So-called “energy” drinks have become incredibly popular, especially among young persons but also among older persons. Among these, the product lines that are most popular in the US are Red Bull®, Monster Energy®, and 5-Hour Energy®.
Is it just me who finds the term “energy” drinks particularly upsetting?
The caffeine content of various “energy” drinks is shown in the table below. Red Bull comes in a small (8.4 ounces) and large (20 ounces) cans. The small can, which is more popular, contains 80 mg of caffeine. Monster Energy comes in a 16 ounce can that contains 160 mg of caffeine.
But for the very popular 5-Hour Energy® drinks, in my experience, the users often don’t even think of them as containing caffeine. Also, the label on 5-Hour Energy® drinks does not state how much caffeine there is in each bottle. It simply states that it contains caffeine “comparable to a cup of the leading premium coffee”. Well, guess what–a cup of the “leading premium coffee” contains a LOT of caffeine. I had a patient who became addicted to 5-Hour Energy® drinks and would drink about five of them a day and then, not surprisingly, needed a high dose of quetiapine at night to sleep. I think we need to raise awareness among our patients that the original 5-Hour Energy drink contains a lot of caffeine.
Note: 5-Hour Energy also comes in a decaf version, though this is not popular.
| Ounces | Caffeine (mg) | |
| Red Bull Energy Drink (original) |
8.4 (also comes in 20 oz cans) |
80 |
| Monster Energy | 16 | 160 |
| Rockstar Energy Drink | 16 | 160 |
| NOS | 16 | 160 |
| Amp | 16 | 142 |
| Full Throttle | 16 | 160 |
| 5-Hour Energy | 1.9 | 215 |
| 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength | 1.9 | 242 |
Related Pages
Caffeine and mental health
How much caffeine is too much?
Should we recommend decaffeinated coffee?
Caffeine content
Copyright 2016, 2017, Rajnish Mago, MD. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without express written permission.
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