5-Hour Energy Drink Review
At Health and Life, we occasionally relax and engage in corporate team building by watching television. Over the past months we have seen a fair amount of advertising for a product called 5-Hour Energy.
The commercials promise hours of energy now without a crash later. We decided to investigate these claims further and present our analysis to promote discussion and are open to comments and input.
Here’s what we found: 5-Hour Energy likely acts as a stimulant to some degree.
But our research could not find definitive evidence that any of the ingredients in it helps with energy beyond the caffeine.
To see why we say that, scroll down to the Ingredients section, where we look at each ingredient and its potential role in energy boosting.
Personal Experiences
The very first thing we did was schedule interviews with two people who drink 5-Hour Energy. We wanted to hear what they thought and what their experiences were. Both said that they felt it provided significant benefit and both said they felt it did not cause a crash as other energy drinks might.
The first person, Adam, is a pre-medical student taking extremely challenging courses like physics and advanced biochemistry. After pulling an all-nighter shadowing doctors in the ER, he needed something to wake him up and bought a 5-Hour Energy based off commercials.
5-Hour Energy returned him to his baseline energy without jitters and had no crash. He has had it occasionally since then. Although Adam feels that the drink works and meets its advertised claims, he said he does not drink it often, preferring coffee and tea.
The second person, Ethan, is a mathematics student. His classes are so challenging that, in one of them, students have made a habit of taking pictures of other students who had fallen asleep – and almost everyone has done so. In addition to his challenging courses, Ethan is a sponsored snowboarder.
He recalled that he had gone 24 hours without sleeping and was going to go another 25 and needed something to wake him up and decided to try 5-Hour Energy. For Ethan, coffee doesn’t do much – he could drink a cup of strong coffee and fall asleep soon after.
For Ethan, 5-Hour Energy wakes him up and works. He does not think there is a crash, but pointed out that, when he drinks it, he is so tired that he can’t really notice if there is a crash.
These two interviews indicate that 5-Hour Energy is likely to provide energy, does not seem to provide a crash, and is overall effective. Adam expressed some concern about the high level of vitamin b12 in the drink which provided an excellent starting point for our research.
The next step was to analyze the drink from a biological perspective to see if, from the research we looked at, it was likely that the advertised benefits would take place. We obtained a sample of 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength and this is what we found.
Ingredients
Vitamin B12: 5-Hour Energy has 8333% the recommended daily value of vitamin b12, or 83 times the amount you are supposed to consume. This vitamin is involved in the synthesis and repair of damaged cells.
We did not find evidence that vitamin b12 increases energy and some studies we looked at argued that it does not have a benefit in increasing exercise capacity for people who are not deficient in it.
It is possible that vitamin b12 is highly regulated by the body. The research we looked at said that it passes through the body and reaches a dedicated portal entry point.
This may mean that very little vitamin b12 that enters your body has a physiological effect. It is unclear if this regulation is because it is rare in nature or because it might have negative effects. We also read that there is no evidence of long term harm from vitamin b12 supplementation.
Vitamin B6: We noticed that the product had 2000% the recommended daily value of vitamin b6. This vitamin is involved in energy production in the body. We found little evidence of benefits from consumption of vitamin b6 for energy or cognition in people who are not deficient.
Some evidence we found indicated that vitamin b6 deficiency is not that uncommon – one put the number for some form of deficiency as high as 40-60% in athletes, while another put the number at 17-35%.
Other evidence did not indicate that vitamin b6 deficiency is that common. We did notice that deficiency in vitamin b6 is more common in women athletes.
We read an article which said that consumption of vitamin b6 above 200mg per day, or 5 bottles of 5 Hour Energy, can cause nerve toxicity.
Niacin: 5-Hour Energy contains 200% your daily allotment of niacin. Niacin is in general a healthy nutrient and works to improve your good cholesterol levels. From what we looked at, however, it may not have so much effect on energy.
The bottle warns that you may experience redness and flushing from the niacin, or a “niacin flush.” While this is theoretically true, the instances of niacin flush that we found were at much higher doses and given more frequently.
Energy blend: The energy blend in 5-Hour Energy includes taurine, glucuronolactone and caffeine, among others. Our research indicated that this combination of ingredients is highly likely to have positive stimulatory effects.
One study we looked at used just those three ingredients and showed positive results. There, people who drank those ingredients were more alert and clearheaded.
Additionally, rate of action on some tests was improved, while not necessarily improving the amount of answers answered correctly.
On the other hand, a prestigious journal argued that the amounts of taurine that are present in energy drinks in general is far below the level needed for a positive or negative effects. Additionally, the stimulatory effects shown might not be too dissimilar from those obtained from caffeine alone.
Conclusion
5-Hour Energy has an interesting variety of ingredients. While it is likely to provide energy boost, we question the utility of some of the ingredients. We believe that the claim of having no crash is likely to be true.
The data we looked at indicates that occasional use should not be an issue. The article we referenced earlier indicates that consumption of more than several in one day might be an issue, and the label says to not consume more than 2.
Again, this is based off our research into the matter and we are not doctors or toxicologists. We present this piece which consists of our opinions based on our research to promote discussion and scientific discourse and are open to comments and feedback.
Get Rid of Tiredness & Sleep Less
Related Articles:
- Does Quercetin Give You Energy?
- Vitamin D Deficiency – What’s the Story?
- 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Alcohol
Sources:
1) How common is vitamin B-12 deficiency?
2) An evaluation of a caffeinated taurine drink on mood, memory and information processing in healthy volunteers without caffeine abstinence
3) Safety issues associated with commercially available energy drinks Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
4) The mechanism and mitigation of niacin-induced flushing
5) Vitamin B6 for cognition
I drink 5 hour energy everyday because i work graveyard at UPS. I have been drinking 5 hour energy for over a year almost daily and i heard that people have had heart problems because of 5 hour energy, is this true?
Well, I had two 5 hour energy drinks yesterday on a long drive. Took them just about 5 hours apart.
I ended up having to call 911 along my drive and was taken to the closest hospital. My heart rate was all over the place, as was blood pressure and EKG. I felt nauseous, faint, shivering, tingling and thought my heart might stop. I could not calm down with breathing. This all came on suddenly – about 10 minutes after drinking the second one. I am fine now, but I will never drink another one of those again. Two was wrong obviously, but I was close to dying in my opinion. Very very scary. I just threw out the few red bulls I had in the back of my fridge as well. FYI, I am a runner, tennis player and at a very healthy fit weight. I can’t imagine what this would do to someone NOT in shape. I don’t take any prescription medications. Good luck. Just say no. Drink water.
Why do people think they have to drink the whole bottle? Try half a bottle until you find out how it’s goin to affect you.
I work FT and am opening a business in about a week, so I’m burning the candle at both ends *and* on the sides! I took my 1st 5 hr energy last week and it really did pick me up and really did last 5 hrs and really didn’t give me a crash. I drank a whole bottle at 4:15pm, was alert and productive until about 9pm and was asleep by 9:30.
That was the 1st one. Since then, I’ve noticed that it doesn’t really help much and I just need to catch up on my sleep. I drank one yesterday morning and did fine all day at work (maybe would have been fine anyway), and took another at about 2pm because I was getting groggy and still had a long drive and more work ahead of me. It didn’t really help. I drank one this morning and am still tired. I’m taking tomorrow as a vacation day to sleep. To me, I think it works but you still do need to sleep enough. I’ve been getting about 6 hrs per night which isn’t typically enough for me (I usually need at least 7 or 8). I wonder if it’s because I’m maybe not deficient in any of the nutrients provided, it’s not really helping me any more. I have also noticed some heart flutters after I drink it – I get them sometimes anyway, but it seems worse with 5he.
I have a job which requires LOTS of driving. I would take the shots about 5 hours apart, sometimes 2 or 3 a night and 2 out of the 3 being the “Extra Strength” (not just a 24 hour time span). I woke up one morning and went inside a fast foot place to get some coffee. Next thing I knew, people were picking me up off the floor. I honestly believe it was my body saying “I’m done”. With all the testimonials I’ve read and research on these 5 hour shots, I am thouroughly convinced it was from WAY too much of the drinks. Everything in moderation! Research folks…THAT’S the best advice here…
B12 is used to allow your liver to process the SAMe it creates. SAMe allows the body to regulate and produce serotonin, dopamine, and norephinephrine. norepinephrine regulates energy levels.
It’s funny how these people do their research… 1. A sample set of two = no data. (really) you can’t show anything with less than a sample set of 30 and even with 30 individuals, the margin of error is pretty high.
Then, they have no idea how the body uses vitamins and neutrients, so they blow it off. Based on their own ignorance.
I drank my very first 5 Hour about 2 hours ago and don’t have any noticeable bad side effects as of yet. I was so draggy this morning I did not want to get out of bed and get ready for work. I was leary of drinking one of these, as I didn’t want to mess with my blood pressure or pulse rate. I’m not tired at all right now so I will see how the rest of my day goes, so far, so good!
My husband drinks a 5 Hour Energy drink every afternoon. He works long hours in a high stress job. They work for him and allow him to handle difficult clients without becoming short-tempered. He feels no crash and gets 8 hours of sleep – no jitters. I am concerned about the long term effects of drinking them daily, however. I can’t find much information about long-term studies. What I have read warns about toxic levels of B vitamins, over time, even though they are water soluble. He does drink lots of water.
Half a bottle of 5 Hour is enough for me. A whole bottle keeps me awake at night. I have rapid-cycling Bipolar II disorder and, on depressed, low-energy days, 5 Hour drinks can pull me up enough to function normally (clean the house or grocery shop). They do not bring on manic episodes and there is no crash. I am under the medical supervision of a psychiatrist and take several prescription drugs that keep my mood and energy within “an acceptable range” but it is always a struggle. There don’t seem to be any contraindications with my meds. I have had days when the drink doesn’t work; those are days when I am emotionally drained from a genuine stressor – like dealing with my parent’s Alzheimer’s symptoms.
5 Hour drinks are very helpful when I drive 10 hours to see family two states a way. I drink a whole bottle about 5 or 6 hours into those trips and know that I will not be in danger or put anyone else in danger by falling asleep while driving.
Well i drink one about every other day to give me a lil pick up and i have had no side effects at all. But i also have low blood pressure because of a medication that i am taking so i dont see what the big deal is? and the b-12 everyone who doesnt take a vitiam daily im sure could use it! I believe it all has to do with each persons body and how there body works whether your in shape or not. Each person is different. So whats the big deal?
Before trying the 5 hour energy drink, I was very tired each day and had problems with memory loss. I struggled to carry on a conversation without fogetting words. It took real concentration to learn dance steps in my dance class. I tried the 5 hour energy drink, one ounce about every third day. Now I can focus and my memory and energy level are so much better. My blood pressure has always been normal and still is. I haven’t had any bad side effects with this energy drink. I am 73years old and feel so much better .
I’ve been taking occasionally for 18 months and I think they work great. I don’t believe them to be good for you, but when the body needs a supplement to bring things back in line, it works very well. I wouldn’t dream of taking 2 in a day and very rarely take a full one. I believe if your taking them like that you will run into problems sooner than later. I advise fight through it when you can and take a half bottle when you really need it.
The last few months I have tried 5 hour energy, normally needed due to high does of muscle relaxers that I’ve be prescribed. I did notice that it I took one and the next day about the same time (first thing in the morning), I felt I would need another. So I would about two things, (addiction…just like coffee driinkers when they don’t get their cup of Jo) and second your body has to flush the excess out of your system, that means it’s getting passed through your kidneys and other organs. I wish the article would have mentioned more about this aspect of taking 2000-8300 percent of these “B” vitamins.
I take the five hour almost daily and have for over a yr and a half now. It does not give me the energy it used to but if i don’t take it i have almost no energy. The vitamin b it claims to have i guess it just flushes out of the system because i went to the dr. a few months back and had my levels tested.My vitamin b levels were extremely low and my dr recomended b-12 shots. There is a point of crash it is just different. You may not feel exhausted but if you over do it on the shots and don’t get enogh sleep when you finally let your body rest. It will need a lot longer time your body will let you know there is no substitute that can take it . The shots are ok if you follow the directions on the bottle and don’t over consume .
I take 5 hour one at work sometimes, mostly I use it before going to the gym when I am kinda feeling low in energy. It works fine for me. I don’t take it daily but, may be twice a week on an average. When I take it and go to the gym I can do cardio for one and half hour (I am 50). I introduced it to some of my colleagues,it worked fine with one and the other one did not feel good after taking it. Photography is my hobby so when I go out on a photo session I keep one with me.
5 hour Energy make me vomit…!!! feel very bad after 10 min. was feeling like that for 3 hours…. this product is thash. so I back to my favorite energy drink RED-LINE. is the best.
Thanks for actually using the drink in your research. This is not definitive but way better than other sites that don’t take it seriously and say it doesn’t work because energy drinks are thought of as shams.
I took two five hour energy drinks(extra strength) around three, went to the gym for two hours, ate, then had a hockey game which lasted an hour. I got into bed around eleven, and have been experiencing sleeping issues since…….
I think DynaPep is the best energy drink ever.
I prefer DynaPep as well. It’s a great energy booster and it’s made out of natural ingredients.
I take 5 hr energy every day. I just bought them in bulk off the internet. I find my energy levels are very high after taking them first thing in the morning, but the more I take them, the less effect they have. I think taking them every couple of days and only when needed is the best plan. As for side effects, I haven’t noticed any. I don’t get a flushed with the regular ones, but I have with the extra strength (in the black bottle). Tastewise, I prefer the orange and my least favourite is the lemon-lime. All in all I think it’s a very good product that works well in moderation. I use to drink sugar free redbull but that just didn’t do it for me, and most of the other drinks (in the big can) such as Monster just bloat me and I’m not a big fan of the taste….
I have a receptionist job and two kids (4 yrs and 2 months) so I’m super busy. I have been drinking 5 hour energies occasionally for a little over a year (except when I was pregnant which sucked because I really coulda used it then) I have never been able to drink large quantities so a 16 oz. canned energy drink just wouldn’t happen for me…plus I don’t like all the carbonation and all the sugar makes my teeth feel gritty. I have trouble staying awake at work because staring at a computer really makes my eyes tired. I will literally be starting to nod off at my desk….then I drink about half of a 5 hour energy and within minutes I am alert and focused. I try to only take them when I really need a boost because they are expensive and I’m a little concerned about becoming dependant on them. There was one time when I got heartburn after taking it but only once, other than that I have had only positive effects from it. I would definately recommend taking 5 hour energy in moderation if you feel like you need it. It also helps for a mood boost; if you feel down or have a lack of modivation try it out…it works great for me so good luck.
Well, I am not a fan. Why? Last summer I was driving a 14 hour trip in a day. I drank one 5 hour energy drink, a red bull about three hours later and then another 5 hour energy at the 5 hour point. NOT a good idea. For the first time in my life, my heart was beating off the charts and at the same time I felt nauseous and as though my heart was going to stop. I was all alone so I called 911 and within two minute an ambulance, firetruck (sirens and all) found me at a gas station where I pulled off the highway. They did an EKG on the spot and quickly loaded me into the ambulance and to the hospital (which luckily happened to be 2 minutes away). My heart was up to 254 beats per minute and they would not give me medicine to calm it down until they had taken blood and made sure I wasn’t taking drugs of any kind (the most I have ever taken of any substance is advil for a headache now and then). I had to have someone arranged to pick me up (my closest relative was more than 4 hours away) and THEN they gave me the medicine to take my heart rate down. I know I overdid it, but the experience has resulted in my never touching a 5-hour energy or red bull again, cutting out processed sugar from my diet, going to 1/2 reg 1/2 decaf coffee and limiting alcohol (I’ve even given up meat for the past year). I also eat Mila now and I have to say, I feel great! I also am a runner so that is what saved me I think. The ER doctor told me that it is a good thing I am in good shape or this could have ended in a heart attack. My recommendation for more energy? Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water (dehydration causes fatigue), eat Mila (lots of Omega and protein and calcium) and exercise. Good luck!
I’m a student and I am taking very hard science classes. I have trouble staying up at night and studying. I have never tried an energy drink in my life. I don’t drink coffee either, but reading all of your reviews makes me a little nervous about trying 5-Hour Energy.
I am a pilot. I began using 5 Hour Energy after being introduced to by other pilots at the facility where I am training. I do not use coffee and only drink water and juice.
This stuff ended up grounding me for a month. I took it exactly as per the directions. I suddenly became extremely dizzy, became very unstable with my balance and had severe visual disturbances. Thank God I was not flying at the time. Ended up in the hospital with what was believed to be vertigo, an absolute nightmare. I ended up going to a Neurologist who told me that 5 Hour Energy was BAD NEWS and that another pilot had “Severely damaged his health” using 5 Hour Energy.
I am much better now, but experienced severe visual disturbances from temporary Nystagmus. Nystagmus happens when your eyes track back and forth (side to side) uncontrollably. Everything looked as if it were spinning counter clock wise. I normally have excellent balance but could not even walk. I believed that I had experienced a stroke and that this would be permanent, but it was a temporary problem. Be VERY careful. I believe that a person could take it occasionally at perhaps half a bottle without too much damage, but everyone is different. I am a fit, 6′ tall, 233 pound male who should be able to take at least the amount prescribed in the directions. I could not.
I took one 5-Hour Energy early this afternoon and then half of another a little later, and my heart rate has increased significantly to the point where I am very aware of my pulse in my chest. I feel mildly nauseated and cannot seem to calm my blood pressure down through breathing or soft music, despite the fact that the drink has been in my system well over 10 hours. I have used 5-Hour Energy before with mild drawbacks (it keeps you awake but any strenuous activity done under its effect will make me nauseated). I think that one should never use more than one drink in a 24 hour period, as the increased blood pressure can clearly have adverse effects on one’s health. I’m a 19 year old pre-med student, and I don’t anticipate using 5-Hour Energy again.
Moderation folks. I drink one bottle in the morning. I’m not a coffee drinker so this is my,”wake up”. The only negative is, when I don’t drink it I get a head ache. I believe it’s caffiene withdraw. I olso force myself to take a couple days break every so often to prove to myself that I’m in control of it, not the other way around. Used responsibly and in moderation I believe it to be fine.
Helloooo people…the bottle specifically says DO NOT DRINK TWO during a 24 hour period! Why we always feel the need to break rules? I’ve taken 5 hour energy occasionally but I realized that what I really needed was sleep. I can’t function on 6 hours of sleep but unfortunately, with my schedule I wouldn’t get any work done….I’m a systems analyst, a full time graduate student, a wife, mom, etc, etc…
Sometimes we just need a mental break!
Hellooooooooo MORON!!!!
Have you not read that many others including myself took this product EXACTLY as directed? That’s the whole point! Go back to school and keep throwing back 5 Hour Energy.
For everyone who has tried any energy product and has had a bad experience, this new product (10kshot) does not have any side effects. Just visit the website and see for yourself. I personally have given out over 200 samples, with not 1 bad experience between them.
Any energy drink should be taken responsibly and with moderation. The drinks with more natural ingredients will be better for you in the long run.
I admit that I don’t generally live the healthiest lifestyle up generally consider myself of average health. I work a fairly lucrative job as a software developer so I have to be on point in what I do, though not to the point of constant physical concentration that operating large machinery may require. I used to drink coffee or take green tea pills but even if it does keep you awake, it makes you feel horrible with shakes and sweating and high heart rate/blood pressure but does nothing to clear the “cloud” in your mind when really tired. I started taking 5 hr energy months ago at the recommendation of a friend and I find it perfect. I sort of slowly sip an extra strength bottle almost every weekday and rare have more than half the bottle in a day. I also take a supplement from a root called Maca and this combo does me very well. I don’t see any bad side effects, though taking too much 5hr can make you start to feel the same as if you had too much caffeine, which can also make my ears feel warm and turn flushed. I do occasionally get heartburn but I think that’s due to having it on an empty stomach which likely gets the stomach juices going with no food to process and potentially makes things worse since this stuff somewhat supresses appetite. Additionally, falling asleep can be a little more difficult so I rarely will drink any after 2-3pm and don’t need it on the weekends. it is a fairly efficient hangover helper as well, though I definitely recommend drinking lots of water when on this stuff (I’m sure I drink over a gallon of water per day). I wouldn’t recommend more than a bottle per day and definitely take time off from it. Someone mentioned an occasional crash in the form of a long nights sleep and I agree with that but likely because its allowing you to stay up later than normal and getting less sleep.
This stuff definitely has helped keep me employed and very productive but I would try to take the minimum amount necessary to achieve your task at hand and do it slowly over time ratherr than slamming back a full bottle or more. It does help clead the cloud out of your mind but don’t take this to mean it makes you smarter. And when you’re really tired, it will bring you to just conscious but not very functional so get rest.
First off, let me just say that I am in good shape, am an athlete, get proper nutrition & hydration, and also get enough sleep. After a tough workout of cycling for two and a half miles, I still feel well. But when going back to my studies, I feel my mind drifting. I usually just drink my water, but if I do happen to miss out on sleep I’ll go for one of these 5 hour energy drinks; I’ll take one & it will liven me up within 20 seconds with no crash 5 hours later. I’m 21 years old, so I’ve tried energy drinks of all kinds & have learned that too much of something is never a good thing, so I’ll take an energy drink once a week or two. Also make sure that I drink out of my water bottle right after I drink the shot. I haven’t experienced any negatives with the drink, & you shouldn’t either if you MODERATE!
WOW after reading all of these reviews I am a bit nervous now! I drink the 5 Hour Extra everyday often 2 A DAY!! I drink either those or a different energy shot called Tweaker. I have been drinking them literally everyday now for a year. 90% of the time its the 5 Hour Extra. I have yet to see any side effects, I get rapid heartbeat sometimes but who doesnt with or without energy shots. I am a bit skepitcal of taking one tomorrow now I must admit.
I had alot of work I had to finish in two weeks in march and pulled a couple all nighters and used 5 hr energy and I thought it worked great. It even seemed to curve my appitite. Now I drink 1 everyday in the morning after a banana and yogurt and i’m not hungry till around 3 or 4 pm and have lost 8lbs in 3 weeks shooting for 10 lbs in a month.
sometimes I pour a 5 hr energy shot into a 20 oz bottle of water and mix it with the water and when I’m thirsty I drink some water all day and that way you get little shot of energy also.
I have a very stressful job with long hour i start taking 5 hour energy about five month ago to make it through the day. it work fine for a wild but now i have notice that my toilet habits has change. i am very constipated now, where as before i use to go to the toilet three time a day. has any one notice this. please post your reply.
I use 5 Hour Energy on two types of occasions: Before driving a long distance and before going to a concert. It has helped for both situations. It allows me to drive a long time before I feel sleepy. I no longer miss parts of concerts because of drowsiness and dozing. I haven’t noticed any negative effects.
I just took 5 hour energy for the first time (got a free sample), and now I feel all wacked out and jumpy. I drink coffee every day, but this feeling is different. I must say, I don’t like it. I also feel sort of dizzy and shaky and I have a headache. I won’t use it again!
Jenny,
I drink 5-hr energy almost daily. I weigh about 180 lbs. And I only ever drink 1/2 the bottle. I. Also have a cup of coffee daily. I’ve noticed that this puts me in a better mood the entire day.
I wonder if maybe you don’t weigh enough to warrant taking so much at a time. Perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 would be more appropriate.
I found it useful for long car trips. I have this post-lunchtime sag after driving all morning. Coffee just makes me jittery without making me alert. A full bottle of 5-Hour taken an hour before I need it will keep me going until suppertime without the jitters and with full alertness.
The alertness is not an illusion, as I’ve had to cope with sudden situations a few times on a trip from Buffalo to Tucson, as one normally does, and I’m convinced my reaction times were normal and my judgment unimpaired. My wife thought so, too, and she’s generally the first to pick up on deficits in my alertness when I’m driving.
It’s a little addictive, because for three or four days after a week of daily usage, I would be unable to keep my eyes open in the afternoon. But that was okay, since I was home and safe.
FWIW, I’m 68 and in excellent health. I drink three to five cups of coffee in a normal day and take only cholesterol medications.
I have been taking the black 5 hour energy everyday now for well over a year. I buy them in 24 packs from Sam’s club. It comes out to like 1.50 a bottle that way as opposed to 3.79 at QT. Anyways, I have never had any really bad effects from it. Some days I take two, one in the morning and one in the evening if I really need it.
I will say, I have built up a little more tolerance to where it doesn’t always wake me up now on really tired days, but it seems like just enough to kick start my day on a daily basis. I do ocassionally have some stomach aches, but I have to assume that is because I have IBS, not necessarily because of the shots, but you never know.
I have always wondered though, if these will have long term bad effects on my body, but haven’t found any really good answers on that yet. I hope not :) , cuz whenever I try to quit taking them, I feel like a zombie all day and it sucks so I always give in and go get one.
I’m a daily user of 5 hour energy drink, 2 bottles per day, going on 3 years now. I drink one in the morning and one after lunch, every day. I have a high tolerance for any substance, so 2 bottles is perfect. I’m energized all day, no crash, no problems, ever. I do not drink coffee, colas, or other energy drinks; for me water and healthy drinks only. I am a healthy and fit 40+ white male, 5’10″ 175lbs. It also helps me to regulate my appitite so I eat less. This has helped me to lose weight, 50 lbs I lost last year. It’s not for everyone and first time users should drink half a bottle to start.
5 hour energy works great for me. I read an article on the net that suggests to take 5 -hour energy shot and then eat a balanced meal (with fats, protein, starch and carbs). The B12 and niacin should help convert the food into useable energy. I tried it and I must say it works, maybe even a little too well. I was wide awake for hours and couldn’t go to sleep even if I wanted to. I would only take it when absolutely needed and in moderation. But definitely a great product for those unavoidable all-nighters.
The reason they do not put a phone number on the ad is because this stuff does not work. I have tried it a few times and it does not do anything. It is FALSE. All it is a bunch of bologny. I would love to sue them for the money I spent on it.
I’ve always been leery of stuff like this mainly because when I was much younger (19-20) I used to take those ephedrine pills…before they were regulated. Fortunately never had any long term issues but a couple times I did have some drug-like reactions. So about a year ago I attended a friends wedding in Colorado…flew in, gained 2 hours so I was quite tired and had a 4hr drive from the airport to his place. I decided to try one of these 5hr drinks figuring the effects would be better than falling asleep and crashing. I only drank half initially, had no issues. I drank the second half about 3 hrs later, again, no issues. The next day from being up til about 5AM I needed a boost. I had been drinking lots of water all day and in the late afternoon mixed a full bottle in with a 1 ltr water bottle…drank it over a period of 45 mins or so. I was fine all eve and well into the late night again…up til probably 4 or 5AM again.
At the end of this long weekend I had to drive back to the airport later in the evening. I drank another bottle mixed with a ltr of water along the 4 hour drive….really took about 2 hours to drink it entirely. Again, no ill affects.
I will drink one now and again but pretty rarely, not even once every 2 months. When I do drink them I mix it with a ltr of water and drink it over an hour period. Honestly part of the reason I mix it with water is because I think they taste like crap full strength, at least the water dilutes the taste to something reasonable. I’d asked my doctor about these drinks too. His opinion was as long as it didn’t seem to bother me and I was not taking them on a regular basis it likely was not an issue. I do get a physical including blood work every year. I’m reasonably healthy, I work out 2-3 times per week and am fairly active. Everything in moderation….
I tried this the other day, I bought a two pack that was on sale so I figured I’d see what all the fuss was about. The first time I took it I was already a little tired and exhausted from activities earlier in the day but agreed to meet some buddies for bowling later that night. I didn’t notice any real difference, I still felt a little tired for the duration of the evening. A couple of days later I tried the last bottle in the morning before work, again no noticable difference. Something to note, I’m a rather large individual, 6’2 and pushing 300 lbs, so body mass might have something to do with it, and I am also a 3-4 cup of coffee a day drink so that might have something to do with it as well.
I mix 5-hour energy with Vitamin water by Glaceau. I drink 3 sips out of the Vitamin water to allow room to pour 5-hour energy in, Then i shake it briskly, and drink it down over a 30 minute period. The vitamin water keeps me hydrated, and the 5-hour energy keeps me energetic. The only side effect is i get a little horny at times and i walk around with a stiff boner on occasion but who’s complaining.
yesterday I took a five hour energy drink after a night of partying and had a two hour drive home and after 30 min I was still falling asleep so I bought a rockstar recovery and still after 30 min was still sleepy so I bought a sugar free rockstar and after twenty min never in my life had I felt so bad I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack and pass out any minute…lesson learned…im also a fit 21 year old and had slept like seven hours the night before…After drinking about a gallon of water and walking, and trying to controll my breathing I felt a little better but it wasnt for two hours I wanted to go to the Er but as a college student thought of how expensive that would have been
Look here not sure if anybody has done it but when I started on energy drink craz drinking a 16oz redbull before I go to work at first it was going good then it wasn’t giving me the same effects as when I first started then I stepped it up to a 16oz red bull and drinking a little and pouring a 5hr shot in it boy I tell ya it was great my work output increased 4times I was working 6 jobs no sleep doing my mixture before every job spend almost 1500 dollars every month then I got sick almost died I was two weeks from dead well that’s what the doctor said. So after that I quit some jobs quit drinking any energy enhancer until times got hard and I need to be up longer and working more again so red bull came out with the 20oz and I noticed the 5hr extra strength was out I was kinda tired and I had a long night ahead of me so what the hell right let’s do it everybody seen me drink it and man I was on top again didn’t sleep for three days straight so I had another long weekend coming I figure let’s do it again so I did and I drank it here is my problem and question can you build tolerance for it. Because I did drink it but I didn’t FEEL it is it me or what could it be I mean $9 and nothing even coworkers seen me drink it and said what’s wrong I told them I don’t have the boost from that mix. Can you shed any light on this? That would be great. James
I use them when I go to debate competitions or on late night school work when I know I am going to have to be up all night and go to school the next day. If people use these drinks responsibly, and do not drink more than two a day and do not drink the second while the first is still having an effect(most of these last for about six to seven hours on me) they would be conpletely fine.
I posted on a different web page about 5-hour energy, and i spoke about mixing 5-hour energy drink with other beverages being safer to avoid any side effects one may have. I have mixed 5-hour energy with different things my favorite of course being Vitamin water, But another alternative is Simply Lemonade drink. They make individual size Simply Lemonades that you can carry around with you, Buy the lemon lime flavored 5-hour energy for this mixture or try other flavors. This post is for people that can’t handle drinking 5-hour straight, In my case i couldn’t handle the taste of 5-hour without mixing it.