Local Parents Warn Of Troubling Trend Popping Up At Maine Schools; Urge Caregivers To Talk To Kids About Energy Drinks

A Bangor mom is sounding the alarm about something her son experienced that could have had dire consequences for her son's health.

Jessica Lundquist used to work in an Emergency Department. Her husband, Dr. Bryan Lundquist, is a local physician. The couple has five sons, two of whom attend a local high school. Lundquist explained that one of the boys came up to her recently, mentioning that he had an elevated heart rate and that someone at school had taken his blood pressure, and it was 149/80, and began to explain why.

Lundquist says she listened as her son described to her a "prank" that a group of his male peers had allegedly played on the boy. He said the group gathered outside of school and mixed several energy drinks, including 'Monster', 'Rockstar', and 'Gamer Fuel' together in a Gatorade bottle. Her son went on to detail how the boys allegedly brought the concoction to the high school, calling it "Epstein's Final Stand," and the drink was given to her son, who drank it, apparently unaware of what the drink contained. At some point after he'd been drinking it, he was told what was in it, but had already consumed half the bottle.

It's not clear whether the kids in question got the idea from similar social "challenges" or pranks that are currently going around, or if they came up with the idea on their own.

Lundquist says by the time her son revealed to her what had happened, later that evening, several hours had already passed. The boy's resting heart rate remained at 120 bpm, significantly higher than normal. Lundquist says her son is on medication, which could have interacted negatively with that much caffeine, something she says these students had no clue about.

"These kids that do stupid pranks, they don't know what medications somebody might be taking, they don't know that stuff. They'll just be like 'Hey, drink this,' or 'Hey, do this,' and somebody could go into cardiac arrest, or somebody could stop breathing. All because they want to do something funny. And that's what I was trying to drive home to my son."

That's why Lindquist is urging parents and caregivers to speak to their students about the dangers of taking or sharing unknown substances and drinks from anyone at school, even their "friends" or peers, particularly energy drinks.

She said she reached out to the administration at the High School her sons attend to let them know what happened, and that she was unimpressed with their response.

We also reached out to local school officials, who stated that there is no current policy regarding energy drink consumption in the Bangor School system and that they were unaware of any risky energy drink behavior going on within the schools.

But other local educators have taken notice of the possible problems these highly caffeinated substances can cause for students.

Zack Freeman, Principal at the Hermon Middle School, says educators there have seen an uptick in younger students bringing these energy drinks to school and sharing them with friends. He even reached out to folks via the Hermon Middle School Facebook Page earlier this month, enlisting parents to help with the concerning situation.

"While we understand these are popular, we are seeing an increasing number of students bringing multiple drinks each day, specifically to share with their peers.
We have found that students are distributing these unbeknownst to other parents, many of whom may object to their students consuming a highly caffeinated drink. Because these drinks can affect a student's heart rate, focus, and energy levels throughout the day, it is important that parents maintain oversight of what their children consume."

Freeman's suggestions echoed what Lundquist also urged: that parents need to be talking to their kids about consuming these substances, and about the dangers sharing them could pose to other children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has taken a stance on the subject of kids drinking energy drinks and warns that drinks that contain high levels of sugar and/or caffeine can, over time, lead to weight gain and diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease. They say the addictive nature of these drinks can cause troublesome problems for people, as well.

"Children and adults who drink caffeine may have symptoms like headaches, irritability, or fatigue after the effect of the caffeine wears off. The AAP says adolescents should not consume energy drinks, and the National Federation of State High School Associations recommends young athletes not use energy drinks for hydration. Yet, 30%-50% of teens reported consuming these beverages."

The Cleaveland Clinic says that if an individual is having an adverse reaction to an energy drink, they can often present with these symptoms:

"Initial symptoms can include:

Increased heart rate, feeling like your heart is racing (heart palpitations), Headache,
anxiety, feeling jittery or agitated, increased peeing, increased thirst (polydipsia),, diarrhea, and trouble sleeping.

Symptoms of a more serious overdose include:

Trouble breathing or shortness of breath (dyspnea), sudden high blood pressure (hypertension), muscle twitching, confusion Nausea and vomiting, and seizures."

Lunquist says she has also heard of issues with kids passing around nicotine gum at school, and believes that kids are dabbling with substances they may not fully understand are risky and could be downright dangerous if given to children with underlying issues or sensitivities to caffeine or stimulants.

She says she and her husband would like to make other parents aware of the issue, to open up opportunities for dialogue between parents and children regarding the situation.

"Tell their teens not to drink anything unless they know what it is. This was in a Gatorade Bottle. He thought he was drinking Gatorade."