Hi, ladies. My coworker has gotten me hooked on Low Carb Monster energy drinks. They don't upset my stomach like too much coffee does and they don't make me pee as much as green tea. However, I'm wondering if they are fairly safe. I really need to boost between now and the election (working long hours until that, plus school). The can says keep it to three or less, I drink two a day tops.

What do you girls think about energy drinks? I'm not looking at the weight-loss/diet aspect as much as the general safety of them. This one particularly contains:200% of vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, B6, and B12. It has tauren and l-caritine, and caffiene added to it for the boost in energy.

bride,

I was in the same spot as you, about a month ago. I loved the taste, and it gave me a quick little pick-me-up. My habit got so bad I was drinking the BIG ones everyday, sometimes twice a day. I didn't experience any side effects, either, but I have read some of the effects of the drinks. Sleeplessness is the main side effect that I have heard about. The drink isn't much worse than like Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper, but if you start getting stomach cramps it's time to quit cold turkey! Let me know if you hear anything else about it, I'm quite interested.

Weird, right after I replied, I found this article. I didn't read much, but I thought of you.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15403552/wid/11915773?GT1=8717

I tried a few, but ever since I watched a program on TV about what they put in those things... I can't even touch them... they gross me out! I have a friend who drinks Red Bulls like twice or three times a day....YUCK!!!! Just the smell of them makes me want to be sick to my stomach!

I drink Speed Stacks, which I get at Hi Health or GNC, they give me tons of energy, they are not carbonated and they only have 5 calories (plus they come in several flavors). They have sucralose as apposed to aspartame etc. I am not too sure about the other energy drinks, although I do have them from time to time. I mostly stay away from them because of the carbonation, no other real reason. I don't think that helps any, but I believe that the Speed Stacks work much better for energy than the other drinks in my experience.

Icky, same here. They taste like crushed aspirin to me (don't know why, but...). I'm a recovering Diet-Coke addict. I've had to cut down a lot because they were making it hard to sleep at night, but I still have them occaisionally.

You shouldn't rely on energy drinks to make it through the day. Make sure you're eating enough and getting enough rest and you shouldn't need such a high dose of caffeine... Personally, I would stick with green tea. It still has a moderate amount of caffeine, but also has beneficial antioxidants. Maybe try two energy drinks per week instead of per day.

A quote from a Yahoo article from yesterday:

"How much caffeine do energy drinks contain? A University of Florida study found that some products, although served in cans two-thirds the size of a standard can of Coke, contain two to four times the amount of caffeine as that Coke. Energy drinks are unregulated in the United States, but the authors of the University of Florida paper suggest warning labels for them."

What do they put in them? You've made me curious!

I am eating quite balanced, considering the time I have, but I really am not getting the sleep I need, regardless (I have a five day rest break planned for when the whirlwind that is this election is done!) of what I am drinking. I have 6 days to go, then I'm home free. Besides, five hours a night is STILL more than 1/6 of that time

I'll be so glad when this semester is over!

After hearing about these drinks in the news...especially as to how they affect college age people...I've vowed not to try one. I'm staying away from any addictions and unhealthy dependencies...besides, an addiction like energy drinks can get very expensive! Not to mention the risks of ingesting too much caffeine.

I've heard some negative things about them.. but I drink 1-2 a week. There have been days when I had 4, but that was one of those 24 hour days when I couldn't nap.

I think that if it is just temporary, you should be fine. I think of it as comparable to drinking coffee. Most of the warnings I've heard have been about heart palpitations, so if you don't experience those then you should be ok? I'm not a doctor, but I do like energy drinks and I've been pretty safe.

I also like Vitamin Water's "Energy".. It has 125 calories for the bottle, which is more than the sugar free energy drinks, but it makes me feel better than those others. I wouldn't have more than one of those a day because of the calories though.

Hmm, I might check those out. Thanks!