School’s warning after ‘child had stomach pumped after drinking Prime Energy’
A primary school has issued a warning to parents over Prime Energy drinks after one of its pupils fell ill.
The child reportedly suffered a ‘cardiac episode’ and was rushed to hospital to have their stomach pumped after drinking a can of the brand’s newest released beverage.
Milton Primary School in Newport, South Wales, sent a text message to parents to alert them to the ‘potential harmful effects’ of the drink.
It read: ‘This morning a parent has reported that their child has had a cardiac episode over the weekend after drinking a Prime Energy drink.
‘The child had to have their stomach pumped and although better now the parent wanted us to share this as a reminder of the potential harmful effects.’
It’s not known whether the child consumed a 330ml can containing 140mg of caffeine or the slightly larger 355ml can which contains 200mg of caffeine.
By law, drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine must be labelled appropriately to warn they are not suitable for children.
Both sizes of the Prime Energy drink come with a written warning advising children against consuming them.
The larger size can says it is ‘not recommended for children under 18 years of age’ while the smaller one also says ‘not recommended for children’.
Metro.co.uk contacted Milton Primary School for further details on the incident but they refused to comment.
Stoked PR, the agency which represents Prime, has also been contacted for comment.
Promoted by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul, Prime has been the latest craze among youngsters since its caffeine-free hydration drink was released in the UK last year.
Prime hydration drinks were being swept clean from supermarket shelves in double quick time when they first came out and were even selling online for more than 10 times their retail value.
Its latest drink, Prime Energy, which does contain caffeine, went on sale in the UK for the first time last month.
People were waking up at the crack of dawn to queue outside shops to get their hands on the energy drink, although the scenes weren’t as chaotic as December last year.
Many UK supermarkets have imposed their own rules against under 16s from buying energy drinks.
Dr Deborah Lee from online pharmacy Dr Fox previously said: ‘I would not recommend children drink Prime Energy drinks or other energy drinks for children of any age.
‘Children don’t need energy drinks anyway – they have plenty of energy.
‘If your child is lacking in energy take them to see their GP – do not give them an energy drink.’
Speaking last year, the British Soft Drinks Association said: ‘Energy drinks and their ingredients have been deemed safe by regulatory authorities around the world.
‘Energy drink manufacturers have taken all possible steps to be clear about the suitability of energy drinks.
‘Retailers, schools and parents all have a role to play in educating children about caffeine and sugar consumption from all sources.’
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