The Whetstone/ Cochise Lucas

By: Kim Manahan (Whetstone Staff Writer)

The caffeine in the alcohol-energy drink Four Loko will be cut from the ingredients of the newly popular beverage.

The Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to four manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages, telling companies that “caffeine added to their malt alcohol beverages is an “unsafe food additive” and that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law,” said a press release issued by the FDA on Nov. 17.

The beverage has been banned in several cities across the country and has been the reason cited in several lawsuits.

Medical professionals say that the drink is dangerous because of the combination of caffeine and alcohol.

“Alcohol is a depressant and slows down respirations and heart rate,” said Jill Maser, RN at Wesley. “Caffeine is a stimulant and can mask the effects of the alcohol that is consumed.”

Those who drink alcohol mixed with energy drinks are three times more likely to binge drink, she said.

“Caffeinated alcoholic beverages usually have a higher alcohol content then beer,” Maser said.

This content ranges from five to 12 percent.

Dr. Craig Hochstein, Bayhealth Emergency Room Medical Director, said there are several risks of combining alcohol and caffeine.

“Studies have shown that folks tended to stay out later and get drunker,” he said. They also have a false sense of safety while driving, which “imposes a risk.”

Sold in colorful cans in liquor stores for an affordable price, the drink has become popular with students.

“I think for most college students the Four Loko’s inexpensiveness and quick buzz is what the draw is,” said sophomore Ashley Harris. “It is in an energy drink-like container, too.”

Kent General Hospital in Dover has not had much of a problem with emergencies related to Four Loko, Hochstein said. But the hospitals in Wilmington have.

“It’s not a suburban issue,” he said. “It’s an urban issue.”

There have been alcohol-related emergencies at Wesley, Maser said. “I’m not aware if Four Loko was involved.”

Users have had a multitude of side-effects from the drink.

“Some friends have talked about having hallucinations after drinking only one,” Harris said.

But some don’t stop at one.

“People don’t realize how drunk they are,” Hochstein said. “They will continue to drink more because of the caffeine.”