Shocked Queensland Mum Shares a Warning After Her Teenage Daughter’s “Energy Drink Seizure”

A Queensland mum has shared a warning about energy drinks after her fourteen-year-old daughter suffered “what appeared to be a seizure” brought on after consuming a single can of energy drink she had purchased from a supermarket earlier that day.

Donna Honan took to Facebook to share her shock and concern with fellow parents, asking if anyone else had either experienced similar symptoms or heard of related cases.

She wrote:

Last night at around midnight I called an ambulance to our home for the first time ever.

My middle (14yr old) daughter began uncontrollably jerking and twitching in what appeared to be a seizure.

The ambo’s were amazing! And I was shocked to find the culprit…. this 500ml can of energy drink she had drank earlier in the afternoon.

The ambo’s went on to tell me they get call outs at least 4 times EVERY week from teens drinking these things.

Then suffering rapid heart rate, involuntary body trembles etc. Occasionally resulting in a fatality!!!

I knew these were unhealthy but had no idea they were downright dangerous! Has anyone else had this happen or heard of this before?

Ms Honan told Yahoo7 that her daughter, Felicity, had never had any form of a seizure before Friday night. She confirmed that she didn’t suffer from any known medical condition, nor does she take any medications that could have brought the episode on.

“She had eaten dinner as normal and we were watching TV as a family. After the movie, she went to get ready for bed then came out about 15 minutes later saying something is wrong,” the Coolum mum explained.

“Her muscles were all twitching and trembling, and her upper body was sporadically jerking in uncontrollable bursts. Her teeth were chattering uncontrollably also.”

“I was racking my brain and thought maybe something had bitten her! I didn’t even know she bought one until the ambos asked her questions,” she wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday.

“I thought she was having some sort of neurological disorder, the convulsions were quite severe.”

I know when I’ve had too much coffee, one of my eyelids begins to twitch. Sometimes a little muscle above my top lip can develop a tic as well. It’s uncontrollable and a definite sign that I need to cut back on the caffeine for the day.

I can only imagine what it must have felt like for poor Felicity. This is a timely warning for all parents to have a quick conversation with their teens about the adverse effects of energy drinks on their young, growing bodies.

A 500ml can of Rockstar (Guava Punched flavour) Energy Drink contains 160mg of caffeine, according to the Cancer Council, which is about the equivalent of two standard cups of coffee. There is also 83.5g of sugar in each can, measuring up to 21 teaspoons!

Ms Honan said she had no idea a single can could cause such a reaction, especially given there were no restrictions on purchasing the products in supermarkets and convenience stores.

“I knew these were unhealthy but had no idea they were downright dangerous!

“It is very concerning that these drinks are available in supermarkets given the potential danger of consuming them.”

If a reaction similar to Felicity’s is experienced, it is advised to drink plenty of water to flush the drink from the person’s system.

Source: Facebook/Donna Honan and Felicity Honan