5 hour energy drinks?

On the days that I work I get up at 5am and then have to go work a 12hr shift at the hospital and rarely have time to sit down and rest for a few minutes. Before surgery I could handle this and didn't feel like I was dragging at the end of the day, like I do now. I know its probably because I had the last 2 weeks off and I'm not eating anywhere near as much as I was before surgery. So my question is has anyone tried those 5 hour engery drinks and are they ok for people that have been banded? I plan on asking my surgeon when I go back in for my next check up but thats not until the 21st so ANY input or ideas would be great. Thanks!

ive never tried them , but ask your doctor if its ok.....Suzan  

Be aware that these have a HIGH amount of niacin.

Some people have nasty reactions to niacin that isn't buffered.. including SEVERE flushing, pain, itchiness (everywhere), drastic temperature fluctuations, etc.  It's what I would equate with a heart attack -- it made me pull over for 30 minutes and think about calling 911.


Others, no reaction.  So if you try it, try 1/2, and do so at home.

I tried one. My ears were burgandy and I felt as though I was on fire. I ended up praying for help because my stomache hurt so badly.--nausea and diarhea. It is the niacin--because we have no stomache valve the whole thing goes through to the intestine---not a good afternoon. Christine

 I use them when I cycle long distances - and have never had a problem......find the caffeine gives me a kick and on the days I cycled without one handy - psychological or not I felt 'less' energy......I never had any GI problems with them.....There is also a product called FMR - which is quercitin - no caffeine - that a lot of jocks are using these days - the science behind quercitin is pretty compelling - so that's another option.   Susan

I haven't tried those 5 hr drinks but I have tried the sugar-free red bull, they're tart but work just as well as the regular red bull.

Susan... I just laughed outloud.

FMR is my husbands term for "Fat Man Rash" I have no idea why is was nessary to spit my tea out over it, esp when that was obviouly not waht you were talking about. I need to read more, scan less.  :-)

I use them when I ski, but I really try to make good nutrition a priority, so they are more like a handy bonus, but not a necessity. I don't have the hot, *****ly reaction to the niacin any more, as I take it in a supplement and am used to it, and my stomach has an intact pyloric valve, as does yours, so it may not be too bad. I only mention that for any RNY folks that may be reading, since their stoma may make it enter their system too fast, which is really uncomfortable, and they should be even more cautious with them.

The 5 hour energy things do seem better than most of the other brands I've looked at, since many have lots of sugar, caffeine or even ephedrine. It's not good to rely on any of that.