Over-Charged: Caffeine is extremely unhealthy for young people and can be dangerous in some cases

I sprung from my car and ran through the doors of the Panera in Corinth Square, frantically clicking through the kiosk to find the Strawberry Lemon Mint Charged Lemonade — my usual Panera drink.

But it was no usual day. It was dance-team-tryout-day and I was in desperate need of an extra boost of energy.

Instead of reaching for the 20 fl oz cup like I normally would, I grabbed the 30 fl oz cup. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s just 10 fl oz more of lemonade, it can’t be that much more caffeine — and that’s where I was wrong.

I raced back to East, sipping my lemonade all the way there. By the time I was inside East, I had chugged half my drink, twitching as I walked through the gymnasium doors — but that was normal. After I finished stretching and my drink I started to really shake but not from nerves. It was the caffeine.

While I’ve never been an avid caffeine drinker, I vowed to never have a large cup of Charged Lemonade ever again after experiencing one of the many side effects that people experience: nervousness, irritability, nausea, cardiovascular symptoms and insomnia, according to the National Library of Medicine.

The health risks involved with teens drinking caffeine outweigh the few benefits, and teenagers should realize the risk that they put themselves in every single day when they decide to take a sip of an energy drink. 

According to the medicine department at the University of Michigan, kids from 12 to 18 years old should consume at most 100 mg of caffeine daily — one 30 fl oz cup of Charged Lemonade from Panera has almost four times this amount of caffeine at 390 mg.

Panera is even being sued on this issue. A court case was filed in Philadelphia after 21-year-old Sarah Katz — who had a pre-existing heart condition, QT syndrome type 1 — died after drinking one of the charged lemonades, unaware of its high caffeine dosage, according to NBC News

Due to this lawsuit, Panera has hung up signs stating the risks associated with drinking the lemonade. The signs include warnings, such as “Not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.” 

Have you ever heard of something more ridiculous? A company is being sued for having too much caffeine in their drinks. In this caffeine-addicted society, where almost half of  East students drink caffeine at least once a day, according to an Instagram poll of 233 votes — this must mean something.

But this isn’t the first time a person has died from high amounts of caffeine. In 2017, a 16-year-old boy died after consuming a Mountain Dew, Cafe Latte from McDonald’s and another unnamed energy drink within the span of two hours, according to verywellhealth.com.

While it is still rare to die from caffeine overdose, according to verywellhealth.com, an addiction to caffeine is still extremely dangerous. Once someone is addicted to caffeine, withdrawal symptoms can include headaches, fatigue, low attention span, irritability, depression, anxiety and even flu-like symptoms like vomiting.

Teenagers today shouldn’t be risking their health just to feel artificial happiness throughout the day. It simply isn’t worth it.

Instead of reaching for an energy drink in the morning, try taking a cold shower in the morning to stimulate blood circulation, or going outdoors. According to a CNN wellness and fitness contributor, spending time outside is a more natural and long-lasting way to get energy when compared to caffeine.

Finding natural ways to gain energy will ultimately improve a teen’s mental health instead of giving them a temporary high. Since eliminating the large cup of Charged Lemonade from my diet, I have been able to find different ways to energize my body successfully.

So before you crack open your next Celsius, think about how a caffeine addiction may take over your life and discover different ways to unlock the energy already inside of you.