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Sad in AZ posted 7/25/2013 11:49 AM

I'm talking about ones like 5-hour energy... I'm about to make a long drive by myself; I'm pushing myself to make 13 hours the first day. Anyone with experience with these drinks? I handle the caffeine in tea very well--I drink it all day and am able to get to sleep at night. I just don't want to throw my body out of wack because of this trip.

ThoughtIKnewYa posted 7/25/2013 12:08 PM

You should be fine. At first, I was going to say not to do it, but I checked the ingredients and it's B vitamins and caffeine. Not Ma Huang and Guarana, which is what I originally thought. If it had been the latter, there would be NO WAY I would have said it's OK.

ETA: The guarana and ma huang made me think I was having a heart attack when I was in my **early 20s**, so I just say "never again" to both of those and would never suggest them to anyone else.

[This message edited by ThoughtIKnewYa at 12:12 PM, July 25th (Thursday)]

ThoughtIKnewYa posted 7/25/2013 12:54 PM

It's me again!

I just remembered that B vitamins can upset your tummy, so make sure not to drink this on an empty stomach, just to make sure!

aesir posted 7/25/2013 16:36 PM

Important tip. When you buy the 5 hour energy, get something else as a chaser. Those little bottles taste so bad you would swear you were chugging a 2 liter of the old diet grapefruit soda.

unfound posted 7/25/2013 16:51 PM

I tried it. once.

being that I normally inhale caffeine until 1pm, I think the effect wasn't as strong as I would have imagined. tolerance maybe?

even though they advertise no "crash" afterwards, I did. hard. physically and emotionally. I was a jittery on the inside, melted hershey bar on the outside, nobody loves me wreck.

ajsmom posted 7/25/2013 16:54 PM

Is there a real need to do that many hours the first day?

As you know (cuz we've both done these massive solo trips before), it's not so much you that you have to worry about, but other drivers, weather, construction, etc.

I personally think that's too much to ask of yourself.

Just sayin'...

AJ's MOM

UndecidedinMA posted 7/25/2013 17:31 PM

ITA with aesir - they taste horrible. So have something without caffeine in it for a quick mouth rinse.

Oh and avoid Redline - it is brutal.

Sad in AZ posted 7/26/2013 07:46 AM

What this boils down to is, should I spend a night in New Orleans? That would almost cut my trip in half.

Sounds like a no-brainer; why am I confused?

itainteasy posted 7/26/2013 08:29 AM

um YES! Spend the night in New Orleans!

And 5 hr energy tastes the like the shit that gets stuck in a bowel obstruction.

All of those energy drinks taste that way to me. *shudder*

InnerLight posted 7/26/2013 10:17 AM

When I have to stay alert but don't want to do caffeine I take Acetyl L Carnitine. Carnitine helps fuel mitochondria (energy generators of cells) and the acetyl form gets across the blood brain barrier so you can be more mentally alert. I use this for bookkeeping and professional seminars, as well as long drives. I keep some in my purse.

If you don't like the taste of the energy drinks, why not have another cup of tea? Green tea in particular has L-Theonine which works synergistically with caffeine and helps the brain produce more alpha waves. I'd go with that over canned fake overmarketed energy drinks any day.

[This message edited by InnerLight at 10:23 AM, July 26th (Friday)]

tushnurse posted 7/26/2013 10:40 AM

It would be a better decision to stop and sleep for a few hours even. When you are at the wheel that long, you tend to loose focus, and concentration...
There's reasons the rules for OTR Truckers exist. They can't drive more than 12 hours without a break either (I think thats the rule).
Have a great trip.

NotDefeatedYet posted 7/26/2013 20:04 PM

I would stay away from them. When I drink energy drinks, I have to pee a LOT. On top of that, when it wears off, you start to come down pretty quick. Just drink water. I drove 20 hours straight from the shore of lake Erie to Texas a year or so ago.

[This message edited by NotDefeatedYet at 8:05 PM, July 26th (Friday)]

Sad in AZ posted 7/26/2013 20:30 PM

A reservation has been made in New Orleans Sadly, some days I have trouble driving 2 hours at a time

ThoughtIKnewYa posted 7/26/2013 20:45 PM

YAY for a layover in NOLA, Boo for the hangover!!