The sudden health dangers of consuming too much caffeine

The family of a 21-year-old girl who died after drinking a highly caffeinated lemonade at Panera Bread are suing the restaurant for irresponsibly labeling the drink.

Sarah Katz was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, who typically avoided large amounts of caffeine because she had a heart condition called long QT syndrome, as The Independent previously reported.

Friends and family say she never would have ordered the drink — called Charged Lemonade — had she known how much caffeine was in it.

The “regular” (20-ounce) size of the restaurant’s Mango Yuzu Citrus flavour of the drink contains 260 milligrams of caffeine, as does their Strawberry Lemon Mint Charged Lemonade.

For reference, a cup of coffee contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine, per the United States Department of Agriculture. A 12-ounce caffeinated soda usually contains 30 to 40 milligrams, while an eight-ounce black or green tea can contain up to 50 milligrams, per the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An 8.4-ounce can of Red Bull Energy Drink contains 80 milligrams.

The Katz family’s lawsuit alleges that, on the menu, the Charged Lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” and that it was marketed as a “plant-based and clean” beverage.

Experts have long warned that Panera’s Charged Lemonade drinks can be dangerous, espeically if someone has them after a few cups of coffee in the morning.

It’s difficult to cite a specific caffeine intake range that would be considered healthy for most people, since everyone reacts to caffeine differently; however, the FDA has said that having 400 milligrams of caffeine within a 24-hour period — which amounts to four to five cups of coffee — can be dangerous.

Panera chains offer free refills; if a person eating there had roughly one-and-a-half servings of the Charged Lemonade, they could be close to that upper limit.

A number of negative side effects can result from too much caffeine, per the US National Library of Medicine (USNLM). Consuming too much caffeine has been associated with: insomnia, shakiness, restlessness, dizziness, headaches, accelerated heart rate, anxiety, dehydration, and dependency (or, needing a higher amount to achieve the same results).

People who consume too much caffeine too fast can overdose on it, which can cause difficulty breathing, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, dizziness, fever, irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, muscle twitching, and rapid heartbeat, among other symptoms, according to Mount Sinai.

If you think you or someone around you are overdosing on caffeine, you can call the Poison Help hotline (800-222-1222) for assistance. If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, it can be helpful to know their age and weight, as well as the amount of caffeine they consumed and the time it was consumed.

Caffeine overdoses are rare but should be treated as emergencies, since they can be lethal. People who report to emergency centres for caffeine overdose may be treated with breathing support, such as through a ventilator or oxygen; intravenous (IV) fluids; medicine to treat the symptoms; or even a shock to the heart to treat heart rhythm irregularities.

The Independent previously contacted Panera Bread for a statement regarding the Katz family’s allegations.