How much caffeine is too much? Poison centers see spike in calls about kids, energy drinks

(NEXSTAR) – Poison control centers around the U.S. received approximately 24% more calls concerning kids and their consumption of energy drinks in 2023 than the year before, according to data from America’s Poison Centers.

More specifically, America’s Poison Centers (formerly the American Association of Poison Control Centers) said there were 2,694 calls to its centers “pediatric human exposures to energy drinks” in 2023 compared to 2,168 in 2022. The cases also hadn’t spiked like this in previous years, according to America’s Poison Centers (APC), which collected the data from the 55 poison centers it represents throughout the country.

“The 6–12-year-old age range had the largest proportional increase in exposures to energy drinks,” spiking 20% over the four-year period between 2020 and 2023, the APC added in an emailed statement obtained by Nexstar.

APC said the majority (78%) of the pediatric exposure calls in 2023 concerned kids and teens who had inadvertently consumed too much caffeine via an energy drink, rather than knowingly consuming the caffeine-loaded beverages. It’s also worth noting that “severity of medical outcomes” did not spike significantly.

Still, an increase in potential adverse effects among kids and teens would be “concerning,” Dr. Maryann Amirshahi, the co-director of the National Capital Poison Center (NCPC), told Nexstar.

“This is likely related to the fact that in recent years, there has been not only a significant increase in the number and type of energy drinks available on the market, but also the caffeine content of these drinks has increased as well,” added Amirshahi, also a professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown University.

Articles published by the NCPC (the D.C.-based APC-accredited poison center) also suggest that marketing — in part from social-media influencers — has increasingly targeted younger consumers in recent years.

“Poison Control has logged calls about children as young as 2 years old downing energy drinks,” reads one article at Poison.org, the official site of the NCPC. “Pre-teens and teens often use energy drinks when they play sports, though pediatricians don’t recommend it.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), meanwhile, cited a survey which indicated “30%-50% of teens” self-reported that the consume energy drinks despite recommendations that they consume none at all. (Some physicians recommend teenagers limit any intake to 100mg per day, an amount that’s exceeded in containers of many popular energy drink brands, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.) Caffeinated beverages can lead to hyperactivity, anxiety, poor sleep and “poor decision-making,” the AAP adds, explaining that caffeinated drinks may be addictive and lead to withdrawal symptoms, just like in adults.

In severe cases, consuming caffeine can lead to jitters, racing heartbeats, heart palpitations and heartburn among other symptoms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“A big overdose of caffeine can mean seizures and even death,” adds Poison.org.

Adults, meanwhile, can generally handle 400mg of caffeine before experiencing any negative effects, the Food and Drug Administration says. That’s about two or three 12-ounce servings, according to the FDA — but it could be less depending on where you get your coffee and which roast you choose. Two servings of a caffeinated energy drink may also put adults at risk of “potentially toxic effects,” Amirshahi said.

“Additionally, some energy drinks contain additional herbal stimulant mixtures that can have a synergistic effect with caffeine, increasing the risk of toxicity,” she added.

But when it comes to kids, the best method for preventing excess caffeine exposure is education.

“Outside of the caffeine content, energy drinks are also not really part of a healthy diet,” Amirshahi said. “It is important that parents discuss the dangers of consuming too much caffeine with their children and teens, particularly as many of these beverages have packaging that appeals to children and adolescents.”

Emergency assistance from America’s Poison Centers is available by phone at 1.800.222.1222. Visit PoisonHelp.org for additional resources, information and support.