Monster Drink and EDS ~~~~

[selmaS]

The New York Times reported on this disturbing account of deaths from this energy drink also citing a 14 yr olds health may have  had some impact on her death.....

"The type of 24-ounce can of Monster Energy that the Maryland teenager, Anais Fournier, drank contains 240 milligrams of caffeine.

The lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the teenager referred to autopsy and medical examiner reports that said she had died of “cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity” that had exacerbated an existing heart problem. The report also showed that the teenager had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which can affect the body’s connective tissue, including blood vessels. A lawyer for her family, Kevin Goldberg, said that the 14-year-old had been aware she had an underlying heart condition but added that her doctors had not told her to restrict her physical activities or her caffeine use."

for the rest of the article  - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/business/fda-receives-death-reports-citing-monster-energy-a-high-caffeine-drink.html?_r=0

[selmaS]

Well I do not drink a  lot of soda...as a kid it was only for special occasions...and even now my DH makes fun of me and calls it Holiday Root beer...when he gets some when DD is coming home, cuz that is a Holiday around here,....lol...but I got use to that , and the Root Beer I drink does not have caffeine in it....Only once in a blue moon do I drink a coke....I mostly drink water....

[Rylanesmom]

hmmm I did quit drinking pop preop and never needed the meds postop until last week....

[selmaS]

  See...this is how it affects us....I need to read more on this one...but that is my understanding of what I have read so far and from what I was told by my Dr...I knew I had to avoid the caffeine...I was told by each Dr I saw...I was told so many times it was crazy....

Lucky for me I never acquired a taste for coffee and I love green tea that is decaffeinated....

[Rylanesmom]

hmm yeah and I just had to go on BP meds

[selmaS]

  Well this is for those with Heart issues,...but EDS causes the skin and muscles to thin, this is y some have ruptures...like my friend Dayna just has been air lifted for a ruptured colon....ne of our organs can do this depending on how EDS is affecting us...well caffeine is causing the BP to pump harder against thin and weakened muscles...so, it can have disastrous effects.

Again is depends on how it is affecting us, I have yet another  EDS friend with collapsed airways that is on forced air to keep her breathing....

I do not know if with the type I have if it would affect me, but my NS told me to avoid or cut back on caffeine, something I rarely have so I do not worry about it....but I was told...so I was surprised that this girl was not.

[Rylanesmom]

Selma how does caffeine affect EDS?  As you know I am an EDSer and I drink a lot of caffeine....looks like I might need to change that

[selmaS]

  No I do not feel it is a cause of EDS, but EDS is affected by caffeine.....well, I do not understand this article the mom said the DD was not told to avoid caffeine,,..but I was told,, and she had heart issues already...so, I do not see how...she must have had a Dr that did not know about the effects of EDS....JMHO

[drewlevas]

That's terrible. But Energy drink are realy dangerous. I ended up in the ER 7 years ago after I drank my first one and only one. I didn't know back then that I had a heart condition. These drinks should be more regulated.

[Viva001]

aw, that's terrible.
is there any reason to suspect caffeine as a cause of EDS, or just contraindicated?

I read somewhere that if caffeine were introduced today, it would be regulated because it's such a powerful drug.