ER doctor sees increase in kids combining energy drinks, alcohol
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — An emergency room doctor in Winston-Salem says she’s seeing more kids come in because they’ve combined an energy drink and alcohol.
Dr. Mary O’Brien of Wake Forest University Medical Center says people think energy drinks can lessen the effects of alcohol, so they drink more. She says people believe they aren’t drunk when they actually are.
O’Brien says her interest in the trend stemmed from her treatment of a local college student who had been partying all night and came in very sedated. She says the student was basically
comatose.
The doctor says the major problem is that in extreme doses, energy drinks and alcohol can cause rapid heart beat, high blood pressure and cognitive and behavioral effects. She says people need to be aware of exactly what they are putting into their bodies.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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