Originally published at: College student dies after drinking Panera's "Charged Lemonade" | Boing Boing
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at least as stated above, the doctors told her to avoid energy drinks – not caffeine itself. so i’m not entirely sure how your statement is relevant.
from the article:
“We tell people not to worry, it’s fine to have a Coke or a small coffee each day,” said Berul, who is on the board of trustees for the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation, an advocacy organization for those with heart rhythm abnormalities.
and:
The charged lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” and was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant’s dark roast coffee, according to photos of both the menu and beverage dispensers in the store
so they are indeed advertising it as something that it’s not.
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I take it back, they aren’t lightning bolts. The labeling is pretty clear though.
If the doctor said “no energy drinks” and mentioned nothing about caffeine, that seems like borderline malpractice. What about coffee? What about coke? Or caffeine pills?
I’d agree Panera shouldn’t be saying meaningless crap like “clean caffeine”.
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Holy crap, that’s a gargantuan amount of caffiene!
Still, I wonder why she wasn’t receiving actual treatment for Long QT. It’s not rocket science and proper treatment should have prevented SCD even in the presence of an (otherwise) lethal dose of caffiene.
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… unfortunately there is a considerable gray area between LD50 and “fine” 
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400 mg of caffeine is an entire day’s worth of a “safe dosage”.
This stuff is basically liquid cocaine.
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Most likely, because, like many people, she couldn’t afford it?
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Entirely possible. Though with Long QT, the consultation with a heart rhythm specialist was likely more expensive than the treatment.
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Ah… good to know… Still. Could be she didn’t have any insurance and was now in debt because of getting the diagnosis… Far too many people have to make these kinds of choices, sadly.
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sorry, ive got no idea what ld50 is, nor what you mean
i quoted the article where a doctor gave those answers.
as a random sample of one person: i have no idea what a normal amount of caffeine is… well, now i do from you and other posters, and that doesn’t sound healthy even for healthy people 
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… sorry, “lethal dose”
I thought we’d all used the term in past poisoning topics, also it’s the first Google result
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How many drinks are squeezed out of animals, other than milk?
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Typical caffienated soda has 50-60 mg per 12 oz. A strong cup of coffee would be about the same, maybe a little more. This stuff is even more potent than energy drinks, if I understand correctly.
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That’s an insane amount of caffeine. That drink shouldn’t exist.
Sorry though, you absolutely could not serve yourself a glass without seeing that label, which clearly states the amount of caffeine.
On a practical level however, the way they advertise it, they fucked up. Legally they should lose. And if I had my druthers publishing meaningless nonsense like “Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee” and “Powered by Clean caffeine” would be grounds for punishment on its own.
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I genuinely wonder whether Gen Z have a higher caffeine tolerance than us olds. I almost never see them without an energy drink in hand, while for me an energy drink is the last ditch nuclear option if I really need to stay awake, which I have only deployed a handful of times in my life
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Clamato and beef tea come to mind
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Well you were lucky. It’s the charming “Lethal Dosage 50%” - how we determine the safety of products. It’s the dosage where half the dogs, mice, or monkeys force-fed the shit died. Science!
#stopanimaltesting
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I dunno, I’ve known a few “olds” who measure their daily coffee intake not in cups, but pots! Then again, who knows how many scoops of grounds they brew. And say what you all will about Starbucks, but their regular brewed coffee will light you up.
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Folks with long QT respond very badly to tachycardia (fast heart rate) and should avoid stimulants as a rule. I am assuming (I know, ass, you, me…) she knew that there was caffeine in the beverage, roughly equivalent to 2 cups (16 oz, my size cup) of coffee. I personally think energy drinks are stupid, but this was, unless it was marketed as safe for her condition somehow, a person not taking steps she needed to protect herself. I have a peanut allergy that could make me quite dead. It would be my fault if I ingested a product advertised to contain large amounts of peanuts and reacted badly. I’m not certain where to draw the line on victim blaming, but I somehow doubt banning caffeine containing beverages is a viable option, just as banning anything that could cause anaphylaxis in anyone is way overreach. Long QT is very, very real, very, very scary and makes people very, very dead. Not sure I can blame Panera for this one, though, unless they concealed the caffeine content.
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Beta blockers (treatment of choice) are fairly inexpensive (fairly doing a lot of heavy lifting there) But I have some patients who won’t take them because of the side effects, making them feel sluggish. We are guessing, though. I would be very happy if the energy drink fad would go away, it does put kids at risk, and small kids in particular can easily exceed the LD50 because it’s sweet and they think it’s cool to drink “grown up” drinks. Not a fan.
@DukeTrout, being a natural product, the amount of caffeine in coffee is variable, but the most common figure I have seen is ~100mg/8 oz cup, although the range is anywhere from 85-220mg. IF you have something like this sort of condition, it’s not a game to play, though.
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