted....YUCK!

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O-H-I-O

i think they taste gross lol plus they cost soo much! i will not buy them but i have a high schooler and a college student and they buy their own red bull or piranha, etc sometimes.

our coaches have always told the team to drink gatorade during/before their games so i do buy gatorade to take to a game. i think it tastes nasty too

there is also some newer type of energy drink called spike something...it is labeled for adults only and apparently stronger than red bull/piranha and such...several high school students in the springs district were hospitalized after drinking a lot of it and it is specifically banned by many of our school districts