

One study found that 43% of 13-to-15-year-olds had tried them.ĭoctors typically do a spinal tap to check for an infection or inflammation in the brain. The statistics are shocking about the use of energy drinks at younger ages. That’s when the stroke or hemorrhage shows up on a CT or MRI scan.īecause patients are too young to have developed the usual risk factors for stroke - like high blood pressure or high cholesterol - doctors must look for another cause. Patients are sent home until the persistent headache brings them back to the ER. The initial scan can look normal, however, so RCVS may be overlooked at first, she says. The agonizing headache sends most patients to the hospital, where they get a CT scan of the brain.

Unfortunately, there is no way to test for who will develop RCVS and who will not. Others are very sensitive to begin with, and can develop RCVS the first time they consume one,” says Dr. “Some people who have been drinking energy drinks for some time become more sensitive to them as time goes on. Why do energy drinks cause RCVS?Įxperts aren’t sure why energy drinks trigger RCVS. However, “the treatments are totally different,” she adds. Both share similar symptoms and trigger strokes early in life. Hajj-Ali, an expert in central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis - a rare inflammatory disease affecting the brain’s arteries - says RCVS often mimics CNS vasculitis. Other symptoms can include tingling and numbness in different parts of the body, as well as seizures.ĭr. “It comes on very intensely, within minutes.” “The most important symptom of RCVS is a severe thunderclap headache - the worst headache you’ve ever felt in your life,” notes Dr. Hajj-Ali says some people have a stroke and never recover, and in in very rare cases, RCVS can cause death. This sudden spasm of the brain’s blood vessels can either restrict its blood supply or cause a hemorrhage.Īlthough RCVS is reversible, it is not a benign disease. The condition that can trigger a stroke after downing an energy drink is reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, or RCVS. “These are typically young, otherwise healthy people in their 30s and 40s.” What is it that causes a stroke? We find that some people who use them come into the hospital with strokes or severe brain hemorrhages,” warns rheumatologist Rula Hajj-Ali, MD. “Energy drinks have megadoses of caffeine and sometimes other stimulants. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
