JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Poison control centers across the country are seeing a 20% increase in calls about children overconsuming energy drinks, according to a 2023 study from America's Poison Centers.
Jacksonville's director of the Duval County-based Florida's Poison Information Center, Dr. Dawn Sollee, told First Coast News they are just shy of 100 calls regarding children's exposure to an energy drink, 98 to be exact.
Sollee predicts they will be around where they were at the end of 2023, which had 134 patients across the state.
"When you look at what number of those were under the age of or at the age of five or under, there were 52 in 2023, and so far we have 40 so far," Sollee said. "So, definitely it's one of those things that kids are getting into the product."
Sollee said what entices children to take a sip of energy drinks is the packaging, comparing the bright colors and pictures of fruit to what's on a juice box.
“They've got all these neat flavors, makes them very appealing to a child and they don't realize that the caffeine is in there,” she said.
The symptoms of overconsuming that much caffeine can scare a child or teen. In severe cases, some parents have reported their children having caffeine poisoning and going into cardiac arrest.
"The amount of caffeine might be okay for an adult, but for a child, they're a lot more susceptible to the increase in heart rate," said Sollee. "That can happen, the agitation that can happen, the nausea that can happen."
To prevent your pick-me-up drink getting in the wrong hands, Sollee recommends parents to think about what height their children can reach before placing their open drink down.
“Especially when you have a toddler around, it's very easy for them to come up behind when there's a product put out on the counter that an adult was drinking, and a child to come up behind and then drink it again, imitating their adult parent in that situation,” she said.
Sollee also advises parents to separate where they store energy drinks versus other kid-friendly beverages to help children understand the difference.
If your child consumes energy drinks, or finds themselves in another emergency, parents can call Florida Poison Control Center of Jacksonville at 1-800-222-1222 to speak to a health care professional at any time of the day.