Do energy drinks make you feel odd?
 

Had a couple of cans of Celsius the other day both working out at the gym and in my squeeze bottle on the ride home - had a great workout but felt really funky a while later. I sense it was because of the Celsius. Hard to describe but felt mildly queasy, something was just off - it wasn't a good feeling. Very similar to the way I felt when I tried Crystal Light years ago and concluded that Aspartame doesn't agree with my system, but there's no Aspartame in Celsius. Anyone else experience something like this?

200 mg of caffeine is a lot if you are not used to it.

All of the sugar substitutes make me feel weird. Also, that's about 5 cans of soda worth of caffeine. So you were likely "crashing" a little.

Celsius has no sugar, it uses sucralose (i.e. Splenda.) But I personally have more of a reaction to drinks loaded with those sugar substitutes or sugar alcohols than I do to stuff with lots of actual sugar.

Well, i'm not the thread starter, so I can't speak for him-- but I tend to avoid energy drinks entirely.

I've avoided the "energy drinks" for just that reason.

So, a cup of coffee has about 95 mg. Thus 2 cans of Celsius has the equivalent of about 4 cups of coffee.

When I was drinking a lot of coffee, I found that my energy levels would essentially return to "normal" when drinking the coffee, but would crash shortly after finishing a cup.

It's a highly processed food, so I wouldn't trust it. The only things I drink in significant amounts are coffee and water. I have a small glass of grapefruit juice in the morning. Occasionally, I will mix it with water. If I'm on a very long ride, I will have a sugary drink or a gatorade-type drink, but it's very rare.

best in all in all, stay away from energy drinks

I never use energy drinks. If you need one IMO, you are not eating or sleeping correctly.

I have never consumed an energy drink.

This is interesting. Can you describe the reaction you have to sugar alcohols?

I ask because sugar alcohols don't agree with me at all. The laxative effect is well documented but it seems to be particularly strong for me - not at all convenient on the bike. They also make me fell mildly ill, queasy and light headed if consumed rapidly, downing a drink or bar at a rest stop for example.

Would be interesting to hear what you say.


-Tim-

I have diverticulitis, which is I think what prevents the sugar alcohols from having any laxative effect on me-- so instead they just reward me with feelings ranging from general malaise to upset stomach with a bit of reflux. I can also taste them in pretty much whatever food they're in, which I'm thankful of as I can then stop eating whatever it is after the first bite. Even sugar-free gum gets me-- I can have maybe 2 pieces, but a third will have me regretting it. I took a drink of my wife's Atkins no-carb "sugar-free" sports drink she takes on the bike rides, and it immediately gave me the sweats. That was weird.

But when it comes to my old friend white sugar, I used to be able to sit and eat fudge until everyone else is ready to throw up from the sight of it. The diverticulitis took my beloved soda away from me (I spent my 20s and 30s as a 6-pack-a-day Dr. Pepper man) so my typical daily sugar intake dropped +300g instantly. Now everything sweet is too sweet-- a 2oz piece of fudge at Universal Studios took me an hour to finish. But it doesn't give me anything like rapid heart rate or anything-- it's literally just too sweet. Frosting? No way. The darker the chocolate the better.

If you're not used to large amounts of caffeine and sugar, energy drinks can quickly put you into overload. I've seen people get the shakes, break into a cold sweat, have anxiety attacks, breathe like a freight train, and even get chest pain. I've cut way back on the caffeine I consume so that even a 12 oz diet Coke makes me very alert and mildly buzzing for a couple hours.

I'm not going to preach for or against energy drinks, just know what you are drinking and pay attention to what your body is telling you.