[doydie]

I'm wondering if anyone has tried the '5 hour energy drink' or anything like it. I know it would be to expensive for a daily dose but if you had a special occasion like a wedding or for me, a trip to an amuzement park with the grand kids.

[lady_express_44]

Do you mean like "Rock Star"?

I haven't tried them, but my daughter does occasionally.

Cherie

[braingonebad]

I tried 5 hour energy and it didn't touch me. You may get better results though. I can't do Rock star - too many herbals. There is some off brand dry stuff at Wal Mart - a packet you add to water - and that does help me some. And for $2/10 packs, that's not a bad deal. Sorry, can't remember what it was called.

[AfterMyNap]

Somebody's buying them, Doyd. Just last night I saw dozens of varieties of them in the cold singles case and could not believe my eyes! Based on the packaging, it's really only a novel trend for youngun's, most of them look like scary comic books.

[doydie]

I was talking about those little 2 ounce 'shots'. But I guess any of the energy drinks would count. I can't really say that caffeine affects me that much but those little 5 hour energy things, all they have is vitamins.

[ewizabeth]

My 20-something sons sometimes buy them. I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole! I think most of them have caffeine and sugar for main ingredients.

[hotfoot]

Originally Posted by doydie

I'm wondering if anyone has tried the '5 hour energy drink' or anything like it. I know it would be to expensive for a daily dose but if you had a special occasion like a wedding or for me, a trip to an amuzement park with the grand kids.

Doydie--

Always share your symptoms and discuss supplements (including energy drinks and caffeine) with your neurologist. People with heart problems, diabetes, or other conditions may not be able to take certain supplements or it could interfere with other medications.

I followed this path because I am careful, but I have no medical background. I am in my latter 30s and was diagnosed with MS just over 2 years ago. I am otherwise healthy, eat well, and get moderate exercise.

Stages to Combat Fatigue:
1. Are you eating properly? Daily vitamin? Do you get enough water and protein? Do you use products with Equal/Aspartame/Phenylalanine or MSG or nitrates? Try to cut them out of your diet. People with MS may be more sensitive to these compounds! Read every label! Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats!

2. Are you exercising? Are you sleeping enough? Stressed? Be good to yourself!

3. Don't ignore Gatorade, mineral water, Ensure, or drinks with electrolytes. Tried coffee? Try espresso. Double espresso. Double espresso with coffee! Now, More water! Caffeine dehydrates you.

4. Next, try part of an energy drink with a meal at lunch and see how it makes you feel. Certain brands have sugar-free formulas--but only use the ones with sucralose, not aspartame! I prefer Rockstar varieties. All of them taste better chilled.

5. If you are not bothered by a small amount of an energy drink and feel less fatigued, try different varieties and brands, or drink more of the same. The 5-hour energy shot really works well on me, but I only drink 1/3 to 1/2 a bottle in one day. It has a screw-on cap and can be re-refrigerated.

6. There are fatigue medications that work for some of us MS'ers, but they don't work for everyone and you don't want to rely on them entirely as a means to stay awake. Speak to your neurologist.

I have days where I am mentally alert, but my eyelids won't cooperate. First, I try eating something healthy and drinking water--and if I still feel very groggy after an hour, then I resort to an energy drink.

Also, some of them taste awful!!!! and some of them are yummy. If you've ever tried Red Bull, you'll know to be prepared for exotic flavors. Look up "energy drink reviews" on your favorite search engine.

Best of luck! Be cautious! Take care of yourself! You know your body best.

[SandyC]

Jim has used the caffeine spray. It really does work.

[Jules A]

Just an FYI, we had a kid come into the ED with a severe reaction to something in one of these drinks so make sure you read the label. I always figure they'd make me pee too much so I haven't ever tried one.

[braingonebad]

The stuff I mentioned is called Power Edge.

It has:

Vit C - 100%
Vit B6 - 100%
Niacin - 100%
Vit B12 -100%
Pantothenic Acid - 100%

Caffiene - 80mgs
Inositol - 35 mgs
Taurine - 500mgs
Gaurana - 90 mgs
Panax Ginsing - 90 mgs

So it's probably about the same as most other energy drinks.

Fatigue meds don't work for me, and I do stay hydrated and take vitamins, etc, etc. I only have used this a couple times when I really needed a boost. I doubt t's a good thing to do on a regular basis, but it dodn't bother me when I used it.