ER visits due to energy drinks doubles nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide in a recent four-year span.

That's the same period in which the supercharged drink industry has surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.

The survey of the nation's hospitals was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It found that from 2007 to 2011, the number of emergency room visits involving the beverages shot up from about 10,000 to more than 20,000. Most of those cases involved teens or young adults.

The report doesn't specify which symptoms brought people to emergency rooms. But it calls energy drink consumption a "rising public health problem" that can cause insomnia, nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat and seizures.

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