Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Full Throttle and Rockstar are refreshing boosts for most people, but in bipolar consumers they may trigger mania.

They contain, along with lots of stimulating caffeine, chemicals such as taurine and inositol which have been found at elevated levels in brains during mania and psychosis.

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry documents a case report of a bipolar man who was hospitalized after drinking two Red Bulls.

Caffeine is known to exacerbate manic symptoms on its own. Ginseng is another stimulant best avoided, as well.

One study suggests, however, that the effects of Red Bull may be due to caffeine alone.

Even so, there’s reason to be cautious about consuming high doses of caffeine, especially while manic or hypomanic.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 20 Jan 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.