Are energy drinks safe? If you ask the companies that make them, they will say yes, they are safe, but if you ask Samantha Sharpe, of Leicester, U.K, she’d quickly tell you that energy drinks are NOT safe because of what happened to her.

Back in 2014, Sharpe was drinking between 5-6 energy drinks a day. She initially began drinking them to help her remain alert while on the job. Over time, when an energy drink would wear off, she felt like she would crash, so she drank another energy drink to counter the crash.

Sharps said that when she drank the energy drinks, her heart would beat faster and she could feel heart palpitations. She went on to explain:

“It would give me headaches, I’d be grumpy, and I’d need another one to keep me going. I wouldn’t sleep and I had an overwhelming feeling of doom when trying to sleep.”

Then she started suffering blackouts and eventually went to see her doctor who diagnosed her as having a blockage in her heart. Sharpe was also suffering from kidney stones. At age 32, the doctor implanted a pacemaker in her chest. The doctor also told Sharpe that she was in danger of developing diabetes.

While the doctor said he could not directly blame the energy drinks, they appear to be the cause of her health problems, at least according to Sharpe. When she had the pacemaker implanted, Sharpe stopped drinking the energy drinks. Since she quit the energy drinks, she has no more headaches, no more racing heartbeats, no more palpitations and no more blackouts.

Most energy drinks are full of sugar and have a high level of caffeine, both of which were having a direct impact on her heart and kidneys.

According to one report:

Bottom Line

• A growing body of scientific evidence shows that energy drinks can have serious health effects, particularly in children, teenagers, and young adults.
• In several studies, energy drinks have been found to improve physical endurance, but there’s less evidence of any effect on muscle strength or power. Energy drinks may enhance alertness and improve reaction time, but they may also reduce steadiness of the hands.
• The amounts of caffeine in energy drinks vary widely, and the actual caffeine content may not be identified easily. Some energy drinks are marketed as beverages and others as dietary supplements. There’s no requirement to declare the amount of caffeine on the label of either type of product.

Safety

• Large amounts of caffeine may cause serious heart and blood vessel problems such as heart rhythm disturbances and increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Caffeine also may harm children’s still-developing cardiovascular and nervous systems.
• Caffeine use may also be associated with anxiety, sleep problems, digestive problems, and dehydration.
• Guarana, commonly included in energy drinks, contains caffeine. Therefore, the addition of guarana increases the drink’s total caffeine content.
• People who combine caffeinated drinks with alcohol may not be able to tell how intoxicated they are; they may feel less intoxicated than they would if they had not consumed caffeine, but their motor coordination and reaction time may be just as impaired.
• Excessive energy drink consumption may disrupt teens’ sleep patterns and may be associated with increased risk-taking behavior.
• A single 16-oz. container of an energy drink may contain 54 to 62 grams of added sugar; this exceeds the maximum amount of added sugars recommended for an entire day.

Energy drinks are not as safe as the manufacturers would have you believe. Regular use of energy drinks is not recommended. Even occasional use can be harmful, if you have any kind of health condition that could be aggravated by the high amount of caffeine and/or sugar.