Teenage caffeine related hospital visits are rare, but the number of visits have roughly doubled over the past six years. 

That’s according to  Indiana University’s Riley Children’s Health hospital, which analyzed over 223 million hospital visits of patients ages 11 to 35, from 2017 to 2023. 

According to a 2024 national poll by C.S. Motts Children’s Hospital, 43% of teens drink caffeinated beverages because it’s their favorite product, 23% because their peers drink them, 18% to stay awake and 13% to help study and focus. 

“There are guidelines for children ages 12 to 18 that suggest a limit of 100 milligrams of caffeine per day,” roughly equivalent to about two cans of soda a day, the hospital states on their website. 

Maddie Hawkins, a Colorado Rocky Mountain School junior, said she drinks “about one Red Bull a day.”

Dr. Greg Feinsinger, a retired local physician in the Valley, gave a breakdown of ingredients in a 8.4oz  Red Bull, and the recommended consumption limits for each. A Red Bull contains 105 milligrams of sodium, while the maximum amount recommended in 24 hours is 1,500 milligrams, according to Feinsinger. The energy drink contains 26 grams of sugar.

“That’s a lot of sugar, which for optimal health should be avoided,” Feinsinger wrote in an email to
The Sopris Stars. 

A can also contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, “which is equivalent to a cup of coffee,” Feinsinger said.

“So, if you drink just one can of Red Bull it’s not terrible for you, but certainly it doesn’t enhance your health,” he said. 

Coffee is commonly mentioned in conversations as a healthier alternative. 

“Coffee has some health benefits, in that coffee beans have lots of antioxidants and other micronutrients,” Feinsinger said. 

He added, however, that coffee can cause raised blood pressure, contribute to heartburn and create sleep problems in individuals of all ages.

“If someone drinks even a cup of coffee in the morning, some of the caffeine is still in their bloodstream when they are trying to fall asleep,” Feinsinger said.

A single energy drink does not necessarily have any more adverse health effects than coffee, though it doesn’t carry some of  the same benefits. 

Hawkins said she drinks coffee occasionally. 

“When I walk to Starbucks, yeah, but making it is complicated,” she said, adding that a Red Bull is easier and takes less time to prepare.