# Energy drinks (red bull etc) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608 "2003-07-19T18:03:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wolfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Wolfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/1 "2003-07-19T18:03:29Z")
Has anyone tried them? Do they have any side effects? Is it ok to have it if you also have had coffee? What are some of the specific effects? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/2 "2003-07-19T18:39:30Z")
I tried them back in February. Red Bull was a sponsor of the Great Eskate in Miami Beach. I am not sure if I noticed the effects or not. I drank it during the middle of the day. Red Bull is a concoction which includes caffeine, ginseng, maybe ephedra, plus a mix of fruit extracts and sugar and other crap. I hear people mix them with drinks for energy to last all night, and to counter the drowsiness of alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Jass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4da419/32.png) [@Hugh\_Jass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Jass)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/3 "2003-07-19T19:12:16Z")
I used to be a steady consumer of Hansens Energy. I noticed a definite pick-me-up. It’s all sugar and caffeine, though. One little can had more calories than a regular size soda, and cost twice as much. If you ever needed a quick pick up, I suppose they are fine, but I wouldn’t recomment them as part of a daily diet. ---
**Author:** ![Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Planet_of_the_Shapes)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/4 "2003-07-19T19:26:20Z")
All they are is basically a stronger version of coffee. Redbull has caffeine and guarana in as well as the usual crap you get in fizzy drinks. They’re not so strong that you should worry about mixing them with coffee or anything like that, unless you drink a lot. Effects are similar to other caffeinated drinks - less tiredness, more alert feeling etc. Basically they’re just an example of good marketing. If you’re a little tired, they will wake you up. If you’re very tired, they’re not likely to do a lot! ---
**Author:** ![moejuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@moejuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejuck)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/5 "2003-07-19T20:41:20Z")
I have tried Red Bull on one occasion, and it messed me up! It was mixed with Jagermeister though, so that might have had something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/6 "2003-07-19T20:57:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moejuck \* > \*\*I have tried Red Bull on one occasion, and it messed me up! It was mixed with Jagermeister though, so that might have had something to do with it. \*\* Probably tasted better that way. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/7 "2003-07-19T22:39:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*originally posted by \ ***Road Rash** > > Red Bull is a concoction which includes caffeine, ginseng, maybe ephedra, plus a mix of fruit extracts and sugar and other crap. Red Bull drinks do not contain ephedra. ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Kid)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/8 "2003-07-19T22:42:23Z")
On the subject of Red Bull. I drink loads of the stuff and it does me no harm at all except sometimes it makes me really hungry. I probably drink on average of 3 cans a day. I’ve also mixed it loads of times with vodka and it makes a great mixer. The best one though has to be a TVR; Tequila, vodka and red bull. The only side effect being that when you wake up in the morning you feel like your teeth have turned into cheese and someone is doing the fandango in your head. Oh yeah I thought that Red Bull had Tourine in it and not Caffeine. Powerade isn’t too bad either though it makes a crap mixer. ---
**Author:** ![Searching\_For\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Searching\_For\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Searching_For_Truth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/9 "2003-07-19T22:57:00Z")
I would not recommend mixing it with other things, particularly alcohol. The ones I’ve tried have all tasted ok (Sobe Adrenaline Rush, Red Bull, Mountain Dew Amp, etc.) [http://www.brown.edu/Student\_Services/Health\_Services/Health\_Education/ATOD/Energy\_drinks/Energy\_drinks.htm](http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/ATOD/Energy_drinks/Energy_drinks.htm) Red Bull has a website with a list of its ingredients. [http://www.redbull.com/product/history/index.html](http://www.redbull.com/product/history/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/10 "2003-07-20T04:53:07Z")
I haven’t noticed any side effects from drinking Red Bull and I drink at least three Red Bulls a day and I haven’t noticed any side effects and one time my friend Bob Sackagowanowitz drank like 20 of them because we had this thing where we used to dare each other to do stupid things like see how much Red Bull we could drink or who could climb up to our balcony first and when Bob and I were having this contest seeing how much Red Bull we could drink I got to somewhere around 10 and started to hallucinate and see spots and floating colors and stuff and when I woke up Bob had finished the entire case by himself and was running around the house counting off laps and he got up to 452 when he fell over and … ---
**Author:** ![Tree\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9dc877/32.png) [@Tree\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tree_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/11 "2003-07-20T07:07:07Z")
I think Red Bull tastes like the acid shock you get when you touch your tongue to the contacts on a 9 Volt battery. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-drinks-red-bull-etc/189608/12 "2003-07-20T07:40:38Z")
From **Searching For Truth’s** link: one can of Red Bull contains: taurine 1000 mg glucuronolactone 600 mg caffeine 80 mg Note that there is no ephedra, guarana or ginseng in Red Bull. There seems to be some concern in the medical community about mixing with alcohol. But, from what I have read, it doesn’t seem to boil down to much more than: 1. Caffeine is bad for you. 2. Alcohol is bad for you 3. Taking a stimulant when you are drunk may make you think you are less drunk than you actually are.