Red Bull - how bad is it for you?

I've got into a little routine in the last week or so of drinking two cans of red bull on a morning instead of my usual coffee. I usually have another one on the afternoon, and sometimes a fourth one on an evening.

My question is: is it really bad for you? I read on Wikipedia that it's not good to drink *quite* so much as I have been doing, so I know I'll have to cut down.

Reason I'm asking, really, is that I've been ill 3 days out of the last 5... I've been off work twice this week (well, working from home, really) and today I feel really ill as well (have just had to cancel night out x loads).

Might it be the red bull? I'd never drunk it before the other week, and since discovering it I can't get enough of it...
I can't find anywhere on the web that tells you the symptoms of overdoing it, though. My symptoms are that I feel totally nauseous - for instance, I haven't managed to eat anything yet today. Half of me is flippin starvin and the other half gets a semi-retch on at the mere thought of food *sobs*

Grateful for any exchange of experience.

I wouldn't go near the stuff on a bet.

Here's a wild crazy out-of-left-field idea: Stop drinking it for a while and see if you feel better.

There could be 2 sides to your illness - I don't know how much coffee you drank, but if you've cut it out totally and your body was addicted, it might be ill because of that. Plus Red Bull as a replacement isn't healthy (I don't know how unhealthy though) so your body has to deal with all that crap it's putting into you. Sounds like a relaxing detox might be in order, then you can slowly go back onto the poison of your choice once your body has recovered and can deal with it again.

It's got a ton of suger and caffeine, about three times as much caffeine as the same volume of normal colas. The only problem is that as an "energy drink" it not only doesn't replenish minerals and salts, it helps further dehydrate you due to the caffeine. Add vodka on top of that and the dehydration caused is not insignificant.

There's nothing besides caffeine in it that's in any way physically addictive.

woof.

Sorry to hear you're unwell. I have no idea whether or not Red Bull is bad for you, I've actually never had any. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the way you feel right now but if I were you I would stop drinking it and see if it makes a difference. Hope you feel better soon.

thanks for the advice and sympathy, everyone
i'll definitely stop drinking it, i think
hopefully that will do the trick

#1 of course it's a drug (legal, like nicotine and coffee and alcohol and stuff)
#2 of course your reaction to it is as unique as the person you are
#3 the only way to find out whether your body hates Red Bull or just picked up a virus somewhere is to lay off the stuff for a while, then start drinking it again, and monitor your reaction

Like, for instance, I fall asleep when I drink coffee. Or at least feel like not doing anything strenuous. No kidding. My system either doesn't like caffein and shuts me down so I can't drink more, or likes it too much, but thinks it's like valium

No coke, no coffee, no black tea for me. All sorts of legal and illegal other drugs are fine, though. Don't ask.

Sure you're not pregnant?

bloody nora, i hope not

After drinking it, do you feel like shitting on a bird or the bird shit on you?

I think you just overdosed on the caffeine. Not good for you at all.

bound to be a red calf then

Also consider measuring your heart rate to see if you yet drank too much of the stuff.

I think it also has a lot of calories, it is very sweet... (used to do this earlier, the thing you did, Topsy, in very stressful and hard exam sessions, but I would never repeat it... I was dancing on the ceiling from two Red Bulls and could barely concentrate on my stuff!).
Well, maybe it is because of those high calories and the sweetness that you lost your appetite.

If you drink a lot of water, it will go away, I think... take care. I think it is not as bad as coffee, for the stomach, it is less acidic... but who knows what else it does to your body... blood pressure, pulse, nervous system... I don't know about these things too much.

Anyway, good reminder, I think I will have to drink one, later on, today... just one, okay... otherwise I sleep in at 20:00 again... and start haunting TT as early as 4a.m. competing for the prize of the "only user in the village" - no thanks, not again!

By the way, it contains "taurine", not caffeine, it is something different... careful with it...!

Ingredients: carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, sodium citrate, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, niacin, D-pantothenol, pyridoxine HCL, vitamin B12, artificial flavours, colors

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 8.3 fl. oz Servings per Container: 1 Amount per serving: Calories: 110 Total Fat: 0g Sodium: 200mg Protein: 0g Total Carbohydrates: 28g Sugars: 27g

I like those Vivil energy sweets... caffeine, taurin and guarana!

Well, it is just the sweet taste, not the calories, then... hm, so, both taurine AND caffeine, huh... I heard taurine is stronger...

Obviously, this drink has very low nutrition value, except for the vitamins maybe... well then, it doesn't substitute for food, especially not for carbohydrates, are you better today, Topsy?
I think glucose can take one's appetite quite easily... water it.

I'm not feeling better, no
maybe it takes 48 hours to wear off, or summat

i was drinking the sugar-free stuff, dunno if that makes it better or worse...

Maybe you should check with a doctor?
I hope you get well soon, Topsy!

I think the sugar free stuff is even worse. Why would anybody want to drink this crap? Red Bull is vile shite. I would say stop drinking this kind of shite in any form. Go back to the good old cup of morning coffee.

i have stopped drinking it now, iain
actually, am feeling a bit better this afternoon, but still a bit weird

thanks for everybody's kind wishes

I drink around 3-4 a day, and have done so for over 2 years.

I miss Mountain Dew *sniffle*

You are addicted, then! Wow, taurine addicted person... how is it?

I don't understand how anyone can drink that stuff. I drank it once, and it just brought back a flood of memories. It tastes just like St. Joseph's baby aspirin.

I'd say just stay off it completely until you feel fine again. Even if it isn't the Red Bull that's making you ill, it's just extra junk that your body has to deal with while it tries to get better. Then again, I would also say, stay off the coffee, but that's just cos I'm a weird tea person. Oh, and try drinking lots of water - that should help to clean out your system. Hope you get better soon, anyway.

Topsy only feels ill on days where there's no pub quiz. If there was a pub quiz every day of the week, she'd be fit as a fiddle!

I cant stand the stuff but I know a lot of Germans that love it. Ive also seen people drinking Red Bull and vodka in bars and what not. Bleh.

Interesting Canadian Article on Redbull & Side Effects

Hang in there Topsy, Im entering week 2 or 3 (Ive lost count) of kicking the caffeine. Im dopey but less caffeine rebound type headaches than before.

shit, after reading that link jml- I don't think I will ever touch the stuff again.

I have been caffine free for 4 years now, and if I do have the odd cola I really to notice the effect it has on me.

Although not with Red Bull, but another similar drink by Coca Cola (forget the name), Mr. hams had 'an arrhythmic episode' (as mentioned in jml's link) at a party; and completely freaked out as he couldn't breathe properly and his heart was pumping like galloping horses. Took him a couple of hours to recover and since then he's never touched the stuff.

When it started of in Austria (in something like 1990 I think it was) they prohibited it in Germany because of the same "effects" like in this Canadian article. It was branded unhealthy, addictive, a drug - best was some "experts" and papers claimed there was pressed bull testicles in there. The same thig of labeling the drink happened in every country it was about to be introduced. All the labeling only had oe effect: people were going like mad for this stuff!

Never had any problems with RB, only the taste is a bit too sweet imho...

Could be worse, or better, depending on your viewpoint I guess. There's always real cocaine in a can.

I could certainly use a vodka-red bull right now...

Vodka red bull is as fucking bent as going out and drinking fucking starbucks fuckwitaccinomoccashite all night. Red bull should be illegal, its about 3000000000 times worse for you than pot man.

I don't make it a habit... just need the boost.

Jolt?

Just asked Mr. Hams and apparently it was called 'Burn'.
(Correction: not a Coca Cola brand)