Emergency room visits have doubled in recent years
/ Alex Resila
SYRACUSE -- Energy drinks are causing more people to be sent to the emergency room. Just how much more? According to a federal report, the number has doubled over the past five years. The age group that this hit the most is 18-25. Both men and women are affected and there is one main cause for them landing in the emergency room: mixing it with alcohol. Whether it is because they do so intentionally, or because they use it to attempt to sober up, neither is a good option.
"I've tried five hour energy and it was a horrific experience -- like my skin felt like it was tingly and there were bugs on it," said Laurel Carmichael.
Dr. Michael Jorolemon told CNYCentral's Alex Resila one of the reasons that you shouldn't mix the two.
"What can happen is if you take any one of those energy drinks it allows you to drink more alcohol than you would normally," said Dr. Jorolemon.
Even though energy drinks are not the same as cocaine or other drugs of that nature, many people can forget how powerful caffeine can be.
"Energy drinks have no business being a part of a healthy diet people use them because they feel they get an energy boost -- the problem is caffeine is a drug," said Dr. Donna Bacchi from Upstate Medical University.
