Colo. stores ban sickening drink
DENVER - A high school has banned a caffeine-packed energy drink and 7-Eleven has pulled it from its stores in Colorado after some students said it had made them sick and shaky, and had caused their hearts to race.
DENVER - A high school has banned a caffeine-packed energy drink and 7-Eleven has pulled it from its stores in Colorado after some students said it had made them sick and shaky, and had caused their hearts to race.
About a half-dozen students became sick in the last two weeks and two were hospitalized after drinking Spike Shooter, made by Biotest Laboratories LLC. All recovered within hours, said Dennis Vigil, assistant principal at Doherty High School in Colorado Springs.
A warning on the can says the drink isn't meant for anyone under 18, said Biotest spokesman Tom DeNardin. The drink contains roughly the same amount of caffeine as two to three five-ounce cups of coffee.
"It's not targeted at all toward high school [students]," DeNardin said. "That is not what the intent was."
7-Eleven Inc. pulled the drink from all 222 of its company-owned stores in Colorado after the school asked nearby stores to limit sales to students, spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said. The corporation had never recommended Spike Shooter to its stores, and it was not distributed by the company's approved suppliers, she said.
A company Web site says Spike Shooter contains 300 milligrams of caffeine per 8.4 ounces. By comparison, a five-ounce cup of coffee contains on average 80 to 115 milligrams of caffeine, according to the London-based International Coffee Organization.
The Web site warns consumers to "begin use with one-half can to determine tolerance." It adds: "Keep out of reach of children." *