Overview
- Nottingham clinicians describe a middle‑aged man drinking about eight energy drinks daily—roughly 1,200–1,300 mg of caffeine—who suffered a thalamic stroke.
- On admission his blood pressure was 254/150 mmHg, with left‑sided weakness along with gait and speech difficulties documented.
- After he stopped energy drinks, his blood pressure normalized and antihypertensive medication was discontinued, though persistent numbness remained years later.
- The treating team concluded high‑strength energy drinks were at least partly contributory via secondary hypertension that preceded the stroke.
- Recent studies link these beverages to elevated blood pressure and cardiac electrical changes, and physicians and pediatric groups are urging clearer labels, age limits and tighter marketing as youth use and emergency visits increase.