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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3 Comments to
“Energy drinks and mania”
I have learned the hard way …I have bi-polar disorder/borderline personality disorder. I absolutly CANNOT drink any more than one cup of coffee at home.(Perked) I no longer have even go near the coffee shops the caffine sends me feeling very detached and shakey. I wouldn’t even dare to try the energy drinks…….
I am a 23 year old male who was diagnosed with ipolar disorder four years ago and have it completely under control. Recently I have taken an interest in energy drinks (especially AMP) to help me on days when I don’t get much sleep due to all of my involvement in the many areas of my academic, professional, and personal life. They can be very bad for me…especially when I am stressed and sleep deprived, but they have never sent me into a full on manic episode. They have made me hypomanic and the crash was not fun, but could have been much worse.
I am very lucky to have my condition under control so much so that I have a little leway in consuming caffine or alcohal….but only because I am so aware and so cautious. Plus I have a case that is slightly more mild than most.
After four year of studying psychology, psychiatry, and nuero-biology (including my own brain and condition) I would strongly advise against consuming energy drinks if you are bipolar. But if you must, please do so with caution and in moderation.
I have found the same the red bull and other energy drinks to put me into a hypomanic phase. I have also found though that 5 hour powers will bring me out of a depersion. The drink is mostly vitamin B which has been shown to help with deprison. The only down side is I don’t tend to come down after just 5 hours. If I have more then 1 I am up sometimes for days.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 20 Jan 2006
