I thought my son, 10, was dying after slurring words & blacking out – I can’t believe what caused it & want to warn you

Is your child an energy drink addict?

As Labour considers a ban on energy drinks for children if they get into power, Fabulous investigates the harm these drinks could be causing an entire generation

Wilfried Haubenberger

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Carrying 10-year-old George* into A&E after he’d slurred his words and blacked out, Jane* feared for her son’s life.

George had always been fit and healthy, playing football and tennis, but in the weeks leading up to his hospital admission, he’d been suffering dizziness, headaches, tummy aches and had kept fainting.

“I Googled his symptoms and convinced myself he had a heart condition, or cancer,” recalls Jane, 42, a preschool teacher from Manchester.

“I took him to the GP, who couldn’t find anything wrong, but then one day, he came home from school looking grey. He was slurring his words and was wobbly on his feet. I could see he was going to faint again, so I drove him straight to A&E.

“I thought he was dying. I’m shocked now to look back and realise that energy drinks were to blame.”

The evidence against these kind of beverages is such that children under 16 could be banned from buying them under a Labour government. A proposal has reportedly been submitted for the party’s election manifesto, amid growing concern from medical professionals.

I Googled his symptoms and convinced myself he had a heart condition, or cancer.

Research published in January this year found that the consumption of energy drinks by children is associated with a wide range of risks, including those relating to physical health, such as tooth decay and insulin resistance, as well as mental health – including increased risk of suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression.

Around one in three young people in Britain say that they regularly consume energy drinks, which makes them one of the biggest purchasers in Europe for their age.

Professor Amelia Lake, lead author of the review, said that, in some cases, kids are sold these drinks for as little as 25p and they are cheaper than water and pop.

“These drinks are not for kids,” she says. “Not only do they contain high amounts of caffeine, which can spike heart rate and lead to cardiovascular issues, they also contain additives, some of which we know very little about what harm they might do to our bodies.”

Spate of fainting episodes

Professor Lake’s initial review in 2018 noted a long list of physical issues associated with consumption of energy drinks, from headaches and stomach pain to dental issues and gastric and cardiovascular problems.

“When we repeated this review, publishing the results in January this year, we also noticed a huge mental health impact,” she explains. “Children were suffering anxiety, panic, depressive symptoms, psychological distress and suicidal thoughts. The problems are far-reaching.”

Jane’s son George was 10 when he started having energy drinks. She says lots of his friends drank them, as well as Coca-Cola, and that while she knew it wasn’t the healthiest choice, she didn’t see any great risk.

“I thought if I stopped him, he’d only start sneaking them,” Jane says. “At least, this way, I was in control. To be honest, I had no idea what was in the drinks. I knew there was sugar and caffeine, but I didn’t think they would be at the levels where they could make him ill.”

The consultant explained the drinks were extremely high in caffeine and sugar and this was making his heart work overtime.

Jane says George was drinking two to three cans a week, until last June when he became unwell. He’d often complain of tummy pain, headaches and kept passing out. Jane took him to the doctor, but they couldn’t find any explanation.

She returned to the GP in August after he suffered a spate of fainting episodes, but tests revealed nothing untoward. George continued fainting, was often nauseous and wasn’t sleeping well. He’d always played lots of sports, but was now struggling to keep up with his teammates.

Then in November, he came home slurring.

“I didn’t even think about the drinks,” she recalls. “But shortly after we arrived at A&E, a doctor asked whether he was vaping or consuming energy drinks. I said he had a few drinks a week.

“The consultant explained the drinks were extremely high in caffeine and sugar and this was making his heart work overtime. He said it was to blame for his health issues and he should recover fully if he stopped drinking them.”

George was kept in hospital for observation overnight before being discharged, and he hasn’t touched an energy drink since.

“It was a wake-up call for us,” Jane says. “When I explained, George was happy to give them up and he has been telling all his friends to stop, too. His health has improved, he is no longer fainting and his sleep is better. I’m just relieved he hasn’t suffered any lasting consequences.”

Professor Lake’s research found that energy drink consumption is more common in boys than girls, and is associated with risk-taking behaviours and substance use, as well as poor academic performance, poor sleep quality and unhealthy dietary habits.

Mood swings and energy slumps

Clare Ford, a secondary school tutor and founder of Switched On!, says many teens stay up late and use energy drinks to try to wake themselves up in the morning.

“Drinks like Monster and Red Bull are popular with teens, because students often go to bed late due to gaming or revising and then find it hard to wake up the next day and study,” she says.

“Even though they think this is a quick fix, it isn’t, as their energy levels fluctuate drastically throughout the day, affecting their concentration and retention of information.”

This resonates with Jennie*, who claims her 14-year-old son James* has suffered with mood swings and energy slumps in the afternoon after getting addicted to energy drinks. She says he’s also become aggressive.

James was only 12 when he started asking for drinks including Monster and Red Bull.

“James started buying energy drinks on his walk home from school two years ago,” recalls Jennie, 45, a full-time mum who lives in Devon with her husband, 47, and their 12-year-old daughter.

“I wasn’t too worried at first. He had only just started secondary school and I thought it was nice for him to have a bit of independence. I didn’t think it was any worse than him having sweets, and I was relieved he wasn’t vaping, to be honest,” she says.

When I confronted him, it became obvious he was addicted. He couldn’t give them up even if he wanted to. It’s still a battle we are having most days now

But the drinks soon became a habit and now James gets annoyed if he can’t have one.

“This has probably been going on since October. Around December, I noticed he became moody and withdrawn if he didn’t have one of the drinks. I said he’d have to cut back but he got incredibly angry and it caused a huge row.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but James was buying one on the way to school, too, so he was having two of the drinks a day. He was using the money I gave him for lunch, drinking the drinks, and not eating much food at all. His school work was slipping, he hadn’t been sleeping well and he wasn’t eating well either.

“I refused to buy them for him at weekends and stopped him going to the shop, which caused more rows. I knew he’d probably still buy them when he was out with mates, but I wanted him to cut down.

“When I confronted him, it became obvious he was addicted. He couldn’t give them up even if he wanted to. It’s still a battle we are having most days now.

“He is very angry about it, but I hope as he weans off the drinks, he’ll go back to being the caring boy I’ve always loved.

‘We need to take action now’

He has always been gentle and kind, so it was hard to see him getting angry and frustrated over a drink.

“Among his mates, these drinks are seen as cool – they’re a bit of a status symbol – but the children have no idea how dangerous they can be. Fortunately, his sister has steered clear as she can see how awful her brother is after drinking them. It’s such a shame, because these drinks have become a divide in our family.”

Tutor Clare says adults also have a part to play. “Are we as adults, parents and teachers, actually modelling drinking lots of water throughout the day?” she says.

“Many primary teachers have coffee or tea in class and many adults drink cans of fizzy or energy drinks in front of their children. It’s difficult to ask them to do something we may not be prepared to do ourselves.”

Professor Lake says things need to change – and soon.

“We don’t know why, but the evidence of the harm they cause is clear,” she says. “We need to take action now to protect our children from these risks.”

Demi Anderson is also keen to raise awareness of the dangers of energy drinks, after she got hooked on them and ended up in hospital.

Demi, 28, a former midwife and personal trainer, started drinking cans of Monster, Red Bull and Relentless to help her through gruelling night shifts. When they stopped having an effect, she drank more and more to get the same hit.

“In January 2022, I was working long hours as a midwife and also training to become a PT,” recalls Demi, who lives in London.

“I was in the gym all the time and sometimes needed one to get me through a training session, especially if I’d just come off a long shift. I might have had another one to help with the afternoon slump and another before starting work in the evening. In the end, I was having two or three a day.

“I chose drinks with zero calories or sugar, so I didn’t think they were super-unhealthy. But it got to the point where they were having zero effect.”

Demi began regularly fainting and feeling unwell.

“I started collapsing, getting heart palpitations, feeling dizzy and sometimes feeling very hot,” she remembers. “I was eating well, exercising and at a healthy weight, so should have been well.

“At first, I put it down to being busy and a lack of sleep. Then in April 2022, I saw my GP, who ran tests, but couldn’t find any reason why I was feeling so unwell.”

My boy had a lucky escape, but there are so many other children that are still drinking them, unaware of the risk.

The following month, blood tests revealed her blood sugar levels were dangerously low and she was admitted to hospital.

“I was diagnosed with non-diabetic hypoglycaemia,” Demi says. “My pancreas had stopped working properly. The doctor explained caffeine in the drinks was causing a fight-or-flight response, raising my adrenalin, so my pancreas was releasing too much insulin.”

Demi has since tried to kick her habit, but admits that she still has “the odd one”. “I know I should have given them up immediately,” she says. “But it had become an addiction. I cut down to one energy drink a day and now I rarely have them at all. But it has been very hard – it’s like being an alcoholic. Sometimes I just get this overwhelming need to drink one.

“My metabolism is still sluggish and my blood sugar levels haven’t returned to normal. It really worries me as I see children drinking the drinks all the time. I want to warn everyone of the dangers and what these drinks can do to your body. I wish I’d never touched one.”

Fabulous contacted Red Bull and Monster for comment on this article, but neither responded before we went to press.

George’s mum Jane says her eyes have really been opened to the harm energy drinks can cause, too.

“My boy had a lucky escape, but there are so many other children that are still drinking them, unaware of the risk. Many countries have already banned these drinks for children. It’s

time the UK followed suit.”

• *Names have been changed Photography: Wilfried Haubenberger Props thanks to Amazon.co.uk

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